5. special education

“Emotional Disturbance & Its Impacts”

Dr. Mohibullah Khan Marwat

SUIT Peshawardsmarwat@yahoo.com

Cell. 03333161616Cell. 03113161616

“Emotionally Disturbed“ Person• “Emotionally Disturbed" is defined as the

person with Disabilities having One or More of the following characteristics which adversely affects Educational performance:

• Inability to Learn Properly;• Inability to build or maintain satisfactory

interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers; (Continued)

• Inappropriate types of Behaviours or Feelings under Normal Circumstances;

• General mood of Unhappiness or Depression;

• Tendency to develop Physical Symptoms or Fears associated with Personal or School Problems.

Prevalence

• Nearly 7 of 10 children – no diagnosable brain disorder

• Nearly 25% - moderately severe disorder• Nearly 5% - marked impairment/SED• Less than 1 in 5 get help.• One-half of life-time cases begin by age 14• Adults – 21%

(GSMS 1998, Surgeon General’s Report 1999, NIMH NCS-R 2005)

“Emotional Disturbance or Mental Illnesses

• Emotional Disturbance or Mental Illness is medical condition that disrupt a person’s Thinking, Feeling, Mood, Ability to Relate to others and daily functioning.

• Mental Illness is Medical conditions that often results in a Reduceed Capacity for Coping with the Ordinary Demands of life.

1. Feelings of Sadness, or Frequent Crying, or Restlessness, or Loss of Interest in Friends and School Work, or Unpredictable Behaviour; or

2. Feelings of Fears, Phobias, or Excessive Worrying or Anxiety regarding Personal or School problems; or

(Continued)

Internal Factors Characterized by:

Internal Factors (Continued)

3. Behaviors that result from thoughts and feelings that are Inconsistent with Actual Events or Circumstances, or

4. Difficulty in Maintaining Normal Thinking Processes, or

5. Excessive levels of Withdrawal from Persons or Events;

External Factors Characterized by:

1. Inability to build or Maintain Satisfactory Interpersonal relationships with Peers, Teachers, and other adults in the School Setting; or

2. Behaviors that are constant and Troublesome such as Noncompliance, Verbal or Physical Aggression, or Poorly Developed Social Skills

Impact of Emotional Disability on

Curriculum and Learning• May appear Anxious, worried and or

Unable to concentrate• May have difficulty in Responding• May be Irrational about a Task • May appear Sad and Show No Interest

in Class Activities• May develop the habit to run away from a

Stressful situation

• May display Disobedient Behaviors

• May display Verbal or Physical Aggression

• May display many other behaviors that are an impact of

• their disability and interfere with learning

Impact of Emotional Disability on

Social Behaviour• May Withdraw or Isolate from others; • Prefers to live alone and avoids Interaction

with friends & Peers• May Cry Easily• May display social skills that are

Immature; not age-appropriate• May often Over or Under React to the

Situations

• May avoid Interaction with others due to Fears or Phobias

• May go away from an “Uncomfortable” social situation

• May display Aggressive Behaviour

Impact of Emotional Disability on

Social Behaviour

Impact of Emotional Disability on Independent Functioning

• May be Disorganized • May not Complete or do the Assignments • May become Overwhelmed by a Task • May appear Fearful • May have Phobias • May not Co-operate • May Display Self-injurious Behaviors

The Reasons why Emotional Problems arise in a particular child are usually difficult to identify precisely, and Emotional Disability is likely to be the result of Multiple and Overlapping Factors (Walker & Sprague, 2000).

Causes of Emotional Disability

Real cause/s of Emotional Disturbance Not Yet Known;Heredity, Brain Disorder, Diet, Stress, and Family Functioning have been amongst its common Causative Factors. To date, researchers have not found that any of these factors are the direct cause of Behavioral or Emotional Problems.  (Continued)

Causes of Emotional Disability

Mental Illnesses can affect persons of any Age, Gender,Race, Religion, or Socio-cultural backgrounds. (Continued)

Causes of Emotional Disability

1. Biological Reasons“More and more Biological and Genetic Causes for Emotional or Behavioral Disorders are being identified” (Forness & Kavale, 2001).For example, research now claims that a Definite Relationship exists between Prenatal Drug Exposure and Childhood Emotional or Behavioral Disorders,Mood Disorders, Depression, may have a Genetic Foundation (APA, 2000).

Causes of Emotional Disability

Causes of Emotional Disability

2. Environmental Reasons

Environment and Culture are the context in whichbehavior unfolds (Maag, 2000). No one lives in a Social Vacuum. Everyone is a

memberof an Immediate Family, an Extended Family, or aCommunity Network (Neighborhood, Church,

Clubs).

