Reference no: EM131086147

Details:

This assignment is a presentation that allows you to apply what you have learned in this course, as well as strengthen your presentation skills.

Introduction

Provide an overview of the portfolio.

Professional Presentation

1. Choose a topic from the course and define an audience (e.g., educators, administration, parents, students, legislators) for the presentation.

2. Design a professional presentation in the format of a PowerPoint, workshop, or video. Within the presentation, include specific evidence from coursework that demonstrates mastery of understanding in the following areas: foundations and models (EBD), assessment, causes, facets, interventions, and teaching strategies for students with EDB.

3. Conduct the presentation with at least one member of your SPED team. Obtain feedback from participant(s). On the last slide before the reference page, include a summary of the feedback you received.. Include the strengths and areas of improvement.

https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=9501235198&site=ehost-live&scope=site

https://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/index.html

https://www.ccbd.net

https://www.eric.ed.gov/

https://www2.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/Policy/IDEA/index.html

https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=17308777&site=ehost-live&scope=site

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED386854.pdf

Assessment and Evaluation of Students With EBD

Introduction

Ambiguity and difficulty in defining emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) causes the numbers of students with EBD to vary widely. Often this group can be the most under-identified category in a school. As stated in the previous lecture, factors causing students to exhibit emotional and behavioral disorder can be from five different theoretical frameworks, includingbiological, psychoanalytical, behavioral, phenomenological, and sociological/ecological (Smith, Polloway, Patton, Dowdy, 2004). The aforementioned factors may lead to numerous disorders that are all classified under the heading of emotional disturbance.

The debate ranges over which assessments to use and why. The purpose of assessment is not only to identify the disabilities but also to use that information to create a more individualized program for intervention and remediation. "Assessment of problem behaviors requires that the team collect and interpret functional information from a variety of sources" (Yell, Meadows, Drasgow, & Shriner, 2009, p. 76). These assessments include both formal and informal types, and the mandated team determines eligibility.

Overall, when considering students with ED, there are times when the team must determine if the behaviors are truly manifestations of students' disabilities in order to protect them from some disciplinary measures such as suspension and expulsion. No matter what assessments are used, there needs to be clear-cut guidelines and procedures in order to perform an appropriate manifestation determination, plan, placement, and necessary support services.

Classifications/Mental Health Disorders

Although IDEA has only one category for EBD, various disorders may be present and/or concurrent within that disability. In order to differentiate between the various classifications of emotional disabilities, psychologists refer to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TE, 2000). Some of the various professional psychological diagnoses may include categories of Anxiety, Mood, and Personality Disorders; AD/HD; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; and Organic or Physical Disorders such as thyroid dysfunction.

Although not necessarily a licensed psychologist, the classroom teacher has been given a tremendous responsibility in assisting to identify emotional disturbances in children. Oftentimes, they are the first to notice something unusual. It is crucial that special educators are aware of the signs, symptoms, and evaluation methods for diagnosing emotional disturbances. The goals of the assessment process are to gather relevant information about the student, create a comprehensive picture of concerns, and develop term goals and strategies for intervention.

Assessments/Data Collection

Reliability and validity in assessments are crucial for accurate diagnosis. According to Kauffman (2001), reliability in assessment means the result will be the same every time is it administered to the same person and vary very little from assessment to assessment. Validity is determined by the assessment measuring what it is purportedly to measure and not other noise or nonrelevant aspects.

Observations

One of the informal assessments of student behavior will be observation. The informal observations and reports of the behaviors can be the first of the prescreening assessments. Later there will need to be at least one additional observation done in the classroom to include in the formal report. Discipline reports may be collected initially for pre-referral data collection.

According to Heward (2003), there are five measurable dimensions of behavior. There is rate, "how often a particular behavior occurs per standard unit of time" (p. 288), and duration, which would measure the length of time the behavior is displayed. Another dimension is latency, which is the amount of time there is to respond without evidence of the behavior. The fourth dimension is magnitude, the intensity of the behavior, which may range from too little or too much, for example, the low volume of voice or slamming of a door. The last dimension is that of topography, the physical form of the behavior or what the behavior looks like when observed. It is best practice that someone who is not with the student all day to do the observation in order to allow for an objective report. There may be more than one observation completed to help ensure reliability.

