Description

Source

Section 300.8 subsection 4 of IDEA (2004) describes Emotional Disorders thusly:
Emotional disturbance means a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child's educational performance:
(A) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.
(B) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.
(C) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.
(D) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
(E) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.
(ii) Emotional disturbance includes schizophrenia. The term does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance under paragraph (c)(4)(i) of this section.
IDEA Definition of Emotional Disorders

The Council for Exceptional Children defines Emotional Disorders as:

A condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child’s educational performance:
  • An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.
  • An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.
  • Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances
  • A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression
  • A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.
Emotional disturbance includes schizophrenia. The term does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance.
CEC Disability Terms and Definitions


A list of Emotional Disorders includes but is not limited to:
  1. Adjustment Disorders
  2. Anxiety Disorders
  3. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  4. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  5. Selective Mutism
  6. Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
  7. Conduct Disorder
  8. Anorexia Nervosa
  9. Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depressive Disorder)
  10. Major Depressive Disorder
  11. Schizophrenia
List of Emotional Disorders






Prevalence of Emotional Disorders

Approximately 9% of all students are classified as special education students. Within that population, approximately 1% are classified with emotional disturbances. That means that 482,500+ students were identified as having an emotional disturbance, according to the Department of Education in 2004. source The Center for Disease Control suggests that 14.5% of children have been tested for emotional disturbances, and nearly 2.9 million have been prescribed some sort of medication for those disorders. Source

The following charts indicate survey information on students with Emotional Disorders, as well as other disorders, from information received by the National Survey of Children's Health in 2007. 
Pie graph: Children with at Least 1 of 7 Conditions               Source                    Bar graph: Prevalence of Conditions Among Children


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