What does EBD stand for in special education? Do you know? In this blog post today, I’m going to be sharing more information about EBD and what it is.
EBD stands for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. It is where an individual may exhibit emotional or behavioral responses which can have an impact on their academic, social and life functioning.
What is an Emotional and Behavioral Disorder?
An emotional and behavioral disorder is a disability that is characterized by the following:
- Struggles to build or maintain interpersonal relationships with others.
- Difficulty learning that does not stem from anything intellectual, sensory or health.
- Consistent inappropriate behaviors or feelings.
- Appears to have moods of unhappiness and/or depression.
- A tendency to have physical symptoms, pains or fears. These can be associated with personal or school.
My Student Has EBD – What Can I Expect?
If a student has been diagnosed with EBD, then this will most likely be listening on their IEP. This will also contain information about the individual student.. telling you what you need to know about them and how you can meet their needs.
EBD really does cover such a wide variety and it’s really hard to know what to expect from a student.. Especially when everyone is their own individual selves! However, some common behaviors are that usually seen in classrooms from students with EBD can be;
- A lack of impulse control.
- Struggling to create and maintain relationships with those around them.
- May struggle to interact positively with those around them.
- Generally disruptive within the classroom.
Your student may display one of these common behaviors.. All of them.. Or none of them. They could exhibit in a totally different way. If this is a student coming to you from a previous setting, I would highly recommend reaching out to them and asking what to expect, what support systems to have in place… And also how you can be prepared ready to meet their individual needs.
Strategies to Use
I do get asked so often about what strategies to use with different students who may have different diagnoses.. And honestly, most strategies will work with most students. However, there’s also that sweet one or two that will always work best with some certain compared to others.
Think of yourself and your own strategies that you use when you are feeling stressed, overwhelmed or upset. Compare those to your partner, your parents, your sister.. Your best friend. I guarantee that while you may have some similar strategies to them, you’ll also all have different ones to.
But as a general rule of thumb, here are 10 of my favorite strategies to use with with EBD students;
- Establish clear expectations and rules from the beginning and re-visit these often.
- Use positive reinforcement and reward systems that will help them feel successful and motivated.
- Provide opportunities for social skills development with peers around them; both staff and students
- Use visuals – have them on display, close at hand, on a keyring. Always have them within reach.
- Encourage more hands-on learning activities, and incorporate special interests.
- Provide clear and relevant instructions; don’t overwhelm your student with too many words. Short and sweet is always best!
- Use technology in different ways that will engage and motivate students
- Offer plenty of opportunities for movement breaks. (Here are some of my favorites to use)
- Use different teaching approaches to accommodate the different learning styles of your students and their individual needs.
- Collaborate with parents and other professionals. Be sure to keep each other up to date with changes and ensure that you are all being consistent in your approach with your student.
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Thanks,
Nikki
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