Emotional Domain
Emotional Domain
I have always found the brain, emotions, and patterns of behaviors very interesting. I also currently teach a few students who have the domain of "emotional disturbance" on their IEPs. I have always been slightly confused by that category and what exactly it means. I understood that it is a disability that involves emotional disregulation, but beyond that I was unsure of the details. I wanted to research this domain because it is very interesting to me, and also because understanding it better I think will help me help my students more.
The first thing I learned from researching is that the federal definition of the emotional disability domain is laid out in 5 categories:
"The term means a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree, which adversely affects educational performance:
1) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or other health factors,
2) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers -
3) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances,
4) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression, or
5) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems."
- Ashley, Deni, Azar, Anderton; 2000
This definition of a disability within the emotional domain very clearly lays out what it means for a student to exist in this domain. I find it interesting that there are many manifestations listed, as that alone tells us that there are many ways a student with an emotional disability can show symptoms. Other definitions include aspects needed such as behavior falling outside of cultural norms as well as occurring in more than one situation (ex - school and at home.) It is so important to recognize that students may behave certain ways based on cultural norms, and not categorize students improperly based on a difference in cultural norms.
Another aspect important to note about emotional disabilities is that they can exist alongside other disabilities as well as including disorders such as anxiety, schizophrenia, affective disorders, etc. I remember from a trauma informed teaching in-service that students who are functioning under extreme stress live in the lower parts of their brain and are unable to access higher functioning thinking skills. This is because their body is in fight or flight mode. I can draw a connection between this idea and students who are dealing with extreme emotions.
The article that I read to research the topic of emotional disabilities was written by Ashley, Deni, Azar, and Anderton. The four of them conducted a research study on how the disability was tracked, assessed, and labeled between different states. They found a few differences between the states, notably which aspects of the disability were considered in one state but not another. Specifically, only one state included an "operationalized definition of social maladjustment" (Ashley, Deni, Azar, Anderton; 2000). The other states had their own terms for the disability and had varying definitions. While this research is from the year 2000, it shows that emotional disabilities can often be misunderstood and mislabeled.
According to the textbook, two of the most important things about helping students with emotional disturbance are positive reinforcement and understanding WHY students are showing the behaviors they are. I find that this theme keeps coming up in my work over and over again in the recent past. Understanding students' why helps teachers make informed decisions in the classroom. It will also make a student feel seen if they know you understand their why.
The textbook quotes giving students autonomy over their learning as a way to help students who struggle with emotional disabilities. The example given is asking a student to choose a reward activity for persevering through stress and modeling desired behaviors. This is a great way to get student input, make them feel seen, and make them feel in control.
Another activity that I really like to help students regulate their stress is following along with a mindfulness video that can be integrated into warmups. For example, the video below is a breathing exercise that students can follow along with.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92xTPH7OtLs
Another great idea I have seen is asking students to reflect on their emotion for the day. This is more of an elementary task, but is still relevant. Students can choose from a board of emojis which emotion they relate to today. This can not only help teachers understand the students better, but the students understand themselves better. A picture is shown below for reference.
Incorporating SEL techniques such as the chart and mindfulness activities are great resources for any student, and combining them with daily tasks makes sure no students feel singled out while all benefit from them. Now, combine those techniques with positive reinforcement and you will have great strategies to help your students.
Foster, E. M., & Marcus Jenkins, J. V. (2017). Does participation in music and Performing Arts Influence Child Development? American Educational Research Journal, 54(3), 399–443. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831217701830
I enjoyed the quick read of this blog for a few particular reasons. The biggest being that this blog really helped to remind and develop my own knowledge on the emotional disability track to help me on my final project. I enjoy the emotions chart you included because it reminded me of the chart we have at my school where we color code the emotions almost like the feelings in the movie inside out.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated reading your post because this is a category that can be confusing for a lot of teachers, and I think you explained it in a really thoughtful way. I also have students with emotional disturbance listed on their IEPs, and I’ve sometimes struggled to fully understand what that looks like in practice since it can present so differently from student to student. Your breakdown of the five categories in the federal definition helped clarify how broad the domain really is.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the connection you made to trauma-informed teaching and the idea that students under extreme stress are operating in a fight-or-flight state. That perspective has really helped me rethink certain behaviors in my own classroom and approach them with more patience and curiosity about the “why.”
Your ideas about mindfulness and emotional check-ins are great because they support all students without making anyone feel singled out. Do you think these strategies would work with older students as well, or would you modify them in some way?
Hi Hannah! Thanks for sharing this! I've also found the term "emotional disturbance" interesting, as it often isn't clear until you have the chance to interact with the student. It's intriguing to me that the five characteristics you outlined above could differ so much. Every time I've encountered a student with an emotional disability, it is almost always accompanied by a cognitive disability. I also appreciate the emotions chart that you shared. Social-Emotional Learning techniques are so useful for all students to identify what they're feeling and help them identify the next steps in handling their negative emotions. It also helps the student to be able to communicate what they're feeling and what they know they need to be more comfortable in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI agree, we share the same interests in this matter as music educators. I am sure learning about emotional disturbance, and this domain will aid reaching our students. I am going to do more research on this domain for my final paper. Thank you for your input, it is very helpful.
ReplyDeleteYour mention of positive reinforcement is a plus because by approaching classroom management this way, you can notice and reward students for their perseverance. The textbook quotes you shared helped me to recall my philosophy of teaching. I also want my students to become autonomous learners. I will consider using the reward activity for my students to be responsible for their learning and aware of their emotions.
Some questions I have for you are as follows:
What are some other labels for emotional disabilities?
What positive reinforcements do you have in place for your students?
Hannah,
ReplyDeleteI adore SEL lessons, and wish I could put as much SEL in my lessons as possible. I also liked the connection from the in-service you had about students experiencing poverty and connecting the fight or flight back to some emotional disabilities. Understanding the students is great, but I think where many teachers around me fail is that they don't adjust their way of teaching due to that new understanding. I will often hear teachers say "Well I know you're going through this, by I think you can still make this a priority". It confuses, and makes me wish that they would extend a helping hand rather than just simply acknowledge it.
One question I have is: What else do you do to put SEL into your lessons? I do a lot of relationship building, but honestly I know I struggle to make that final connection back to their emotions and ways of thinking. I think giving more time to the social aspect of music in my lessons could allow those students with emotional disabilities to be more comfortable in my classroom.
The emoji's chart looks like a great door way into understanding students emotions as teachers, however this may result in many of these emoji's being chosen and then teachers need to have a plan of action to help the student navigate their chosen emotion of the day. So some great pre planning will help. I think students will enjoy engaging in these activities to tap into their own feelings and I think using mindfulness is a powerful tool to enable students to self-regulate.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Hannah. I learned a lot in this post, so thank you for clearly describing the federal definitions. They vary so widely so I completely understand the confusion when students are labeled with "emotional disturbance." The mood chart reminds me of those videos we saw with teachers standing at the door each morning with each child choosing to give them different emotional greetings. But then I think what happens to those 20 kids once they are in the classroom and the teacher is still inviting the last student in. They either have help in the room or students know exactly what to be doing. I agree that it would take a lot of pre planning, because there's no way I can ask 25 students how they are feeling and then change the lesson plan. But, of course, that is also not a reasonable expectation. The school deans and counselors definitely use these emotional charts to help their more private conversations.
ReplyDelete