This introduction to the special issue on research needs and issues in education for students with emotional and behavioral disorders explains how the special issue originated, and identifies major topics of papers included in the issue, such as the importance of classroom structure, the role of setting events, social skills training, and…

Addresses the use of functional assessment in making treatment decisions with students having emotional/behavioral disorders. Discussion covers indirect and direct measures of the relationship between the target behavior and variables maintaining the behavior. Strategies for selecting and verifying hypothesis-driven treatment decisions are…

This article describes use of "comic strip conversations," a type of social story adapted for younger students or those with limited verbal communication skills. It utilizes simple symbols, stick figures, and color to identify key elements of a social interaction. Three steps to implementing the technique are explained and illustrated with…

This article for teachers provides basic information on psychiatric disorders and treatments. It covers oppositional defiant and conduct disorders, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depression or other mood disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, and autistic spectrum disorders. Insets provide additional…

This study examined the relationship between bullying and victimization in school and exposure to interparental violence with 1059 Italian elementary and middle school students. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses of questionnaire responses revealed that bullying and victimization were predicted by exposure to interparental violence,…

Basic and applied research on variables that influence the extinction of operant behaviors is reviewed and applied to the treatment of behavior disorders. The potential value of a general technology for the use of behavioral extinction is discussed. The paper concludes that current research findings are not sufficient for the development of a…

Wisconsin teachers provided information on 1,300 students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) who were receiving medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The ADHD/EBD students comprised approximately 26% of all EBD students. The most common medication was Ritalin, and teachers believed the medication effectively…

Five special educators (Durand, Bambara, Dunlap, Kennedy, and Wacker) respond to an article in the same issue by Horner and Carr entitled "Behavioral Support for Students with Severe Disabilities: Functional Assessment and Comprehensive Intervention." Respondents raise concerns regarding the range of intervention options, the behavioral…

Examines and analyzes factors responsible for the increasing prevalence and incidence of preschool children with behavior disorders. The research indicates the use of drug therapy, time out, extinction and positive reinforcement, overcorrection procedures, and modeling can be effective reduction strategies for behavior problems. Early intervention…

A study that compared abusing mothers (n=17) to nonabusing mothers (n=16) of children with conduct problems, found that the abusing mothers exhibited a greater use of emotion-focused coping strategies and less use of effective problem-focused strategies. Abusing mothers also perceived their coping to be more ineffective than the nonabusing…

A Communication Opportunity Group Scheme, which develops formal language and thinking, has been successful in enhancing the performance of a wide range of pupils with and without disabilities. Evidence is presented to illustrate its successful use with 24 children with inappropriate behavior and limited social interaction. (Contains references.)…

A 10-session anger management program was offered in a therapeutic day school for adolescents with emotional or behavioral disorders. Booster sessions to maintain gains were provided. Participants exhibited a reduction in peer fighting, an increase in talking with a counselor when angry, and an increase in using anger logs. (Contains references.)…

The controversial discipline provisions of the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are examined. It is suggested the provisions may serve to encourage systemic reform capable of dramatically affecting the educational and postsecondary careers of students with emotional or behavioral disorders and may assist in curbing…

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are more likely to drop out of school than their peers. Examines how different types of mobility may positively and negatively impact students with EBD, highlighting non-normative mobility or the ways in which schools cause students to move within and between classrooms and schools. Analyzes…

The author of a paper on effects of risperidone on behavior in people with developmental disabilities rebuts a criticism by suggesting that a specific diagnosis of psychiatric disorder is unimportant, since risperidone was effective in reducing aberrant behavior regardless of psychiatric diagnosis and/or environmental contingencies. (Contains…