Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Psychology
What Can We Learn From School-Based Emotional Disturbance Assessment Practices? Implications For Practice And Preparation In School Psychology, Ryan Allen, Timothy Hanchon
What Can We Learn From School-Based Emotional Disturbance Assessment Practices? Implications For Practice And Preparation In School Psychology, Ryan Allen, Timothy Hanchon
Ryan A. Allen
The federal definition of emotional disturbance (ED) provides limited guidance to educational professionals charged with making Individuals with Disabilities in Education Improvement Act eligibility determinations. Despite calls to revise the definition, the ED category remains largely unchanged nearly four decades after being codified into federal law. To navigate the vague, ambiguous, and outdated eligibility criteria, school psychologists must adhere to comprehensive assessment strategies whenever an ED placement is considered. In this study, we examined the ED assessment practices of 214 school psychologists. The results indicated that respondents all too frequently relied on only select sources of data (e.g., behavior rating …
Identifying Students With Emotional Disturbance: School Psychologists' Practices And Perceptions, Ryan Allen, Timothy Hamilton
Identifying Students With Emotional Disturbance: School Psychologists' Practices And Perceptions, Ryan Allen, Timothy Hamilton
Ryan A. Allen
From its inception as a disability category in the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, serving students under the special education category Emotional Disturbance (ED) has been a challenging task for school psychologists. In particular, the vague and ambiguous federal definition has created an environment in which inconsistent assessment practices and decision making are almost inevitable. In this study, we examined school psychologists' ( N = 214) assessment practices when determining initial eligibility for ED, as well as their perceptions regarding the language contained within the federal ED definition. Findings indicated that although school psychologists recognize the need for a …