Despite an increasing shift toward full inclusion of all students with disabilities, students with emotional or behavioral disorders (E/BD) remain in segregated placements and experience less successful outcomes in general education than do students in other disability categories. Special education teachers completed the Scales for Predicting Successful Inclusion (SPSI) and the Devereux Behavior Rating Scale–School Form (DBRS-SF) for 89 students with E/BD. Information about each student's level on the school's behavior management program was also collected. Compared to normative scoring samples, the students with E/BD exhibited severe skill deficits and moderate levels of emotional and behavioral disturbance. The SPSI and the DBRS-SF were inversely correlated, and the SPSI and behavioral levels were positively correlated. The SPSI successfully distinguished between students with severe emotional and behavioral problems and those with less severe behaviors. Results highlight the importance of teaching nonacademic skills necessary for inclusion to students with E/BD, using multiple measures to determine placement, and programming for inclusion in a systematic manner.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
CheneyD., & BarringerC. (1995). Teacher competence, student diversity, and staff training for the inclusion of middle school students with emotional and behavioral disorders.Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 3, 174–182.
2.
CullinanD., HarnissM., EpsteinM. H., & RyserG. (2001). The Scale for Assessing Emotional Disturbance: Concurrent validity.Journal of Child and Family Studies, 10, 449–466.
3.
DennyR. K., EpsteinM. H., & RoseE. (1992). Direct observation of adolescents with serious emotional disturbance and their nonhandicapped peers in mainstream vocational education classrooms.Behavioral Disorders, 18, 33–41.
4.
DowningJ. A., SimpsonR. L., & MylesB. S. (1990). Regular and special educator perceptions of nonacademic skills needed by main-streamed students with behavioral disorders and learning disabilities.Behavioral Disorders, 15, 217–266.
5.
FadK. S., & RyserG. R. (1993). Social/behavioral variables related to success in general education.Remedial and Special Education, 14, 25–35.
6.
FornessS. R., & KnitzerJ. (1992). A new proposed definition and terminology to replace “serious emotional disturbance” in Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.School Psychology Review, 21, 12–20.
7.
FuchsD., FuchsL. S., FernstromP., & HohnM. (1991). Toward a responsible reintegration of behaviorally disordered students.Behavioral Disorders, 16, 133–147.
8.
GillespieD. (2001). Review of the Scales for Predicting Successful Inclusion. In PlakeB. S., & ImparaJ. C. (Eds.), The fourteenth mental measurements yearbook (pp. 1066–1068). Lincoln, NE: Buros.
9.
GilliamJ. E., & McConnellK. S. (1997). Scales for Predicting Successful Inclusion: Examiner's manual.Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
10.
GlassbergL. A. (1994). Students with behavioral disorders: Determinants of placement outcomes.Behavioral Disorders, 19, 181–191.
11.
GreshamF. M., & ElliottS. N. (1988). Teachers’ social validity ratings of social skills: Comparisons between mildly handicapped and nonhandicapped children.Journal of Psycho-educational Assessment, 6, 225–234.
12.
KnoffH. M. (1985). Attitudes towards mainstreaming: A status report and comparison of regular and special educators in New York and Massachusetts.Psychology in the Schools, 22, 410–418.
13.
LandrumT. J., & KauffmanJ. M. (1992). Characteristics of general education teachers perceived as effective by their peers: Implications for inclusion of children with learning and behavioral disorders.Exceptionality, 3, 147–163.
14.
LewisT. J., & BelloK. (1993). Including children with emotional/behavioral disorders in genera education settings: Issues and practical strategies. In BullockL. M., & GableR. A. (Eds.), Monograph on inclusion: Ensuring appropriate services to children and youth with emotional/behavioral disorders – I (pp. 11–16). Arlington, VA: Council for Exceptional Children.
15.
LewisT. J., ChardD., & ScottT. M. (1994). Full inclusion and the education of children and youth with emotional and behavioral disorders.Behavioral Disorders, 19, 277–293.
16.
MacMillanD. L., GreshamF. M., & FornessS. R. (1996). Full inclusion: An empirical perspective.Behavioral Disorders, 21, 145–159.
17.
ManduchiJ. R. (2001). Review of the Scales for Predicting Successful Inclusion. In PlakeB. S., & ImparaJ. C. (Eds.), The fourteenth mental measurements yearbook (pp. 1068–1069). Lincoln, NE: Buros.
18.
MartinK. F., LloydJ. W., KauffmanJ. M., & CoyneM. (1995). Teachers’ perceptions of educational placement decisions for pupils with emotional or behavioral disorders.Behavioral Disorders, 20, 106–117.
19.
MeadowsN. B., NeelR.S., ScottC. M., & ParkerG. (1994). Academic performance, social competence, and mainstream accommodations: A look at mainstreamed students with serious behavioral disorders.Behavioral Disorders, 19, 170–180.
20.
NaglieriJ. A., LeBuffeP. A., & PfeifferS. I. (1993). The Devereux Behavior Rating Scale-School Form.San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation.
21.
NickersonA. B., & NagleR. J. (2001). Interrater reliability of the Devereux Behavior Rating Scale-School Form: The influence of teacher frame of reference.Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 19, 299–316.
22.
PriceJ. P. (1993). Promoting inclusive education for students with emotional/behavioral disorders. In BullockL. M., & GableR. A. (Eds.), Monograph on inclusion: Ensuring appropriate services to children and youth with emotional/behavioral disorders – I (pp. 25–28). Arlington, VA: Council for Exceptional Children.
23.
ReddyL. A. (2001). Serious emotional disturbance in children and adolescents: Current status and future directions.Behavior Therapy, 32, 667–691.
24.
RockE. E., RosenbergM. S., & CarranD. T. (1995). Variables affecting the reintegration rate of students with serious emotional disturbance.Exceptional Children, 61, 254–268.
25.
SmithS. R., & ReddyL. A. (2002). The concurrent validity of the Devereux Scales of Mental Disorders.Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 20, 112–127.
26.
WalkerH. M., & RankinR. (1983). Assessing the behavioral expectations and demands of less restrictive settings.School Psychology Review, 12, 274–284.
27.
WorthS. (2000). Review of the Scales for Predicting Successful Inclusion.Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 18, 394–398.
