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We’ve Got an App for That: How iPads Can Support Student Reading in the Secondary Classroom

For a very long time now, technology has been one of the buzzwords in the classroom. And this is possibly the case now more than ever. Acquiring technological skills for higher education and the work place are undoubtedly some of the most important lessons for our students to take away with their diplomas, but more recently technology has taken even larger strides in supporting learning within the classroom rather than just shaping 21st century educational standards.

Since Apple’s release of the iPad in spring 2010, educators have been talking about its potential uses in supporting and enhancing learning in the K-12 classroom. Almost a year and half later, studies are being released that conclude that the iPad does, in fact, work very well in engaging and supporting students through the variety of downloadable education apps and e-book reading support features. In this posting I will first outline how iPad apps can enhance traditional reading strategies. Then, I will address the ways that e-books accessed through iPads are making astronomical strides in supporting reading comprehension and how teachers can use these tools in the classroom. And finally, I will be briefly outline some of the successes school systems have had with the iPad. Read on to hear more!

What is more likely is that you used some form of technology to either do the job for you, make it easier to keep up with the information you needed, or to look up more information than you had in front of you. Technology in the work place has become an invaluable tool—a tool that no one questions, that feels intuitive and natural to use, and that saves tons of time and energy for businesses across the world. It is interesting, in comparison, to see how slow schools have been at taking a similar turn. As Susan McLester points out in her article on iPad learning applications, “The mobile technology market is blooming with powerful applications that have the ability to transform education with the ease of a download to any number of handheld devices” (2011, para. 1). This is especially true for reading strategies and instruction. For example, think of the popular strategy of having student visualize what they are reading: thinking about how the characters, events, and setting would look and feel if one were standing right there in the middle a scene. With the iPad, instead of having students think about what they visualize and then draw a picture of it, students can use the Flip It! iPad doodling animation app to bring what they visualize to life while reinforcing concepts and engaging and challenging their abilities to rethink, revisit, and then explain the story in a logical way (McLester, 2011, para. 8). The electronic flipbooks can also easily be uploaded to video sites like youtube.com for other students to view—a great way to use the reciprocal teaching strategy in a fresh and interesting manner. The app can be used for small and large-scale projects (up to 1,000 pages of animation), making it a great option for students who enjoy expressing their understanding visually (McLester, 2011, para. 8). Another popular app that has been tested by the St. Thomas Aquinas Middle School in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada is the Wolfram Alpha “supercomputer” that lets users type in queries to learn basic information and includes visual supports such as charts and graphs (McLester, 2011, para. 21). The product contains more than 10 trillion pieces of data, and unlike those wiki-sites that are so easy to use but undependable as academic sources, Wolfram Alpha’s information is given from a variety of top experts in a variety of academic fields in order to “create something that will stand as a major milestone of 21st century intellectual achievement” (Wolfram Alpha, 2011). The principal of the middle school touted the programs ability to clarify concepts in a multidisciplinary light. Elements such as definitions, word-origin, synonyms, and narrower terms of use help deepen understanding of abstract concepts and show relationships between various uses of a term (McLester, 2011, para. 9)

The iPad not only supports and challenges student in the classroom, but it also supports the teacher. Ostashewki and Reid (2009) give the example of Ukrainian a folk dance teacher who, due to the variety of the dance moves and complexity of the motor skills required, cannot be experts at every dance movement, specifically ones that are gender specific. “The iPad,” Ostashewki and Reid explain, “allows for mobile on-the-spot demonstration using exemplar videos from a large handheld database. The ability to finely control video playback and display it for small groups of students is a key affordability of this device” (2009, pg. 2893). Similarly, in the reading classroom the iPad allows teachers to access scholarly material they may themselves not be experts on. iTunes U, for example, has tons of free downloadable audio and video podcasts ranging from famous manuscripts to textual criticism to actual audio books and authors series all available for public use and all available for free. Content is uploaded from a variety of sources such as museums, universities, cultural institutions, and public television stations, but institutions can build their own sites for teachers to upload material as well. The Georgia Department of Education, for example, has an iTunes U site with videos on professional development issues such as how to tackle bullying and investing class time wisely to subject-specific supports to student achievement features (Apple, 2011). Building the site is easy to do, and once the site is live, faculty members can start posting content right way—lectures, lab demonstrations, historical footage, and whatever else they choose to help bring their subjects to life (Brabazon, 2007, pg. 80). The popular education site Edutopia is also nowon iTunes U, giving students, parents and teachers the ability to instantly download Edutopia's Core Concept documentary videos highlighting public school innovations in project learning, technology integration, teacher development, social and emotional learning, assessment and integrated studies, and a selection of more than seventy-five videos from the organization's archives is available now (Curriculum Review, 2008).

