Causal Factors of Emotional/Behavioral Disorders
The federal definition of EBD (Emotional/Behavioral Disorders) is that it is a situation where a child exhibits certain traits over a lengthy period and to a marked degree resulting into serious effects on a child’s educational performance (Bentham, 2002). The traits exhibited are: failure to learn, which is unexplainable; failure to have social peer relationships; general depression or unhappiness; propensity of developing physical signs of fears; and incorrect behaviors (Bentham, 2002). In defining EBD, the patient is categorized as either being disturbed or having disturbing behavior all of which is because of social neurosis. However, dimensions common to most definitions of EBD are: rate of occurrence, behavior severity, length of behavior, and age of the behavior (Jarvela, 2011). Therefore, this paper discusses the causal factors of EBD, their implications, and mitigation regarding EBD students.
Causal Factors
There are four major categories of factors that cause EBD amongst students. They are: schools, family, culture, and biological. The three factors that would be comprehensively analyzed are schools, family, and culture.
Schools
Schools fall under the ecological model of EBD. In the model it is stipulated that behavior stems from the environment that the student interacts. The environment here is the community, schools, and family. Students stay in schools the longest time in their life outside the house. Educators in schools have certain outlooks and so their vision can influence the life and behavior of a student. Farmer, (2010), asserted that teachers who have low rates of acknowledgement and higher instructional interactions, and give EBD students few opportunities to react correctly negatively affect the academic and behavioral performance of students. Furthermore, some inappropriate behaviors may be learned or accentuated while at school; proper behaviors are ignored. Absence of school rules and regulations over student behaviors, and limited room for showing individual difference also contributes to EBD. For schools having strict rules and regulations, the behavioral choices considered acceptable are seen to be restrictive and habitually fair. Their policies that lack leniency coupled with their authoritative discipline style causes EBD risks.
Family
The family forms the part of the environment that students stay longest in. The causal factor falls also under the ecological model of EBD risks. In the family, there are numerous influences such as parental discipline style, socio-economic status, and family structure that contribute to EBD development. The complex-interactions between conditions suggested by social demographic indicators and family dynamics have been shown to correlate with the presence of EBD. These indicators include poverty, absent fathers, divorce or separation, and hostile family relations (Sacks & Kern, 2008). However, Farmer, (2010), asserts that while the factors might increase EBD, they may not directly cause the disability.
Culture
Standards and values of the culture students are from have adverse impacts in the behavior they exhibit. The effects of popular culture with advertising, mass media, video games, and violent movies may all play an important role in increasing inappropriate behaviors (Jarvela, 2011). Furthermore, the culture of ethnicity, peer groups, communities, and social class are all factors that may influence EBD. Rarely can the disorder be credited to an exact cause. Mostly EBD is caused by a combination of many factors at different levels and locations. Teaching, physiology, parenting, and culture all play important factors in development of EBD, but must be considered individually for different individuals.
Criteria for identifying causal factors for EBD
The two classification systems that can be used in identifying the causal factors are clinically derived and statistically derived (Jarvela, 2011). The two systems depend on the behavior of a child. In the clinically derived classification what is used is the DSM-IV-TR (‘Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, Text Revision’). DSM is a manual published by the American Psychologist Association to come up with a public language and category in which professionals can diagnose mental disorder categories. Diagnosis entails scrutiny of behavior over a period and in different environments.
Another common criterion is using statistically derived classification systems, which consists of internalizing and externalizing behaviors (Jarvela, 2011). Internalizing behaviors take the form of child depressions, anxiety, fears and phobias, and obsessive compulsive behavior. Students internalizing problems can sometimes adversely affect their academic success, social life with peers and adults, and general development. Externalizing behaviors can be easily identified and are seen by acting-out and noncompliant type. Students are always aggressive with the community and school authority. In later years this might spill over to conflictual relationships with family, peers, and even marital.
The third classification is the Quay and Peterson’s dimensions of problem behaviors. The dimensions of disorders according to Quay are: personality that consists of unease, withdrawal, and physical complaints; immaturity where there is poor copying, passivity, preference of younger playmates; social delinquency where they involve in gang subcultures; conduct where they are aggressive, irritable and disobedient.
Impact of the causal factors on students with EBD
Bentham, (2002), posits that the causal factors affect students with EBD in three major areas; learning, social, and communication. In learning EBD students are affected in a range of intellectual abilities where some are seen to not to understand complex problems, cannot see beyond the obvious, and find it hard to use complex vocabulary. There is also chronic school failure recorded with EBD students seen to record below average grades compared to their peers (Bentham, 2002). In addition, high rates of school dropout are recorded for EBD students which affects their chances of earning a living in the future.
Causal factors also affect social traits of EBD students through making them have difficulty in maintaining relationships. Externalizing and internalizing behaviors create conflicts that make the students unable to maintain healthy relationships with family, spouses, and community (Jarvela, 2011). There is also aggressive behavior when EBD students feel that their opinions are not considered. Alternatively some may feel rejected through feeling that they are not understood.
Communication is affected by causal factors where EBD students lack in pragmatics. Deficit in pragmatics results in: students not understanding language contexts; cannot differentiate the different speech acts such as greetings, ordering, persuasion, and so on; and understanding what is implicated in a conversation. Furthermore, the causal factors in students with EBD have been seen to result in limited and inappropriate language use. Their vocabulary is laced with abuses and decency.
Mitigation of causal factors
In a classroom setting where majority (34%) are educated, the intervention strategies for mitigating the school factor are (Jarvela, 2011): encouraging teachers-student relationships, teaching self-monitoring strategies, teaching social skills and encouraging practicing, developing crisis management and prevention programs, developing short and long term goals for EBD students, creating a baseline for observed behavior, and modifying behaviors to result to desired outcomes.
In a family setting, there should be a family-centered approach for planning for children with EBD to support their family needs (Jarvela, 2011). This is also done through recognizing strengths of the family and concerns. Collaboration between the home and school is also crucial to quickly identify possible deviation of normal behavior.
Culture factor can be mitigated through addressing diversity that is common in the society (Jarvela, 2011). There should be educational programs aimed at demystifying certain cultures, removing the notion of ethnocentrisms, and making ethnic minorities comfortable to air their views.
References
Bentham, S. (2002). Psychology and Education. New York: Routledge. Pp. 138-147
Farmer, T. (2010). Supporting Early Adolescent Learning and Social Strengths: Promoting Productive Contexts for Students at-risk for EBD during the Transition to Middle School. Exceptionality, 18(2), 94-106.
Jarvela, S. (2011). Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning. Oxford: Elsevier Publishing. Pp. 130-140
Sacks, G., & Kern, L. (2008). A Comparison of Quality of Life Variables for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders and Students Without Disabilities. Journal Of Behavioral Education, 17(1), 111-127. doi:10.1007/s10864-007-9052-z
