Chapter 1: A Developing Knowledge Base and Call for Further Inquiry

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are those who experience externalizing (e.g., aggressive, defiant, coercive) and internalizing (e.g., shy, anxious, socially withdrawn) behaviors, with many students exhibiting both facets of EBD (Achenbach, 1991). Most students with EBD are recognized for their externalizing behaviors and the negative impact these behaviors have on the instructional environment and their own learning. Specifically, when students struggle to regulate their emotions, make their needs known in a respectful way, and negotiate relationships with peers and teachers, instruction and academic engagement often suffer (Walker, Ramsey, & Gresham, 2004). This is particularly the case when teachers do not feel well-prepared to manage challenging behaviors by interrupting acting-out cycles that can occur (Colvin, 2004; Lane, Menzies, Bruhn, & Crnobori, 2011). This is not to suggest internalizing behaviors are any less serious than externalizing behaviors, as students with internalizing behavior patterns also struggle in their interactions with peers and adults and experience a host of negative outcomes academically, behaviorally, and socially. As such, students with various facets of EBD (i.e., externalizing, internalizing, and comorbid characteristics) are well-known for their behavioral and social excesses and deficits: noncompliance, verbal and physical aggression, strained relationships with authority figures, impaired social relationships, and difficulty interpreting social cues accurately (Lane & Walker, 2015). Clearly, these characteristic behavior patterns create challenges for peers, teachers, families, and often society as a whole (Kauffman, 2004).