Early adolescents entering middle school are at a pivotal developmental phase as they become less dependent on parents/guardians and seek greater autonomy while encountering a complexity of social demands requiring them to regulate their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors to achieve academic and social success. Yet, students who receive services…

Word problem-solving is one major area in mathematics that has been identified as being particularly challenging for students, specifically for those with learning disabilities (LDs) and emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). This study aims at evaluating the effects of a strategic math intervention with concept maps on the ability to solve…

The problem addressed in this study was that there is a lack of knowledge about middle school special education teachers' perceptions on the benefits of social emotional learning (SEL) strategies for improving the behavior of students with emotional behavior disorder (EBD) in a self-contained setting. Comer's concepts on social learning served as…

This study explores teachers' perspectives on mandala coloring as a therapeutic tool for middle grades students with disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs). Employing an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, the research first conducted qualitative interviews with ten experienced teachers, followed by teachers' quantitative assessments of 60…

Teachers in American public schools have been challenged with implementing effective instructional practices for students with disabilities (SWDs) in inclusive classrooms. Among the broad category of SWDs, students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBDs) are among those whose social and academic progress continues to be of concern. The…

Bullying has deleterious effects on the health of youth, families, schools, and communities. These effects are especially pronounced for youth with special education needs specific to emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Much of what is understood concerning the effects of bullying has been limited to face-to-face contexts. Despite the…

Teachers of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) often struggle with simultaneously meeting students' writing and behavioral needs. Building on existing Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) literature, this study investigated the collateral effects of SRSD with social skills prompts on the writing outcomes and problem…

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) characteristically experience academic difficulties. There is growing evidence that the continuum from academic competence to underachievement is partially explained by executive function (EF; neurocognitive attention-regulation processes) and stress. Yet, there is scarce research…

This study aims to understand special education teachers' lived experience of encountering Disruptive Classroom Behavior (DCB) among middle school students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD) in self-contained classrooms. Employing an interpretative phenomenological approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight teachers…

Some students with disabilities, particularly those with emotional and behavioral disorders, may struggle with transitions, demonstrating inappropriate behaviors during them. Visual supports, previously determined to be an evidence-based practice for students with autism, is a proactive classroom management strategy addressing transitioning. In…

Using a multistage sampling technique, the students completed the self-constructed Identification Battery on Comorbid Conditions (IBCC), which assesses 10 disorders, including dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dysphasia, dyspraxia, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), autism, and tic…

We explore discourses about social emotional learning (SEL) and trauma-informed practices (TIP) as school interventions in response to resistance from students and guardians. We analyze an illustrative example and one data source that casts light on the deficit impact of SEL and TIP discourses on both teacher/school practices and children and…

Background: The conceptual framework for "School as a Protective Factor" approach was presented in a companion article in this issue of the journal. The current article describes the validation of the "School as a Protective Factor-Brief (SPF-Brief)," a 13-item survey measuring the 3 core constructs and 13 defining…

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders often need behavioral supports to facilitate their success in the classroom. One commonly used intervention involves taking brief breaks at targeted times during the day to return to the classroom better prepared for participation. However, research is limited on what should happen while a student…

The practice of serving students with emotional and behavioral challenges in the United States has been fraught with anxiety, fear, and stress. Fortunately, researchers in the field of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) have identified a range of empirically supported interventions to improve outcomes for students with EBD. This study sought…