Because of the incredible opportunities iPads offer for supporting reading comprehension through both apps and e-textbook features, having an iPad in the hand of every child makes a lot of sense. In fact, it sounds like the future of education. But finding room in the budget for new technology can be incredibly difficult, especially in such strained economic times. And while a 1-1 iPad program in every school would be wonderful, we know it is unrealistic for many schools at this point in time. Instead of focusing on the difficulty of 1-1 programs, however, many schools seem to be looking at different approaches, such as having several iPads per class to be used individually or through group work or equipping libraries with a classroom set to be checked out by teachers. The number of iPads available for use will obviously impact the teacher’s ability to use them for textbook reading, but the iPad apps often lend themselves just as much to group work as to individual use. A high school English teacher, for example, may choose to have students work in groups making vocabulary flashcards using the free app “Flashcardlet” (Apple, 2011). Groups can then exchange iPads and quiz each other using student generated study tools. iPad apps can also help support literature study. The “Shakespeare In Bits” apps by Mindconnex Learning offers a fully animated study edition of Shakespeare plays. Romeo and Juliet, for example, features the voices of Kate Beckinsale and Michael Sheen and offers modern translations for difficult words and phrases, complete study notes for each section, plot summaries, analysis, and other tools for making Shakespeare accessible for struggle readers. In addition to the reading supports, every line of every scene is illustrated through three hours of animation (Apple, 2011). Students could work either together using the audio or individually reading the side-by-side main play view that presents the animations and the text at the same time while also having access to features such as character relationship maps, which demonstrate key relationships in the play, and biographies for each character, accessed from the main play or through the cast browser (Apple, 2011). Elementary school teachers have even more reading support options with the iPad. An early childhood or early elementary school teacher, for example, may choose to use the “Site Words” app to help students learn to recognize site words in groups or individually, “Jigwords” to help student match verb forms, or “Your ABCs” which allows students to add their own text and photos to illustrate the alphabet. Because of the variety of English language support apps, teachers may also wish to make iPads available to ELL students on a more frequent basis. Their small size allows for discrete use of the applications without the student needing to feel uncomfortable for having to ask questions so frequently and voice translators apps can translate texts in one language to speech in another (Demski, 2011, para 14). The iPad also gives easy access to interactive distance education in which tutors, long-distance teachers, and experts in the field could talk face to face with students with the double camera technology in which users can either see the person they are talking to or see what the person they are talking to is seeing.

Time for a new model: virtual high schools and online learning options

In a time of back to the basics education driven by standardized testing and cuts in school budgets and resources, it may seem counterintuitive to think of adding more course options and more technology to current academic menus. In spite of these facts, the number of K-12 students taking online courses is on the rise (Davis, 2009, para. 1). In 2008 Massachusetts based researchers Sloan Consortium estimated that more than 1 million students were taking classes online, a 47 percent from the previous school year (Davis, 2009, para. 2). Seventy-five percent of the polled districts offering an online component also had at least one student taking a class completely online and two out of three school districts surveyed expect their online-course enrollments to climb (Davis, 2009, para. 3). No doubt those number have risen even higher since the date of that poll. Statistics like these prove that schools are looking for a new model for the classroom—one that can “serve both students and teachers” by shifting our focus “from the three R’s to an education system that builds skills in the three C’s: content, collaboration, and community” (Pape, 2005, p. 12). By offering online courses and virtual schools, educators can “focus on building students’ literacy skills so they can ask questions, define inquiry, research multiple sources, authenticate sources of information, process and synthesize data and information, draw conclusions, and develop action plans based on their newfound knowledge [. . .] while filtering the vast quantity of information they receive and determining what is authentic, useful, and of value” (Pape, 2005, p. 12). High schools are and should offer online courses not only because it increases the number of classes a school can offer, but also because it prepares students to thrive in a global economy where collaborating, communicating, and connecting through digital forms is essential. Read on to hear more!

