Definition

Defining emotional and behavioral responses that differ from typical development has long been problematic and impacts treatment, care, and programming in schools. Typical and atypical human behavior are hard to define precisely, as we all have an intuitive grasp of anger, loneliness, or happiness, and what these experiences are. Thus, it is no wonder there are multiple definitions and use of language across professional groups, experts, and states (Hallahan et al., 2019). For example, one may encounter different “umbrella” terms (such as emotional disturbance) used in federal special education legislation, behavioral disorders in some states, or mental illness in the medical world  (Center for Parent Information and Resources, 2017). Beneath these umbrella terms, many specific conditions differ in their characteristics and treatment. These include (but are not limited to) anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder (sometimes called manic-depression), conduct disorders, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and psychotic disorders (Center for Parent Information and Resources, 2017).

Despite these differences, there is general agreement that emotional or behavioral disabilities refer to the following:

• Behavior that goes to an extreme – not just slightly different than usual
• A chronic problem – one that does not quickly disappear
• Behavior that is unacceptable due to social or cultural expectations (Hallahan et al., 2019)