PPT Slide
Emotional Disturbance Defined
According to IDEA, this disorder is defined as follows:
The term means a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics
over a long period of time and to a marked dgree that adversely affects a child’s
- An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health
- An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers
- Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances
- A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression
- A tendency to develop physical symptoms of fears associated with personal or school
According to the National Mental Health and Special Education Coalition:
- The term emotional or behavior disorder means a disability characterized by behavioral
or emotional responses in school so different from appropriate age, cultural, or ethnic
norms that they adversely affect educaitonal performance. This disability is more than
a temporary, expected response to stressful events in the environment.