Teachers' attributions of student behavior are associated with the decisions they make about how to respond to behavior problems and support their students. This exploratory study investigates teachers' attributions of student externalizing behavior, how attributions vary as a function of teacher and school characteristics, and the association of…

Epidemiologic research suggests a gap between prevalence estimates of students with emotional or behavioral problems and the actual number of students identified under the federal category of emotional disturbance (ED). To better understand issues related to the identification gap, we investigated the academic and behavioral functioning,…

This article presents the findings of a 2-year-long quasi-experimental study of post-release engagement and recidivism for youth with disabilities. The effects of specialized Reentry Intervention and Support for Engagement (RISE) for youth with disabilities were compared with two other groups: (a) youth with disabilities who received traditional…

Using data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 (NLTS2), we examined risk and protective factors associated with post-secondary outcomes among youth with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Results indicate that, compared to their male peers, females with EBD demonstrated higher levels of social and behavioral skills and higher…

Although global associations between language and behavioral development are well established, relations among components and subgroups within these disorders remain unclear. The primary aim of this study was to explore whether language components differed by behavioral subtypes: internalizing only, externalizing only, or both. To control for…

Internalizing and externalizing problems are common targets for school mental health screening. Prior research supports the interpretation of scores from the Youth Internalizing Problems Screener (YIPS) and the Youth Externalizing Problems Screener (YEPS), which were developed separately yet intended as companion measures. We extended previous…

The term "level of care" is utilized in mental health care to refer to the different ways in which treatment can be delivered, including qualitative (e.g., modality, approach, setting) and quantitative (e.g., number of sessions, frequency of sessions) variations in services. The concept is often embedded in models of care and measures,…

This article critically discusses the ecology of public schools in the United States: systemic barriers and associated biases that permeate these learning contexts and derail efforts to close opportunity gaps for African American adolescents with emotional and behavioral challenges. Using results from a mixed-methods study, we illustrate the…

This article reports on the development and initial psychometric properties of the School Interference Questionnaire (SIQ), a questionnaire designed to assess both academic functional impairment related to mental health problems and the type and frequency of school refusal behavior. Participants were 110 youth ages 13 to 18 years (M = 15.41 years,…

Interpersonal Psychotherapy-Adolescent Skills Training (IPT-AST) is an evidence-based indicated depression prevention program that has been shown to reduce depression symptoms. Research is needed to identify moderators of IPT-AST's effects. Although trauma history has emerged as a moderator of depression treatment outcomes, the impact of trauma on…

Social-cognitive and emotional factors as well as behavior problems contribute to the social difficulties experienced by many students with or at high risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBDs). The way that teachers and peers treat and respond to these students can either mitigate or exacerbate their challenges in establishing and…

Despite the high prevalence of and documented impairment associated with pediatric anxiety disorders, less than half of youth access mental health services. This study examined (a) the utilization of eight school services and supports (e.g., seen a school counselor for a mental health reason, placement in a special class for a behavior or…

Children and youth with high behavioral health needs can receive care in a psychiatric residential treatment facility (PRTF). Overutilization of PRTFs is concerning because they are highly restrictive and costly residential care settings. Intensive Alternative Family Treatment (IAFT®) is an intensive therapeutic foster care program combined with…

Youth in foster care face many academic risks, including diminished engagement in school and behavior problems that further threaten learning and academic achievement. However, school engagement is responsive to contextual change, leaving many opportunities to intervene upon school engagement and boost overall functioning. The present study…

Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) and functional analyses (FA) are grounded in the applied behavior analysis principle that posits problem behavior is functionally related to the environment in which it occurs and is maintained by either providing access to reinforcing outcomes or allowing the individual to avoid or escape that which they…