Behavior Assessments and Interviews

Methods of gathering information specifically on the student's behaviors may include behavior checklists, standardized self-reports, structured interviews, rating scales, and other appropriate assessment techniques. Analysis of work samples can also be useful. Here, instructors/observers are asked to focus on observable behavior in the school setting and describe what students do in nonbiased, objective, and behaviorally related terms. Some assessments use a triangulation method, so parents and the student may also need to fill out questionnaires and rating scales.

Some specific behavior assessments that are frequently used include Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC), Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS 2, 2nd ed.), and the Systematic Screening for Behavioral Disorders (SSBD).

A functional behavior assessment (FBA) is often used and can gather information from different environments, include antecedents, and help to direct intervention plans such as a behavior intervention plan (BIP), which is then included in the student's IEP. Often, there can be accompanying academic interventions required in conjunction to the behavioral intervention.

Academic Assessments

There are two different approaches when considering achievement tests and they are norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessments. Norm-referenced assessments compare the student's current academic abilities "... to the performance level of a national sample of students administered the same test by the test author. This population of students is typically called the norm or standardization sample" (Yell et al., 2009, p. 53). Whereas, a criterion-referenced assessment can be more individualized since it will help make "... judgments about a student's performance in comparison to a predetermined criterion or standard" (Yell et al., p. 53). Criterion assessments give a percentage rather than standard scores or equivalence derived from norm-referenced assessments. No one single type of assessment should be used for eligibility requirements.

Curriculum-based assessments (CBA) use direct observation and recording of the student's achievement in a local and current curriculum. It can be very reliable and valid and can be used to understand how effective an instructional program is for a specific student. However, different schools can use different curriculum, and, overall, CBA can lack standardization. Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) has standardized procedures and can integrate components of traditional and behavioral assessment within academics, such as reading, writing, and math. These types of CBM assessments can establish a measuring and graphing process over a length of time to establish goals that would directly correlate to interventions and the individualized education plan (IEP).

Conclusion

The special education team evaluates all of the assessment results, after being interpreted by the required qualified specialists. By mandates through the IDEA Improvement Act (2004), the team consists of a local educational agency representative (LEA), the regular and special education teachers, and a person to interpret the testing results, as well as the parent and/or student. There are also protocols in place to protect the rights of the student and parents.

Ideally, the reason for any assessment should be for intervention and a successful remediation. The programming needs to focus on more than deficits and needs to consider all areas of the individual both now and for the future. The student with EBD is much more than just a "troubled kid." There continues to be a call for improvement in assessments and, particularly, for individualization. There also needs to be more support in the execution of interventions with continued training for all involved with the student. Although there has been tremendous headway made in the last century for assistance for students with ED, there continues to be room for more improvement.

References

American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.). Washington DC: Author.

Heward, W. L. (2003). Exceptional children: An introduction to special education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: R .R. Donnelley.

Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act, Pub. L. No. 94-142, § 20 U.S.C. 1400 (2004).

Kauffman, J. M. (2001). Characteristics of emotional and behavior disorders of children and youth (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.

Smith, T. E. C., Polloway, E. A., Patton, J. R., & Dowdy, C. A. (2004). Teaching students with special needs in inclusive settings(4th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Yell, M. L, Meadows, N. B., Drasgow, E., & Shriner, J. G. (2009). Evidence-based practices for educating students with emotional and behavioral disorders.

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Pearson.

https://www.casponline.org/pdfs/pdfs/nasp04.pdf

Cognitive Behavioral Interventions/Social Skills/Collaboration

Introduction

Just as there are many diagnoses of disorders, there are many forms of intervention. It is important that care and concern go into the planning of the most appropriate intervention strategies. According to Yell, Meadows, Drasgow, and Shriner (2009), "When developing programs for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), the ultimate goal is to teach them more socially appropriate and adaptive forms of behavior that endure after they leave the school setting" (p.127).

