Practical Access Podcast

S9 E6: Supporting Students with Emotional Behavioral Disorder (EBD)

• Eric Imperiale • Season 9 • Episode 6

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In today’s episode, we talk about how to support students with Emotional Behavioral Disorders (EBD). Don't forget we love to hear from our listeners! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. We look forward to receiving your questions on our Google Phone (407) 900- 9305, Facebook (Practical Access), Twitter (@AccessPractical), or Instagram (@Practical_Access).

Lisa Dieker:

Welcome to Practical Access. I'm Lisa Dieker.

Rebecca Hines:

She seemed unsure of her name. Still am. And I'm Rebecca. Hines. And today, Lisa, I want to talk about one of my favorite things. And it's gonna seem like an interesting choice.

Lisa Dieker:

Okay, so I'm ready. Yeah, surprise me.

Rebecca Hines:

Yeah, working with but maybe even more so advocating for kids with emotional behavioral disorder? Yes, I'm shocked. I know, right, is one of the things that, you know, throughout my career, the truth is, my trajectory has been interesting, because I, I have talked so much and, you know, presented so much PD on collaboration, co teaching, et cetera. But my roots, and my heart has always been in working with those kids, whose behavior, you know, is such a barrier to their success. And, you know, something,

Lisa Dieker:

yes. Bizarrely, sometimes, but yeah,

Rebecca Hines:

and I think that it's hard for people to understand the homes and the communities and the circumstances that some kids bring to school,

Lisa Dieker:

and some kids just mentally bring such a you know, fabulous home, but mental health issues while great or Yeah,

Rebecca Hines:

that's the thing, because trauma in particular, we hear a lot about trauma these days, trauma definitely is a causation in some cases. You know, in, in my work early on, as a teacher of kids with with severe emotional behavioral disorders. In my classroom, I had 10 Boys, and out of my 10, boys, eight had previously been, or were currently being sexually abused at home. Now that

Lisa Dieker:

But now, we shouldn't assume that of every classroom of kids with behavior disorders are

Rebecca Hines:

There are multiple reasons. Right. So it is there. It's a very high percentage, I will tell you of kids with severe emotional behavioral disorders, who have have abuse in their background. Yeah. And other situations, I, you know, had kids whose parents were, you know, drug addicts, you know, lived in complete chaos. I had a young man who was actually, you know, I ran a

Lisa Dieker:

I'll just add, like the student I had, who struggled the most amazing parents, Dad was high ranking federal official. Yeah, Mom was amazing, but just so much, in that young head, well created the same struggles that I saw for kids with trauma.

Rebecca Hines:

So there's just because there's, there's definitely organic causations as well, you know, they're they're biophysical reasons. Absolutely. There are social, you know, reasons there are ecological, you know, abuse type things. So there's lots of different reasons that kids walk in with that. But I guess the point is that no one no one can see that. And all they see is the behavior.

Lisa Dieker:

Yeah. So so so our that fear of it, or like I fear the word. What does it mean?

Rebecca Hines:

Yeah. And so so these kids who come in, if you're teaching or working with or have a child, who's young, who's exhibiting behavior that's far from the norm. If we can start thinking about that, first and foremost is what is this child communicating to me, there's a need being communicated. And to your point, you know, there are times when it is a neurological difference. And so

Lisa Dieker:

Let's make sure they understand how to stay in trouble.

Rebecca Hines:

Yeah, so so. So I guess one of the things that I would like to think about today is, you know, what, exactly? What's the actual definition? What does that even mean? Yeah,

Lisa Dieker:

yeah, I think that's a huge misunderstanding the field. I agree.

Rebecca Hines:

Yeah. So So generally, there's five, there's five, right things. One is an inability to learn that can't be explained by intellectual, sensory

Lisa Dieker:

reasons. So I like to say see, if you agree, kids with emotional, behavior disorders have average to above average IQ They have to. So they're smarter, smarter than everybody else in your class.

Rebecca Hines:

That's one of the first things I teach my undergrads. Technically, you are, if your behavior is because you don't understand the rules, and you have an intellectual deficit. It's not as it's not an emotional behavioral disorder, you have an intellectual disability, and behavioral issues, right. But you you almost never see kids with both labels, right? So understanding that these are

Lisa Dieker:

part of their disability than it means it's not their fault. Well, exactly. It means they don't like me. And it's Yeah, so why

Rebecca Hines:

why are people surprised? Yeah, it's funny, because, you know, I one case was being observed. And they said, Wow, that kid, you know, talked out four times during your class period. And this was an administrator evaluating, you know, keeping their evaluation, when he talked out without raising his hand, four times during their class period. I said, Sir, will you look at his IEP where so tough. And of all of, of all of the characteristics that I've seen, among all of my kids that I've worked with, with EBD, that is the one that is most striking. And it's right, and it's frightening, it's increasingly more frightening. But this, this mood of unhappiness or depression, I saw among all of my students, and the one thing that it made me think of, and ever since this has bothered me, so I

Lisa Dieker:

Well, or my favorite is just be happy. You're right. It's like, right, yeah. Right. How you feel happy, but it doesn't work. Yeah,

Rebecca Hines:

absolutely. And the final, you know, defining characteristics, is this, this tendency to develop literal symptoms and fears, in school situations, school problems. So, again, if you think of this behavior as a response to fear, you might treat the behavior differently, right. So I'm not going to share big ideas, you know, as we kind of close up things, but I think it's important

Lisa Dieker:

right. Right. Well, and I'll just, I'll kind of end with kind of a quick thought here is one, you know, I go back to normal intelligence and knowing their background and connecting with them. But I always, always, always, and again, having my own son who had Tourette's that people wanted to think was EBD. But I'm like, no, no, trust me, you know, he doesn't have all those and go where you are.

Rebecca Hines:

And as a person who taught that specific population, I help i My whole goal was to help them to connect with something that did make them feel happiness. So I did have enhanced stations and opportunities for art for music added keyboard, you know, in a headset, I had, you know, things for people, I asked myself, What makes me happy and you know, it makes me happy being around other

Lisa Dieker:

I agree. Well, thank you for that. A little bit of passion there. If you have any questions, please send them and I know Dr. Hines will answer them on our Facebook page at Practical Access or send us a Tweet @accesspractical