Selective mutism is a rare disorder that is difficult to treat. It is often associated with oppositional defiant behavior, particularly in the home setting, social phobia, and, at times, autism spectrum disorder characteristics. The augmented self-modeling treatment has been relatively successful in promoting rapid diminishment of selective mutism…

For many children, trauma exposure is a common and chronic experience. Chronic trauma exposure during childhood significantly increases the risk for emotional/behavioral disorders and academic failure. There is a critical need for school psychologists, and the schools in which they work, to understand the unique needs of students with or at risk…

Students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) present unique programming challenges to school personnel because of the wide variability of clinical symptoms and the high rates of emotional and/or behavior disorders (EBD) that can affect learning outcomes. Currently, there is little empirically based guidance to assist in determining the support…

As more young children enter school settings to attend early childhood programs, early childhood teachers and school psychologists have been charged with supporting a growing number of young children with chronic problem behaviors that put them at risk for the development of emotional/behavioral disorders (EBDs). There is a need for effective,…

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a complex group of neurodevelopmental conditions that develop in early childhood and involve a range of impairments in core areas of social interaction, communication, and restricted behavior and interests. Associated behavioral problems such as tantrums, aggression, and self-injury frequently compound the core…

The use of antipsychotic medications within the school-age population is rapidly increasing. Although typical antipsychotics may be used in rare cases, this influx is largely secondary to the availability of the atypical antipsychotics. Reduction of possible adverse effects and increased efficacy represent the primary basis for the atypical…

Early school failure is a critical factor in the development of peer rejection and antisocial behavior in children. This paper describes three sets of instructional strategies that have been shown to promote high levels of academic competence by arranging frequent opportunities for correct skill practice: (a) teaching children at their…

Students with externalizing disorders make up from three to five percent of the population in public school classrooms and are some of the most difficult students to manage in an educational setting. Behavioral excesses and deficits exhibited by these students are a major factor in poor retention rates for new teachers while the students…

The Parent Education and Guidance Program is an eight-month program that utilizes parent support groups and professionals from various fields to involve parents of handicapped children in a group process directed toward meeting the child's social, emotional, and intellectual needs. The program attempts to create a positive, ongoing relationship…

To meet the present and future educational and mental health needs of our nation's youth, current models of mental health service delivery need to be reformed. Any more time spent arguing the differences between categories such as Emotional Disturbance (ED) and Social Maladjustment (SM) will only delay much needed services and deplete our already…

In this article we discuss the definition of emotionally disturbed (ED) from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, with a specific focus on the clause contained in this definition, which is designed to exclude from special education services students who are considered to be socially maladjusted (SM). The history of the SM exclusionary…