The authors' association goes back more than 40 years, when they were both starting doctoral studies in special education for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) at the University of Kansas. In this article, the authors provide a balanced (albeit biased) account of the good and the bad, including some of the many achievements…

Children with behavioral challenges are at the greatest risk for chronic school failure. The response-to-intervention (RTI) model was written into law through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 as a means to identify children with learning disabilities. The RTI model provides for increased intervention based on students'…

Runaway behavior is a national epidemic that affects many school-aged youths. Although there are no definitive numbers, it has been estimated that between 1.3 and 2.8 million youths run away each year, and youths with disabilities are more at risk for engaging in runaway behavior than their nondisabled peers. Considering the high number of youths…

Many young children demonstrate behavior that teachers find challenging. Accordingly, early childhood and elementary educators must be prepared to support children's social development and use effective practices so that children will be less likely to develop or sustain behavior problems. General education reform and legislation direct schools to…

Questions and concerns exist regarding the exclusion of students with disabilities from statewide assessments, partly because the number of student with disabilities who are included in state assessment varies from state to state and is generally low. This contributes to a belief that accountability for all students may be misunderstood or ill…

Autism is one of the fastest developing childhood disorders. The increase in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has been highlighted in the media once again. The prevalence of school-age children with ASD has a considerable impact on the schools and teachers who are responsible for their education. Children with ASD served in the…

The term "literacy" is often used synonymously with reading and writing. However, literacy entails more than reading and writing. Literacy involves communicating with others and includes listening, viewing, following, and reading directions and interacting with friends and colleagues. The literacy skills and abilities are essential for all…

The prevalence of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) within school settings is increasing steadily. These students provide unique challenges to educational professionals because they often demonstrate weaknesses across areas that are critical to educational success. Unfortunately, there has been limited research on how to instruct…

Social skills training (SST) is a topic of great importance in the field of autism as social skill deficits are a prominent feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Improving and/or facilitating the acquisition and performance of social skills across multiple settings should be the primary purpose of SST. Unfortunately, few children receive SST…

The academic and behavioral difficulties exhibited by students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) provide educators with unique challenges. The Study of Personnel Needs in Special Education estimated that 40% of the 400,000 special education paraeducators presently employed nationwide are assigned to classrooms for children with EBD.…

Secondary schools--be they middle schools or high schools--are reading-rich environments. Secondary schools provide contexts in which students must regularly read and write competently to demonstrate their literacy achievement. In any given semester, there are short stories and novels to read, comprehend, and analyze; civics and science texts…

In the past decade, increased emphasis on academic instruction for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) has replaced the misguided notion that teachers must focus exclusively or primarily on behavior problems before they can effectively teach students with EBD. Numerous scholars have noted that academic instruction should be the…

Generally, teachers are good students. Most know how to successfully address a variety of academic tasks demands. Many know how to compensate for any personal weaknesses they have with specific skills. Sometimes teachers are such good students that they forgot what it was like to struggle to learn something. Unfortunately, students with emotional…

Teaching mathematics to students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) is one of the most challenging tasks educators face today. Students with EBD are reported to have the most dismal outcomes of any other group of students with disabilities including the lowest grades, the most failing grades, higher retention rates, the highest dropout…

Academic outcomes for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are poor. Unfortunately, insufficient attention is paid in research and textbooks to academic difficulties and students with EBD. The purpose of this special issue is to review research-based strategies and interventions for teaching children and youth with EBD. In the…