Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 5, 1993 TAG: 9303050366
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LORI BELL MICK
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A SPECIAL-EDUCATION LESSON
THE BEHAVIOR of socially maladjusted students - a term that includes conduct disorders, oppositional disorders, adjustment disorders and personality disorders - can discourage the most resilient teacher, derail the most creative lesson and exasperate the most understanding student.While students with these serious problems make up a very small percentage of the school-age population, they require a very high percentage of teacher and administrative energy, and may be the cause, in part, for the high attrition of special-education teachers.
Frequently, socially maladjusted students are improperly labeled "emotionally disturbed" or "learning disabled," and wrongly placed in special-education classes. Incorrectly labeling these students as "emotionally disturbed" or "learning disabled," in order to secure special-education services, must be guarded against.
"Seriously emotionally disturbed" means a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics, over a long period and to a marked degree: an inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory or other health factors; an inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationship with peers and teachers; inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances; a general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression; and a tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems. The term includes children who are schizophrenic.
It does not include children who are socially maladjusted, unless they are otherwise emotionally disturbed.
Jane E. Slenkovich, an attorney and authority on special-education law, has written extensively about the characteristics that distinguish emotionally disturbed and socially maladjusted students.
Seldom, she notes, will an emotionally disturbed student be in trouble with the law. On the other hand, socially maladjusted students rebel against school routine and restrictions, and are frequently in difficulty with the law.
Emotionally disturbed students may not know how to develop satisfactory social relationships. Socially maladjusted students understand clearly the social expectations of the school, yet choose not to conform. They openly defy adults, and show a callous disregard for others.
Emotionally disturbed students may appear sad or depressed over a period of time. Socially maladjusted students may have inadequate conscience development and an inability to profit from their mistakes. They often violate the rights of others and may be unmanageable at home.
The abusive behaviors of socially maladjusted students often preclude teachers from teaching and students from learning. Improperly labeling them as emotionally disturbed or learning disabled is prohibited by Virginia regulations, and is unfair to the students who are properly identified.
Students who openly reject constituted authority, who know the rules but choose to defy them and who are mislabeled as special education students, most certainly will diminish our chances of making "inclusive schooling" work.