"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"
-National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
-National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
Determining Eligibility
Determining eligibility under the category of an emotional disturbance is a process that can be difficult. Typically schools will first look at grades, discipline records, and performance on achievement tests. The next factor that is used to determine eligibility is behavior problems in school over a long period of time. Looking at data about the individual behavioral or emotional functioning of the student will be important. The IEP team needs to look at whether or not the student has one or more of the characteristics defined by IDEA. Then it needs to be determined whether or not those characteristics are directly affecting that student's educational performance. Social maladjustment must also be eliminated as the cause of the student's behavior problems.
Several evaluations (cognitive testing, social/emotional measures, rating scales, interviews, observations) are conducted by the school psychologist and school social worker. Parent involvement is required in the sociocultural evaluation to rule out environmental factors and acquire a developmental history. Educational testing is also completed by general and special education teachers to determine present level of academic functioning in reading, math, writing, and other areas. All of these factors will help determine whether a student qualifies for special education services under the category of an emotional disturbance. It is also important to note that ED can co-exist with other disabling conditions (School Psychology, 2012).
Remember, labeling any child as having a disability is not easy. Families often struggle with the identification process, because it is tough to admit that their own child exhibits qualities of a student with ED. The "emotional disturbance" does not define the child, but rather is a daily challenge that needs support from outside sources.
Several evaluations (cognitive testing, social/emotional measures, rating scales, interviews, observations) are conducted by the school psychologist and school social worker. Parent involvement is required in the sociocultural evaluation to rule out environmental factors and acquire a developmental history. Educational testing is also completed by general and special education teachers to determine present level of academic functioning in reading, math, writing, and other areas. All of these factors will help determine whether a student qualifies for special education services under the category of an emotional disturbance. It is also important to note that ED can co-exist with other disabling conditions (School Psychology, 2012).
Remember, labeling any child as having a disability is not easy. Families often struggle with the identification process, because it is tough to admit that their own child exhibits qualities of a student with ED. The "emotional disturbance" does not define the child, but rather is a daily challenge that needs support from outside sources.