The importance of practitioner participation in identifying and maintaining use of best educational practice is well established; however, little is known about the ways in which practitioners contribute to the development and dissemination of those practices within the field of emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD). This review examines…

Universal screening for emotional and behavioral risk in schools facilitates early identification and intervention for students as part of multitiered systems of support. Early identification has the potential to mitigate adverse outcomes of emotional and behavioral disorders. The purpose of this study was to extend existing research on the…

This study of 182 secondary special education students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders investigated their classification by their school districts, in particular how well they were distinguished and represented by their federal categories. The districts used four classification groups (emotional disturbance, other health impairment…

Instruction is the most important variable in special education, but it is often overlooked. Special instruction is what makes special education work, yet it is often neglected. We need to know more about how to teach both academic and behavioral skills more effectively, how behavioral and academic skills are interrelated, and how to choose those…

This study examined the participation rates and performance of students classified with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in a statewide reading assessment. Gender, ethnicity, cognitive ability, school-level socioeconomic status, and instructional setting are analyzed as factors correlated with performance. Findings indicate that only 56%…

Data suggest that students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are underidentified and underserved for a variety of reasons. In response to this problem, the authors identify misinformation and provide evidence-based information regarding prevalence; discuss the role of stigma and exclusion from the EBD category and appropriate responses…

This introduction to a special issue on postmodernism and behavior disorders discusses problems with the definition of postmodernism, including the trend for people to label whatever they wish as postmodern, the inability to separate postmodern from the modern, and the subjectivity of defining which ideas are about "reality" or "truth." (CR)

Adolescent boys and girls, identified as either behaviorally disordered (N=166) or normal (N=183), were rated by teachers on the Behavior Problem Checklist (BPC), with such results as significant differences for pupil category, BPC dimension, and category by dimension interaction, but no significant differences for sex. (MC)

This response to "Behavior Disorders: A Postmodern Perspective" (David Elkind) rejects the postmodern notion that there can be no common narratives and proposes three possible metanarratives that could be useful in thinking about behavioral disorders: democracy, spirituality, and the notions of Nick Hobbs. (CR)

The study investigated whether 60 preservice and inservice, regular and special educators' perceptions of the emotionally disturbed/behaviorally disordered (ED/BD) would be influenced within a multidimensional framework by differentially labeling the target group. Among results were that the ED/BD categorical label was a significant factor in the…

The position paper discusses issues surrounding definition and identification procedures used for students with behavior disorders. Five recommendations address the need for revision of the federal definition, elimination of arbitrary exclusions, focus on sources of data collection, alternative models of service delivery, and priority needs for…

This study organizes items from seven behavior rating instruments into as few behavior clusters as possible. Methods used include card sort activities and a panel of experts examining items to establish their subgroup placement. Findings indicate a method for organizing behavior descriptors into clearly defined subgroupings and unifying behavior…

Argues that, at any give time in history, our conceptions and theories of behavioral disorders reflect the basic social and cultural tenets that prevail. It describes how our contemporary conceptions and theories of behavioral disorders mirror the postmodern themes of difference, particularity, and regularity. (Author/CR)