While the model for virtual high schools can vary as much as the student populations they strive to serve, today most virtual high schools are state or district funded and designed to meet an individual state or district’s needs. Virtual high school programs often include a combination of college courses offered to high school students online and high school level courses offered to meet a variety of needs. Podoll and Randle (2005) give the example of South Dakota's Rapid City Academy, an alternative high school program for South Dakota’s Rapid City Area Schools. This virtual high school is funded by the Rapid City Area School district and is almost devoted entirely to providing a largely at-risk student population with flexible learning options—a population they notice needing special attention in their district, although each district can specialize course offerings as they see fit for their student body. At Rapid City Academy, students dealing with teenage parenthood, high absentee rates, low socioeconomic status, and medical and/or personal challenges that impact their ability to succeed in the traditional classroom setting are able to obtain their high school diploma despite difficult circumstances (para. 1). The academy is also able to use the online learning forum to differentiate instruction for these students through instructional methods such as smaller student-teacher ratios, individualized learning plans, strategy-based learning, flexible schedules, and independent and group-led classes” (para. 1). Other online course options allow student who wish to graduate early, remediate classes to catch up with their original graduating class, or simply take additional course work in an area in which they are interested. “But not all participants fit the archetype of the typical high school-aged learner” Podoll and Randle say. One non-traditional student was able to return and complete his high school diploma after more than 50 years—a feat that would probably be unfathomable for an adult that age in the traditional classroom setting (Podoll and Randle, 2005, para. 3).

Educational psychology has been telling us for a long time now that a one-size-fits-all model for education does not meet the needs of a diverse student body. Yet, one of the foremost frustrations teachers voice today is the difficulty they face in providing the right kind of instruction to students with varying needs. Recent studies suggest that online education may be just one of the answers our schools need to address this problem. Michelle Davis’s 2009 Education Week article on web-based classrooms reports that, "survey results indicate that online learning is meeting a wide range of student needs from remedial to accelerated instruction [. . .] It provides the ability to offer coursework that is otherwise unavailable at a child's school, which we find to be especially significant in rural counties" (para. 4). Not only are schools now providing more options, though, they are providing them and seeing students excel. Podoll and Randle (2005) offer an interesting look at qualified research on instructor and student experiences with online course. They write that while studying the Rapid Area Academy’s online programs the Illinois Online Network found that “asynchronous discussions in an online course allowed the learner time to think and reflect on presented content material.” It was reported that the students seemed more engaged in learning when they were give more time to consider responses and students learning seemed deeper because they were having to discuss and be active participants in the learning processes rather than passively receive facts. Because of this “88 percent of academy instructors identified reflective learning, student engagement, and student-centered instruction as advantages of online instruction.” In addition to positive instructor observations, student feedback regarding their experiences taking online courses indicated that they actually did feel a personal connectedness to the instructor through the use of e-mail, threaded discussions, and journaling. Students also noted enjoying learning to use new forms of technology (Podoll and Randle, 2005, para. 7-8).

Despite findings such as these, many educators still say the idea of online course work for middle and high schools raises some questions in their mind. The two of the most common concerns deal with what happens to “real” teachers when learning goes online and the isolated environment of online learning might limit students opportunities to build speaking, listening, and social skills. In response to the latter concern, it should be reiterated that none of the programs surveyed for this paper were attempting to replace or take students away from the core curriculum their schools were offering—programs that do so should raise serious concerns. Students do need to engage in conversations with each other and with teachers face-to-face in real time. Virtual learning, at least at this point in time, seems to be an attempt to very practically supplement our high school course offering and our students’ global experiences in a way that the traditional classroom has not be able to do on its own. Our students need both sets of communication skills. In response to the former question, educators should be reassured by the fact that real teachers are teaching these courses. No one is being pushed out of a job. In fact, over 85 percent of VHS teachers hold master’s degrees in education, 19 percent of VHS teachers hold master’s degrees plus additional credits, or doctorate degrees, and VHS teachers have an average of 16 years of teaching experience (VHS, 2011). Of those with over 10 years of teaching experience, almost fifty percent of those individuals have been educators for more than 20 years (VH, 2011). It is interesting that teachers for the most part have been spared the technology transition that those in the private sector had to adjust to quite a while ago. Real teachers will not be losing any jobs because schools offer online courses, but if schools are going to offer the online options our students need, they will have to start evolving with the system

