Los Angeles Unified School District Division of Special Education

1. Los Angeles Unified School District Division of Special Education Schools for All Children Emotional Disturbance Donnalyn Jaque-Antón Associate Superintendent

2. Emotional Disturbance

3. Overview • Definition • Impact of disability • Assistance with • academic tasks • behaviors • social skills • Hierarchy of behavioral supports • Positive behavior support • Behavior support plan • Strategies

4. Definition • "...a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child's educational performance-- • An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors. • An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.

5. Definition (cont.) • Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances. • A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression. • A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems." [Code of Federal Regulations, Title 34, Section 300.7(c)(4)(i)]

6. Emotional Disturbance is NOT • Social maladjustment • Behavior in conflict with parent • Behavior associated with a subculture and contrary to larger community mores • Behavior which does not render student helpless, confused or disorientated

7. Emotional Disturbance is NOT • Conduct disorder • Aggression against people or animals • Property destruction • Lying or theft • Serious rule violation

8. Impact of Disability • Academic • Skill deficits • Trouble beginning tasks • Difficulty maintaining attention • Problems completing tasks

9. Impact … Behavior • Externalizing – Acting out • Aggression • Defiance • Disruption • Fighting • Internalizing - Withdrawing • Isolation • Self abuse • Depression • Anxiety • Interaction with others (making and keeping friends) • Coping strategies • Reading social cues

10. Academic Tasks - Assistance • Provide clear, specific directions • Use curricular interventions • Tasks at student’s academic level • Assignments broken into smaller parts • Breaks given as needed • Student strengths utilized to learn new material • Opportunities for choice making

11. Externalizing & Internalizing Behaviors – Assistance • Listen to/observe student and make adjustments • Teach relaxation techniques • Teach alternate behaviors

12. Social Skills - Assistance • Teach social skills proactively • Break skills down into parts • Teach, model, practice and reinforce skills • Teach self-regulating skills

13. Hierarchy of Behavioral Supports • School–wide positive behavior support • Classroom Management • Individual Support Plan

14. Developed by: Institute On Violence and Destructive Behaviors, University of Oregon (1999) • Intensive social skills training • Individual behavior management plans • Parent training and collaboration • Multi-agency collaboration (wrap-around) services Targeted/ Intensive (High-risk students) Individual Interventions (3-5%) • Intensive social skills training • Self-management programs • Parent training and collaboration • Adult mentors (check-in) • Increased academic support Selected (At-risk Students) Classroom & Small Group Strategies (10-15% of students) • Social Skills Training • Positive, proactive discipline • Teaching school behavior expectations • Active supervision and monitoring • Positive reinforcement systems • Firm, fair, and corrective discipline Universal (All Students) School-wide Systems of Support (85-90% of students)

15. School-wide Positive Behavior Support • School-wide rules and expectations • Defined • Taught • Modeled • Practiced • Reinforced • ALL members of school community participate in development and implementation of policy

16. Classroom Management • Identify 3 – 5 clear, concise , positively stated rules • Taught, modeled, practiced, reinforced • Reinforce appropriate behavior • Predictable schedule/environment/routine • Active monitoring • Provide corrective feedback privately • Avoid power struggles between student and staff

17. Individual Behavior Support Plan • A-B-C • Antecedent – Behavior - Consequence • Communicative Intent (purpose of the behavior) • To get or get away from… • Sensory, Escape, Attention, Tangible • Replacement behavior • What the should the student do instead? • Must serve the same purpose • Reinforcement • How, when, how often will student be reinforced?

18. Proactive vs. Reactive Strategies • Proactive • Teach new behaviors • Reinforce appropriate behavior • Emphasize positive expectations • Reactive • Does not promote new learning • May stop the behavior momentarily • Emphasize negative consequences

19. Proactive Point system rewards Modeling Clear, specific expectations Contracts Reactive Time away Planned ignoring Loss of activities, privileges Punishment Examples of Strategies

20. How Can Support Be Provided? • Unconditional positive regard for the student • Teach appropriate behavior and social skills • Positive reinforcement for appropriate behavior • Prompts (visual, auditory, gesture, picture) • Frequent positive check in with school staff • Schedules • Peer support

21. Resources • Durand, V. Mark. Severe Behavior Problems. New York: Guilford Press, 1990. • House, Samm N. Behavior Intervention Manual. Columbia, MO: Hawthorne Educational Services, 2002. • Janney, Rachel, and Snell, Martha E. Behavioral Support. Baltimore: Brookes Publishing, 2000. • McCarney, Stephen, Wunderlich, Kathy, and Bauer, Angela. Pre-Refferal Intervention Manual, 2nd edition. Columbia, MO: Hawthorne Educational Services, 1993. • McGinnis, and Goldstein, Arnold P. Skillstreaming in the Elementary School Child. Champaign, IL: Research Press. • O”Neill, Robert, Horner, Robert, Albin, Richard, Sprague, Jeffrey, Storye, Keith, and Newton, J. Stephen. Functional assessment of Program Development for Problem Behavior, 2nd edition. New York: Brooks/Cole Publishing, 1997. • Wright, Diana Browning, Gurman, Harvey. Positive Intervention for Serious Behavior Problems. Sacramento: California Department of Education, 2001.

22. Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results. ―Anonymous