Although several studies have examined the prevalence of comorbid psychiatric disorders in children with autism spectrum disorders, there are no current longitudinal studies of such children regarding the impact of comorbidity. In this study, 44 of an original sample of 175 preschoolers were located after 5 1/2 years, at an average chronological…

The emphasis or focus of a professional association often shifts imperceptibly over time in ways that neither its membership nor its leadership seems able to recognize until pivotal events compel it to do so. The historical shift from psychodynamic to behavioral approaches in special education for children with emotional or behavioral disorders…

Lack of progress of children with emotional disturbance (ED) has begun to be documented in longitudinal school-based studies. Variability in these studies may be due to several factors, including widespread differences in academic, behavioral, and social functioning of these children, their special education status, and school contextual factors.…

Although comorbid or co-occurring psychiatric diagnoses such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorders, depression, and oppositional defiant or conduct disorders have been well studied in children or adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), very little research is available on preschool samples. The current study…

The authors examined the academic characteristics of 140 elementary-aged students served under the category of emotional disturbance (ED) from schools that differed in income level, performance on state testing, and suspension rates. School income accounted for a large amount of the variance in the reading and math achievement of students with ED…

Although many psychopharmacologic treatments and behavioral or cognitive behavioral interventions have been established as evidence-based practices, they have seldom been directly compared to one another as to outcome in children with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD). In this paper, we present findings from 6 recent randomized clinical…

Prevalence of children with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) is a critical component in the discussion of underidentification of children served in special education. This discussion has previously focused almost exclusively on point prevalence or the number of children with EBD presumably needing services at any single point in time.…

Colleagues in the field of mental health have made considerable progress developing inventories of evidence-based practice; however, the field of special education for children with emotional or behavioral disorders has only recently begun to do so. This paper provides some personal reflections on four major issues for consideration as we pursue…

The early identification and remediation of emotional or behavior disorders are high priorities for early-childhood researchers and are based on the assumption that problems such as school failure can be averted with early screening, prevention, and intervention. Presently, prevalence, severity, and topography of mental health needs among…

Although there has been long concern about underidentification or misidentification of children with emotional or behavioral disorders in special education, recent attention has also been focused on disproportionate racial and ethnic representation of children in the school category of emotional disturbance (ED). There is evidence that African…

This article reports on a randomized controlled trial of the First Step to Success early intervention that was conducted over a 4-year period in Albuquerque Public Schools. First Step is a selected intervention for students in Grades 1 through 3 with externalizing behavior problems, and it addresses secondary prevention goals and objectives. It…

This article discusses the need to incorporate research findings in developmental psychopathology, psychiatric comorbidity, and psychopharmacology in school mental health programs to enable early detection and primary prevention of emotional and behavioral disorders in students. A response stresses the need for a multidisciplinary approach.…

Analysis of Department of Education national survey data found that school districts' sociodemographic characteristics were strongly associated with the proportion of students identified as having emotional disturbance (ED). Results also indicated a clear association between ethnicity/gender and the likelihood of being identified as having ED,…

Evaluation of the Early Screening Project in a Head Start classroom-wide mental health identification and intervention over a 12- week period found that eight children identified as being at high risk for emotional/behavioral disorders prior to intervention either significantly improved or maintained their pre-intervention functioning. No…

The original authors of an article proposing a new medical model of special education for children with emotional or behavioral disorders respond to comments by considering: (1) the role of psychiatric diagnosis in special education, (2) the relative efficacy of behavioral versus psychopharmacologic treatment, and (3) the nature of…