Epidemiologic research suggests a gap between prevalence estimates of students with emotional or behavioral problems and the actual number of students identified under the federal category of emotional disturbance (ED). To better understand issues related to the identification gap, we investigated the academic and behavioral functioning,…

Emotional Disturbance (ED) is one category under which a student can be evaluated and determined eligible to receive special education and related services. Students who experience ED are at greater risk for a host of negative long-term outcomes that include poor social, behavioral, and academic achievement in school, which in turn may impact…

Three major problems are discussed in relation to helping disturbed children: assessment practices, the nature of emotional disturbance, and the treatment of emotional problems. The need for objectively defining emotional problems and rationally designing programs to meet individual child needs is stressed. (Author)

Data on 117 adolescents identified or not identified as having serious emotional disturbance and served by public schools or private psychiatric hospitals indicated that girls were a small proportion of the group identified or served by public school, but made up the majority of the group not identified by schools but served by hospitals.…

Reviews the debate from the standpoint of entitlement about the education of children who are classified as seriously emotionally disturbed or socially maladjusted. It examines how research has supported or contradicted the notion of entitlement from the standpoint of prevalence, classification, intervention, and cost. Ethical guidelines are…

This article discusses the disproportional placement of African-American males in programs for students with serious emotional disturbance and their poor school outcomes. It urges educators to focus more attention on appropriate and successful interventions within a continuum of educational services for this population. Case examples are provided…