Students with Disabilities 1

Emotional, Behavioral, and Physical Disabilities

Behavioral and emotional disorders are highlighted as the most frequently occurring

forms of psycho-pathology and the most cited reason for referral to mental health hospitals

among young adults and children. Presence of children with emotional and behavioral disorders

in class leads to severe constrains of the school system to effectively educate students. Statistics

reveal that 2 to 6 percent of children in K-12 suffer from behavioral disabilities; while U.S.

Department of Education (1995) reports that over five million children from birth to 21 years of

age who suffered from behavioral and emotional disorders and other impairments benefited from

special education and related services provided in nation’s schools between 1993 and 1994

school year. Students suffering from emotional and behavioral disorders as well as traumatic

brain injury, physical and health impairments have often benefited from an individualized

education program that specifies and guides special education services to address individual’s

unique needs. There is need for teachers to employ effective teaching strategies that deal with

students suffering from behavioral and emotional disorders, traumatic brain injury as well as

physical and health impairments in order to achieve successful student involvement and

maximum benefits of teaching and learning process.

Effective Teaching Strategies

Students with behavioral and emotional disorders can be assisted to cope with their

disorders through teaching strategies such as bringing student’s attention to science role models

that have similar disabilities to that of the student and using the role model to explain how the

individual succeeded through combined efforts as well as asking for the help they required.

Keller (2007) argues that students with emotional and behavioral disorders as well as physical

and health impairments should be exposed to other learners who have appropriate behavior so

Students with Disabilities 2

that they can interact and learn from them. This helps such students to develop social,

environmental and cognitive abilities that enable them to cope with challenges facing them.

Teachers can use direct instruction strategy when dealing with students that suffer from

emotional and behavioral disabilities and liaise with the students to devise contingency plans

whereby inappropriate ways of student response are replaced by appropriate ones helps that help

the students to adopt proactive approaches aimed at improving their behavior. In addition the

teacher should acknowledge contributions of such students during group activities as well as in

classroom teaching and learning processes in order to encourage them to actively participate in

learning activities.

According to Keller (2007) teachers should treat students with behavioral and emotional

disorders as well as those suffering from traumatic brain injury and physical and health

impairments with respect and consideration to enhance their participation in learning process

instead of ignoring them. The teacher can involve such students in learning activities by asking

them questions and acknowledging their contributions. The teacher should seek student’s opinion

on their goals, strengths and weaknesses and appropriately give advice to the student on how to

achieve their set goals and objectives. Teachers should consistently enforce classroom rules and

ensure that discipline is in line with student’s misconduct without harshness. However,

motivating such students through a reward system rather than punishment has often yielded

positive results. Keller (2007) argues that putting students with emotional and behavior disorders

to be in charge of some activities in classroom or within the school helps to reduce

aggressiveness and to nurture their behavior in a positive manner. This is because such

responsibilities positively influence behavior change. Students with behavioral and emotional

disorders, traumatic brain injury as well as physical and health impairments should be provided

Students with Disabilities 3

with carefully structured learning environment with supportive physical and support features to

enhance their participation, the teacher should set objectives for learning activities and provide

required assistance to students to achieve the set objectives in those learning activities. Test for

Teacher Certification (2009) embraces use of technology to manage learning and teaching

environments for students with such disorders. In addition, teachers should use classroom

management strategies such as structuring and maintaining consistent daily routines,

coordination of learning activities and related services to maximize academic instruction time for

students and facilitate their effective use of instructional time.

How to Nurture Self-Esteem and Self-Determination and Enhance Self-Advocacy Skills

Student’s self esteem should be monitored and the students should be provided with

assistance in required modifications to adapt easily to learning environment, build self advocacy

skills and improve on their self determination. Learning environment for students with emotional

and physical disorders, traumatic brain injury as well as physical and health impairments should

be made conducive through support services, adaptive equipment and support technologies that

nurture students self esteem, self determination and enhance self advocacy skills. Test for

Teacher Certification (2009) points out that application of innovative teaching methods that meet

cognitive, physical, emotional and communication should be put in place for these students in

order to nurture their self esteem and self determination and enhance their self advocacy skills.

