Behavioral Disorders

The purpose of the current study was to determine the probability that a student with a disability not being served by Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) would be expelled. Expulsion data were obtained from the Civil Rights Data Collection produced by the U.S. Office of Civil Rights. The latest data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia for the 2017 to 2018 school year were analyzed. Bayes’ Theorem was used to determine this probability based upon existing probabilities and conditional probabilities. Analyses were also conducted by state and ethnicity. Results indicated that 1 in 14 of expelled students is likely to have an unserved disability under IDEA but variability according to race/ethnicity nationwide and by state was observed. Students who were White were the least likely to be an unserved student with a disability under IDEA among those expelled. The findings encourage investigation into the intersection of variables, especially the importance of including disability status and ethnicity when explaining disparate and punitive discipline. Practitioners, especially school psychologists, work at this intersection and can influence both special education identification and discipline practices.

Teachers’ attributions of student behavior are associated with the decisions they make about how to respond to behavior problems and support their students. This exploratory study investigates teachers’ attributions of student externalizing behavior, how attributions vary as a function of teacher and school characteristics, and the association of those attributions with teachers’ perceived likelihood of referring students to mental health services or implementing punitive discipline. We provided a sample of U.S. secondary school teachers (N = 426) a vignette depicting a student with oppositional defiant disorder and asked them to describe what was happening with the student. Attributions were categorized as internal to the student (e.g., mental health), external (e.g., problems at home), both (internal and external), and neutral (e.g., “normal teen behavior”). Results indicated the majority of teachers attributed vignette behavior to external factors. Results suggest that teachers indicating both internal and external attributions had increased likelihood of providing a mental health referral. Teacher and school characteristics were also associated with attributions. Results provide support for the importance of considering teachers’ attributions of student behavior and the association of these attributions to pathways into mental health services.

A large body of research has reported a positive relation between participation in extracurricular activities (ECA) and improved academic performance, social competence, and school engagement. This study explored the relation between ECA, social competence, and school engagement for students with and at risk of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Specifically, the study addressed three research questions: (a) Is there a relation between participation in ECA and high school students with EBD’s social competence and school engagement? (b) Is the relation moderated by EBD status, race, gender, or special education status? And, (c) is there a direct link between participation in ECA and students’ social competence and school engagement for youth with EBD? Eighty students with EBD and 21 typically developing students were included based on their participation in a larger study examining interventions for U.S. high school students with EBD. Participants were administered a battery of assessments at the end of the school year measuring ECA participation, social competence, and school engagement. We used regression and instrumental variable analyses to address the research questions. Results indicated statistically significant, positive relations between participation in ECA, social competence, and school engagement. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Students with emotional-behavioral disorders (EBDs) often learn in alternative classroom settings to provide more intensive instruction that meets their educational needs. Although research has demonstrated promise for several behavior intervention practices in general education settings, the generalizability of these practices to more restricted environments is unknown. Thus, this meta-analysis aimed to examine the class-wide behavior interventions tested in self-contained learning environments for students with EBDs. Studies investigating behavioral interventions in alternative elementary settings were systematically screened. Fifteen studies with 20 effect sizes met inclusion criteria and results from each study were synthesized. An estimated average effect was calculated (g = 0.93, SE = 0.16), demonstrating that tested interventions are typically effective in self-contained learning environments to improve student behaviors. A thematic analysis and multi-level meta-regression were conducted to determine which elements are most beneficial to students in these unique learning environments. Results indicated that interventions that included relational supports, such as daily parent communication, differentially benefited students (B = 1.26, SE = 0.15). Limitations include the small number of studies meeting inclusion criteria that have investigated behavior interventions in self-contained settings and the need for improved research quality. Implications suggest support for adapting standardized practice elements, such as group contingencies, to improve student behaviors in multiple learning environments.