Coping Skills

There are a number of skills that educators can help students learn and permanently acquire for a number of stressful situations, including: cognitive restructuring, stress management, and anger management. All of these areas can be taught in a mandatory social skills content area just as the academic areas are taught. This curriculum of social skills instruction should be required of every EBD program. Unfortunately, the immediate teacher may not have the training and education to implement effectively such a program, therefore, additional personnel such as a social worker, psychologist, counselor, and others may be required.

Implementing Cognitive Behavioral Interventions

According to Yell et al. (2009), developing and implementing these interventions requires three components:

1. Functional assessment of the problematic behaviors.

2. Program planning and implementation: choosing the cognitive behavioral intervention (CBI), teaching the procedures, and monitoring student results.

3. Lastly, programming for generalization in that the student will be able to carry on the learned procedures independently.

Cognitive Restructuring

Often, the student with EBD can experience cognitive distortions that place unrealistic demands on them and others, resulting in anxiety, depression, and anger from unrealistic fears. They can minimize or maximize situations and be reacting to experiences, or perceived experiences that are not really happening, due to past experiences. It is how they perceive the current situation due to experiencing their old emotions from past similar experiences. Violent behaviors can result, but students can be educated to recognize these unrealistic thoughts.

Approaches such as a rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) can teach the student how to discern cognitively the new experiences from the old experience in order to be rational in their emotional and behavioral responses. The assumption is that the EBD person experiences faulty thinking about the events rather than the actual event itself. "In the classroom, REBT is typically implemented in small groups where peers help each other work through misperceptions" (Yell et al., 2009, p.163). REBT does concentrate on the present and conscious; and present day problems are tackled versus the past problems, experiences, or causal factors.

Stress and Anger Management

The ultimate goal in teaching the students with EBD to control their emotions and behaviors is to develop self-regulationand self-management skills. When students have self-management skills, they are able to demonstrate responsible and independent behaviors for the future or be able to use generalization. They will learn to self-monitor and know to check in with themselves when their behaviors may become inappropriate, regardless of whether they are alone or with others. Students can then practice self-evaluation through utilization of the CBI steps they have learned and take corrective steps where required. They will know when and how to change behavior before it becomes a problem and inappropriate.

Group Therapy

Often, programs for students with EBD have a therapeutic element included with the academics. If the teacher is the one delivering this element, the group instruction for behaviors might fall under the social skills area because behaviors affect the social realm.

The therapeutic process and techniques take place within the theoretical perspective of the leader trained in a specific style or philosophy of human behavior, resulting in verbal or physical approaches to therapy. The basic assumption in group therapy is that, with the guidance of the leader, participants learn about their feelings and attitudes from interacting with other group members and, with support of the group, learn appropriate behaviors. Common components found in all the approaches include: "(a) insight or self-understanding, (b) learning from interpersonal interaction, (c) acceptance, (d) self-disclosure, (e) catharsis (a release from tension), (f) guidance, (g) vicarious learning, and (h) altruism" (Newcomer, 1993, p. 445).

Collaboration

It is not only the students who require training in the CBI techniques and strategies; the staff and others involved with the student need to have the same information and to collaborate as a team. These people are the mandated team required by IDEA and may include additional professionals if necessary for the assured success of the student. As defined in the textbook, the team is "... anyone who has a contribution to make and information to share related to the task facing the team should be a member" (Yell, et al., 2009, p. 168).

Collaboration needs to be present between the special education teacher and aides, administrators, and regular teachers, parents, or guardians, and any contributing outside agencies. The more consistent the approach, the more likely the student will experience success. Successful collaboration requires successful communication and frequent monitoring for success. There must be commitment, skills, trust, and respect for all members, and the student needs to be one of those members, as they get older. Transition mandates that the student is included in the planning of their IEP when they are 16 years old. However, considering research has shown that beginning at an earlier age can produce more success; it is pertinent to include them at a younger age.

