Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology

Living Edition
| Editors: Jeffrey Kreutzer, John DeLuca, Bruce Caplan

Emotional Disturbance

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56782-2_1453-2
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Description/Definition

An emotional disturbance (ED) is a major uncontrollable emotional or behavioral condition, which impairs the individual to a significant degree and does not allow the child or adolescent to profit from conventional educational services. It is most often used to refer to children and adolescents in school systems. An emotional disturbance is not caused by any obvious physical abnormalities of the brain, although research in the last two decades has begun to show a neuropsychological base for these disorders (Hartlage and D’Amato 2008). Children and adolescents with ED are called by many similar names including students who are behaviorally disabled (BD), emotionally disabled, psychologically and emotionally handicapped, emotionally disordered, and emotionally/behaviorally disabled (EBD).

While services have been provided from some public schools for more than a century, it was in 1975 that PL 94–142 required all schools to serve students with ED. At this time,...
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References and Readings

  1. Algozzine, R., & Ysseldyke, J. (2006). Teaching students with emotional disturbance. Thousand Oaks: Corwin.Google Scholar
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  3. Department of Education. (1999). 34 CFR parts 300 and 303 assistance to states for the education of children with disabilities and the early intervention program for infants and toddlers with disabilities. Federal Register, 64(48), 12405–12454.Google Scholar
  4. Forness, S. R., & Knitzer, J. (1992). A new proposed definition and terminology to replace “serious emotion disturbance” in individuals with disabilities act. School Psychology Review, 21(1), 12–20.Google Scholar
  5. Hartlage, L. C., & D’Amato, R. C. (2008). Understanding the etiology of neurological and psychiatric disorders. In A. MacNeil Horton Jr. & D. Wedding (Eds.), The neuropsychology handbook (3rd ed., pp. 87–108). New York: Springer.Google Scholar
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  9. NICHCY. (2004). Disability fact sheet no.5 – emotional disturbance. National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. Retrieved 20 Jan 2010, from http://www.nichcy.org
  10. Traughber, M. C., & D’Amato, R. C. (2005). Integrating evidence-based neuropsychological services into school settings: Issues and challenges for the future. In R. C. D’Amato, E. Fletcher-Janzen, & C. R. Reynolds (Eds.), Handbook of school neuropsychology (pp. 827–858). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
  11. U.S. Government Publishing Office. (2017). Electronic code of federal regulations. Retrieved 11 Apr 2017, from https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=055e47b9068a365030835c650fba7bcf&mc=true&node=se34.2.300_18&rgn=div8

Copyright information

© Springer International Publishing AG 2017

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Outcomes ManagementThe Harris Center for Mental Health and IDDHoustonUSA
  2. 2.University of MacauTaipaChina
  3. 3.The Chicago School of Professional PsychologyChicagoUSA