Students identified with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) often display a variety of challenging behaviors that can significantly affect both their learning and the dynamics of the student-teacher relationship. Addressing these challenges necessitates the development of authentic, meaningful connections between teachers and students,…

New science demonstrates how students with and at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders experience trauma at higher rates than their peers. When providing writing instruction to these students, it is imperative that the approaches used be viewed through a trauma-informed lens. This article describes steps teachers can take to view writing…

A majority of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), particularly those served in alternative educational settings, have a history of trauma exposure before placement. Evidence-based interventions such as Check-In/Check-Out (CICO) may be more effective for these students if the interventions are systematically adapted to include…

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) often struggle to apply self-determination skills. Teaching self-determination skills within the context of writing allows students to amplify their voice and communicate with others. This article describes how writing instruction and lessons on self-determination skills may be combined to…

This "Equity by Design" brief summarizes the key features and considerations for planning, implementing, and evaluating social, emotional or behavioral screening within multitier systems of support (MTSS), to advance educational equity.

Currently more than 400,000 youth are placed in foster care across the United States. Between 33% and 50% of these children receive special education services. Nearly half of foster care youth with disabilities are identified as having emotional and behavioral disorders, in part due to their exposure to maltreatment including neglect, substance…

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) requires that school counselors engage with and advocate for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), in addition to requiring competency in counseling culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students. However, few publications have called for increased attention to the…

The aim of this paper is to describe the development of the Phased Model of Adventure Therapy. Adventure therapy is the use of adventure experiences to engage clients on cognitive, affective and behavioural levels. Use of adventure therapy has been found to improve psychological wellbeing, self- esteem and behaviour in young people. A UK-based…

This document provides recommendations of the Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders (CCBD) regarding the use of seclusion in schools. It updates the CCBD's position on this topic first published in 2009 and includes (a) key definitions, (b) a summary of problems with the use of seclusion, (c) strategies to eliminate the use of seclusion,…

Exposure to traumatic events in childhood and adolescence can have lasting negative social, emotional, and educational effects. For schools, or any environment that serves children, to be truly trauma-informed, they must address three crucial areas: safety, connection, and emotional and behavioral regulation. This article, which is excerpted from…

Youth in juvenile justice facilities may experience symptoms of mental health disorders and trauma at a higher rate than their normative peers. As a result, juvenile justice facilities have become de facto mental health agencies, resulting in an increased need to provide interventions that can meet the various needs of their residents. Embedding…

Ambulatory restraint is defined as any physical method of restricting an individual's freedom of movement, physical activity, or normal access to his or her body. There has been increased volume of restraints documented in public schools. This alerted the school of education at a midwestern university as to the possible need for crisis…

Students with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) often display significant intrusive behaviors and need specific behavioral, social-emotional, and academic supports. Given the background of trauma consistent with a RAD diagnosis, it is imperative that school personnel understand the social-emotional behavioral supports needed to help children with…

This paper discusses the Boxall Profile as an assessment and intervention framework designed to support disadvantaged children in mainstream schools. The Boxall Profile was developed in the 1970s in the United Kingdom by Marjorie Boxall to identify children who had come into school unprepared to meet the demands of classroom life and needed…

There is no definitive research on how many students display sexualized behavior in schools. Sexually inappropriate behavior includes using sexual language, gestures, or noises, engaging in pretend play that simulates sex, making sexual invitations to others, inappropriately touching another person, or masturbating in the classroom. These…