Moreover, teachers providing instruction to these students should be sensitive to student’s needs

and embrace teaching strategies that enhance student’s health, behavioral, sensory and motor

needs. Such students should be supported through inclusion techniques into general education

and learning programs that encourage them to be active participants in individual and group

activities to avoid discrimination.

Students with Disabilities 4

According to Test for Teacher Certification (2009), strategies and techniques that support

and enhance student’s verbal and non-verbal language and communication skills as well as use

of assertive communication equipment and resources should be used to nurture student’s self

esteem and self determination and enhance their self advocacy skills. There should be effective

collaborations between student, parents, family members and teachers as well as medical service

providers and administrators of related support services to create effective behavior enhancing

mechanisms that work for affected students. Moreover, teachers should set up effective

procedures that help to determine reliable modes of response for students who have difficulties in

communication through speech and establish principles for modification of standardized

assessments for students with health impairments as well as use of technology to carry out

assessments for students with physical or other health impairments.

Helping Students to Understand, Respect and Respond to Students with Disabilities

Regular students can be assisted to understand and respect students with disabilities in

class by applications of innovative procedures that ensure unbiased informal and formal

assessments for students from diverse backgrounds. Irvine (2003) reiterates that the teacher

should show confidence in disabled students’ ability to set realistic goals and plan for success in

participation of such students in classroom and school activities. This will enable normal

students to respect their counterparts who have disabilities as they learn from examples set by

their teachers. Test for Teacher Certification (2009) argues that both learners with disabilities

and those without should be introduced to strategies that prepare them to live harmoniously and

productively in an environment that is culturally diverse; without discrimination. This can be

achieved through inclusion of students with disabilities in co-curriculum school activities such as

games, drama and music festivals among other activities.

Students with Disabilities 5

Deiner (1993) emphasizes on importance of developing strategies that assist students

with disabilities to become active participants on educational team. Both students with

disabilities and those without should be educated on rights of students with disabilities as a basis

for mutual understanding and respect between the two groups. Furthermore, the teacher should

maintain high professional competence and integrity when dealing with students from both sides

during instructional and other professional activities to nurture mutual respect and understanding

between the two sets of students.

Academic and Behavioral Modifications in Inclusionary and Special Classrooms

One of the behavioral modifications that I observed in an inclusion classroom was that

the classroom teacher was sensitive to learners with disabilities and often included them in

classroom activities. The teacher asked students questions and seemed to acknowledge their

contributions stay informed on the warning signs that the students need helper have a problem,

students limitations. In addition, a friendly environment had been put in place through classroom

sitting arrangements to enable students who are not disabled to assist those with disabilities or

disorders to cope. For example, I could see some incidences of students who do not have

disabilities copying notes for their friends with disorders or disabilities. In a special classroom, I

observed that students who had difficulties in speaking were being assisted by use of alternative

methods of presentation instead of oral presentation.

Students with Disabilities 6

References

Deiner, P.L. (2nd Ed.). (1993). Resources for teaching children with diverse abilities: Birth

Through eight. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

Irvine, S. (2003). Integrating Technology for Meaningful Learning, Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Keller, E. (2007). Strategies for Teaching Students with Behavioral Disorders. Retrieved, June

26, 2011 from http://www.as.wvu.edu/~scidis/behavior.html

Test for Teacher Certification (2009). Physical and Other Health Impairment. Michigan Test for

Teacher Certification Study Guide, Retrieved June 24, 2011 from

http://www.mttc.nesinc.com/PDFs/MI_field058_SG.pdf

U.S. Department of Education. (1995). U.S. Department of Education's Seventeenth Annual

Report to Congress. Retrieved June 26, 2011 from

http://www2.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/osep/2000/preface.pdf