Conclusion

Lack of successful appropriate behaviors and social skills often accompany lack of academic success. Students with EBD tend to have poor external and internal personal skills and do not always enjoy friendships and positive self-esteem. Through CBI training, self-monitoring, increased success, and continued practice, the student with EBD can reverse all those areas. The long-term outcomes can be more positive and they can be more independent and successful due to the CBI interventions, social skills training, and collaboration of the staff when they were in school.

References

Newcomer, P.L. (2002). Understanding and teaching emotionally disturbed children and adolescents. Pro-ed, Austin, Texas.

Yell, M. L, Meadows, N. B., Drasgow, E., & Shriner, J. G. (2009). Evidence-based practices for educating students with emotional and behavioral disorders.

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Pearson.

Preventions and Strategies for Students With EBD

Introduction

Characteristics of effective teachers are the same in classrooms with or without students with disabilities. As previously discussed, those basic effective principles include dealing with problem behaviors directly and rapidly. However, they should also involve specific, more in-depth approaches for academic instruction. Effective teachers participate in ongoing professional development by keeping current with the newest research, associating with other professionals, and attending educational conferences.

Principles and Instructional Plans

Lesson plans need to be made with the student's individualized education plan (IEP) goals in mind along with their academic level and learning style, social skill and behavioral assessment. Lesson plans provide a combination of what to teach and how to teach it. There exists a wide variety of skill levels present in the classroom. How to teach includes incorporation of the principals of effective teaching, which include:

1. Maximize Academic Engaged Time. Efficient use of time, positive reinforcement, and allowances for learning style preferences can increase retention.

2. Ensure High Rates of Academic Responding. Increasing student involvement with responses also increases time on-task and decreases problematic behaviors.

3. Maximize the Amount of Content Covered. Teachers can designate more time for areas they deem problematic for the students.

4. Match Assignments to Student Ability. To reduce avoidance-type behaviors, learning tasks must be commensurate with students' levels of ability.

5. Teach Academic Content Explicitly. Teachers are active in showing the students through demonstration, examples, and visuals, and allow students more practice.

6. Scaffold Student Instruction. More support is provided while the student is learning the concept or skill.

7. Use Direct Instruction. Researched-based practice has been shown to improve achievement of skills and knowledge.

8. Monitor Student Progress. Ongoing progress monitoring ensures proper pacing and increments of instruction, thus improving acquisition and mastery of skills.

Cooperative Learning and Peer Tutoring

Typically, positive, proactive teaching techniques can deter unwanted behaviors in the classroom. Allowing students to work in groups or with another peer can encourage positive behaviors and academic success. However, this approach can also promote inappropriate responses, so it is vital that the teacher is well aware of the behavioral limitations of each student. The best cooperative learning environments depend on the teacher's knowledge of each student's strengths and weaknesses, behavioral patterns, and social skills. Overall, cooperative learning environments create a varied and positive learning experience for children. However, there may be times that the student will be more successful working independently.

Peer mediation techniques are referred to by several different names such as peer monitoring, peer tutoring, peer partners, etc., and can be effective in most academic settings when implemented correctly. For example, it can be effective to have a somewhat older student come in from another classroom to work with younger or lower-performing students.

Conclusion

Emotional and behavioral disorder (EBD) students with primary characteristics often face lower academic success and social failure. Yell, Meadows, Drasgow, and Shriner (2009) suggest a systematic, empirical approach to instructional design combined with effective teaching principles to help ensure student success. Successful teachers who endorse effective instructional techniques and take opportunities to improve their repertoire of knowledge and teaching techniques have a better chance of having academically successful students.

References

Yell, M. L, Meadows, N. B., Drasgow, E., & Shriner, J. G. (2009). Evidence-based practices for educating students with emotional and behavioral disorders.

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Pearson.

https://www.honorlevel.com/proactive-discipline.html https://www.honorlevel.com/proactive-discipline.html
https://www.teachnology.com/tutorials/teaching/fba/ https://cecp.air.org/fba/problembehavior3/intro3.htm