Background: While chronic absenteeism hurts all students, one particularly vulnerable group, students with disabilities (SWDs), has received little attention in research or policy. Particularly troubling is the dearth of research into the patterns of absences for SWDs and GENs who attend school together in urban school systems, given relatively…

The aim of the present qualitative interview study was to explore how teachers working at an alternative education setting serving students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) build relationships with their students. In-depth interviews with five instructors resulted in the development of seven interrelated themes concerning the key…

This study provides a description of caregiver strain in a sample of caregivers of students with emotional and behavioral disorders receiving school-based services. Few studies have examined caregiver strain in school-based samples. Given poor outcomes for these youth, as well as the potentially influential role of caregiver strain in service use…

When depression alternates with mania, as in a bipolar affective disorder, creativity might be enhanced. To investigate this, we employed a single-subject design, looking at both affective space and the spectral covariation of mood and creativity in a participant presenting with bipolar affective disorder. The study was conducted over a period of…

This study compared college students' (N = 260) responses on a simple dichotomous screening measure and 2 behavior checklists. Seventy-nine participants (30.4%) screened positive (i.e., endorsed nonsuicidal self-injury [NSSI] behavior) on at least 1 measure, and 37 (46.8%) screened positive on the simple screen. Participants who screened positive…

Students with disabilities (SWD; e.g., learning disabilities) often struggle with slower processing speed and poor working memory skills, which reduce the quality of their notes. This study evaluated the effects of a note-taking intervention using the researcher-created smartpen strategy in conjunction with the assistive technology of the…

The Boxall Profile is one of the most frequently used tools to measure the social, emotional, behavioural and/or mental health difficulties (SEMH) of children and young people in schools across the UK. However, limited evidence exists regarding the norms and psychometric properties of the tool. The current study used data from 487 primary…

Using an ABAB withdrawal design, the study evaluated the direct and generalized effects of a combined independent and interdependent group contingency on the engagement and disruptive behavior of two groups of students enrolled in an alternative school serving students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Class 1 included seven middle school…

Frequent formative assessment of students' functioning, or progress monitoring, is a critical component of multi-tiered systems of support as data inform data-driven decisions about response to treatment. Progress monitoring tools for students' academic and behavioral functioning are readily available and widely researched; however, despite the…

Despite clear interpersonal, physiological, behavioral, and emotional consequences, the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders," fifth edition ("DSM-5") and most abnormal psychology textbooks inadequately describe maladaptive anger. Although there is no recent published research on coverage of maladaptive anger…

Objective: Research suggests that college is a risky period for changes in eating behavior and beliefs. Although social health determinants relate to health behavior changes, research has not explored subjective social status, one's societal standing, in terms of eating expectancies among college students. The present study examined the emotion…

This study employed an A-B-A-B design to examine engagement and active participation among five middle school students with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) while using response cards for mathematics instruction. Students with EBD often exhibit off-task behaviors, which limit their engagement with classroom learning. This is of concern as…

Perhaps, Pope Francis's idea of accompaniment can provide a parallel to consider that will allow for Catholic schools to develop a systemic approach to address the needs of mental wellness and to reach a wider array of students. Whereas this approach can never replace the need for the work that mental health professionals can deliver, it may…

Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), this quantitative study examines the impact of reading test scores as it relates to high school completion for American students with emotional behavioral disability characteristics. By analyzing the impact reading test scores have for this population, educational leaders…

Middle schoolers with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) typically have a trajectory of difficult outcomes (e.g., school dropout, incarceration). Growing evidence suggests that the continuum of behavioral competence to challenges is closely linked to students' neurocognitive executive function (EF) capacities, perceived stress…