All of these environments Shape and Influence eachindividual's Growth and Development, whetherPositively or Negatively.

Exposure to Violence

Extreme Stress

Loss of an Important Figure in the house (Continued)

Causes of Emotional Disability (Continued)

3. Family Reasons – Interactions between Parents and Child influences

the child's Opinions, Behaviours, and Emotions. – Within the family, one factor associated with Emotional

Problems is Child Abuse. – Child Abuse may result in Poor Desire Control and

Poor Self-Concepts. – Aggression and Anger are often noticed in children

who have been Abused. (Continued)

For example, children whose Parents are Violent and have Arrest Records also tend to become Violent and to find themselves in Trouble with the Law (Hallahan & Kauffman, 2006; Rudo, Powell, & Dunlap, 1998). (Continued)

Causes of Emotional Disability (Continued)

Another link with Poverty is clear.Students whose family incomes are in the Bottom 20 percent of American Families are Five Times More Likely to Drop out of school than their peers whose family incomes are in the Top 20 percent of American Families (NCES, 2001).

Causes of Emotional Disability (Continued)

Factors to Consider

The criteria to see whether a child's Behavior is Normal or a sign that the youngster needs help:

1. The Duration of a Troublesome behavior

2. The Intensity of a Behavior3. The Age of the Child

Behavioral Indications of Potential Problems

I. Indications of Low Self-concept

II. Disturbed Relations with peersIII. Inappropriate Relationships with Teachers,

Parents, and other Authority Figures

IV. Deficits in Speech and Language

V. Difficulties in Auditory and Visual mattersVI. Poor quantitative reasoning & computational

skillVII. Deficits in Basic Motor Skills

Indicators of Social Disabilities

• Poor Social approach• Lack of Judgment• Lack of Sensitivity to others• Difficulty in making Friends• Problems in Establishing Family Relationships• Social Problems in school• Social Maladjustment

“Hyperactivity”

• Hyperactivity is not defined simply by a High Rate of Activity;

• It is a high rate of Inappropriate behavior of various kinds that the youngster cannot Control at will. (Contd)

• Hyperactivity is associated with the Distractibility (Causing problems) and Impulsivity (Acting without thinking).

• Hyperactive child’s exhibits developmentally Abnormal Behaviour.

• Brain Damage is the favorite causal explanation for Hyperactivity, but there is little evidence to confirm Brain injury as the cause in most cases.

“Hyperactivity”

• The Mass Media• Peer Group• Ethnicity (Customs, Traditions,

Rituals)• Social Class and Poverty

Cultural Factors in Perspectives of ED

Juvenile Delinquency

• Juvenile Delinquency is a legal term that indicates violation of the law by an individual who is not yet an adult.

• A small percentage is apprehended. About 20 percent of all children and youth are at some time officially delinquent, and

• about Three percent are adjudicated each year.

Juvenile Justice system

• Males commit more serious crimes against persons and property than Females, but

• Traditionally, the Juvenile Justice System tends to deal more harshly with Females than with Males.

SELF-INJURIOUS BEHAVIOR

• Some youngsters injure themselves Repeatedly and Deliberately in the most Brutal Fashion.

• This kind of self-injurious behavior is found in

some individuals with severe Mental Retardation, but

• It is a characteristic often associated with Multiple Disabilities and another Disorders.

• (Contd)

• Some Children and Youths with normal Intelligence and Language Skills deliberately injure themselves without the intent of Killing Themselves.

• Such behaviour is closely associated with Depression and Thoughts of Suicide.

SELF-INJURIOUS BEHAVIOR

Emotional Disturbance and Suicidal Risk

• Sudden changes in Usual Behaviour • Serious Academic, Social, or

Disciplinary problems at school• Family or Home problems• Disturbed or Disrupted Peer Relations

(including Peer Rejection, Romantic Break-up, etc.)

(Contd)

• Health problems, such as Insomnia, Loss of Appetite, Sudden Weight Change, etc.

• Substance Loss e.g. Property etc• Situational crisis such as Death of a

family member or Close Friend, Pregnancy or Abortion, Legal Arrest, etc.

Emotional Disturbance and Suicidal Risk

Suicide Prevention

Three major Preventive Measures1. Limiting access to the Devices often

used in the Suicidal Cases

2. Limiting the Publicity given to suicides because extensive publicity is almost always followed by a Sharp Increase in Suicidal Attempts

3. Improving early detection of Depression in children and youth

ANY ?

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