Does Your Son Suffer from Emotional Disturbance?
Some of the boys currently at Triumph Youth Services were diagnosed with Emotional Disturbance. This is a common name that K-12 schools use for a combination of symptoms. The below article is an overall description of Emotional Disturbance.
NICHCY Disability Fact Sheet 5 (FS5)
The mental health of our children is a natural and important concern for us all. The fact is, many mental disorders have their beginnings in childhood or adolescence, yet may go undiagnosed and untreated for years.
We refer to mental disorders using different “umbrella” terms such as emotional disturbance, behavioral disorders, or mental illness. Beneath these umbrella terms, there is actually a wide range of specific conditions that differ from one another in their characteristics and treatment. These include (but are not limited to):
- anxiety disorders;
- bipolar disorder (sometimes called manic-depression);
- conduct disorders;
- eating disorders;
- obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD); and
- psychotic disorders.
You may be reading this fact sheet with one of these specific disorders in mind, or you may be looking for information about emotional disturbances in general. In either case, keep reading to find out what different emotional disturbances have in common, how they are defined in federal law, and where to find more detailed information on specific disorders.
Definition
We’ve chosen to use the term “emotional disturbance” in this fact sheet because that is the term used in the nation’s special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
IDEA defines emotional disturbance as follows:
“…a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child’s educational performance:
(A) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.
(B) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.
(C) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.
(D) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
(E) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.”
As defined by IDEA, emotional disturbance includes schizophrenia but does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance.
Characteristics
As is evident in IDEA’s definition, emotional disturbances can affect an individual in areas beyond the emotional. Depending on the specific mental disorder involved, a person’s physical, social, or cognitive skills may also be affected. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) puts this very well:
Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life.
Some of the characteristics and behaviors seen in children who have an emotional disturbance include:
- Hyperactivity (short attention span, impulsiveness);
- Aggression or self-injurious behavior (acting out, fighting);
- Withdrawal (not interacting socially with others, excessive fear or anxiety);
- Immaturity (inappropriate crying, temper tantrums, poor coping skills); and
- Learning difficulties (academically performing below grade level).
Children with the most serious emotional disturbances may exhibit distorted thinking, excessive anxiety, bizarre motor acts, and abnormal mood swings.
Many children who do not have emotional disturbance may display some of these same behaviors at various times during their development. However, when children have an emotional disturbance, these behaviors continue over long periods of time. Their behavior signals that they are not coping with their environment or peers.
Causes
No one knows the actual cause or causes of emotional disturbance, although several factors—heredity, brain disorder, diet, stress, and family functioning—have been suggested and vigorously researched. A great deal of research goes on every day, but to date, researchers have not found that any of these factors are the direct cause of behavioral or emotional problems.
According to NAMI, mental illnesses can affect persons of any age, race, religion, or income. Further:
Mental illnesses are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character, or poor upbringing. Mental illnesses are treatable. Most people diagnosed with a serious mental illness can experience relief from their symptoms by actively participating in an individual treatment plan.
Frequency
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), approximately 8.3 million children (14.5%) aged 4–17 years have parents who’ve talked with a health care provider or school staff about the child’s emotional or behavioral difficulties. Nearly 2.9 million children have been prescribed medication for these difficulties.
Help for School-Aged Children
IDEA requires that special education and related services be made available free of charge to every eligible child with a disability, including preschoolers (ages 3-21). These services are specially designed to address the child’s individual needs associated with the disability—in this case, emotional disturbance, as defined by IDEA (and further specified by states). In the 2003-2004 school year, more than 484,000 children and youth with emotional disturbance received these services to address their individual needs related to emotional disturbance.
Determining a child’s eligibility for special education and related services begins with a full and individual evaluation of the child. Under IDEA, this evaluation is provided free of charge in public schools.
There is a lot to know about the special education process, much of which you can learn at NICHCY. We invite you to read the wide range of publications we offer on the topic, especially:
10 Basic Steps in Special Education
http://www.nichcy.org/schoolage/steps/
Questions Often Asked by Parents about Special Education Services
http://www.nichcy.org/publications/lg1
Evaluating Children for Disability
http://www.nichcy.org/schoolage/evaluation/
Developing Your Child’s IEP
http://www.nichcy.org/publications/pa12