Accomodating ELLs in the High School Classroom

The current status of bilingualism in this country is a complicated one, both inside and outside of the classroom. Teachers are increasingly faced with the task of educating children who do not speak English as their first language and many who do not speak it at all. At the elementary level this task may seem manageable: all young children are learning to speak, read, and write the English language properly. At this high school level, however, this becomes a much more daunting task.

Research shows that learning a second language becomes more difficult the older a person gets and after a certain age people rarely achieve the level of fluency they have in their first language (Barry, 2008, 227). Add to that the task of becoming academically literate in seven or eight subjects, each with its own specialized vocabulary, and the task might even seem near impossible. Thankfully, there are educators who refuse to let it be so. This posting analyzes the past and current situation of bilingual education in American high schools and the ways in which teachers and researchers are working to close the academic language gap. Read on to hear more!

Shifting from the transition model to the maintenance model is Della Perez and Melissa Holmes’ Dimensions Model. The Dimension Model is somewhat similar to the SIOP Model in application but slightly different in theory. Most efforts to develop students’ English skills are well intentioned, Perez and Holmes say, but fall short of addressing each of the four interrelated dimensions of culturally and linguistically diverse student (Perez and Holems, 2010, p. 32). Each dimension in this model, therefore, plays its own critical role in the development the whole ELL student at the secondary level. The Dimensions Model also takes the focus of away from what students lack and emphasizes what they bring to the classroom: diverse cultural and linguistic experiences and knowledge. This model focuses on nurturing all aspects of the “culturally and linguistically diverse” student’s experience with school and the English language while upholding the value of their cultural and linguistic heritage (Perez and Holmes, 2010, 33). Application of this model, much like the SIOP Model, calls for an integration of language instruction into content teaching rather than focusing predominantly on the acquisition of English, which emphasizes what a student lacks. The first dimension in this model is the sociocultural dimension. The sociocultural dimension gets to the heart of the student—toward the influences and experiences that motivate, influence, and/or hinder his or her literacy development (Perez and Holmes, 2010, p. 34). Understanding the interests, personalities, family background, and former experiences with education provide teachers with avenues for determining the types of literacy skills and experiences that they can use to bridge the students existing knowledge to content area concepts and vocabulary. The second dimension, the linguistic dimension, goes beyond the language of the classroom and involves comprehension, communication, and expression in both the native language and English (Perez and Holmes, 2010, p. 35). Teachers often find it helpful to remember that knowledge obtained via one language is added to a common, underlying proficiency, or knowledge base, that can be accessed via either language. Given that fact, this model could easily be used in a completely bilingual classroom, but certainly does not require it.

Making Learning Meaningful through School-Community Partnerships

We all remember what its like to sit through a class that is seemingly useless, and there are reasons why phrases like, “I’m pretty sure my IQ just dropped ten points” or “I totally just lost brain cells” or “That’s an hour of my life I’ll never get back,” exist: because students believe they are true. And maybe they are. Too often, many researchers say, students are disengaged from the teaching methods and material they are offered in school and they are missing the chance to have meaningful experiences with challenging, pertinent knowledge (Jensen, 2006, p. 208, Cole, 2010, p. 15). It is not fair to expect them to stay interested, or to stay in school, or perform at their highest ability, or any other number of things educators ask of them, if parents, community members, and teachers are not willing to take the steps to make schooling worthwhile, to make what they are learning mean something other than a good grade. Well-implemented school-community partnerships are one way in which teachers and administrators are working to build these meaningful experiences. By turning traditional classrooms into “contextual immersions,” students can start to “build identities as contributing members of a larger community” and to see learning as rich and meaningful (Cole, 2010, p. 15). Read on to learn about different ways that schools and communities are expanding the walls of the classroom and bringing authentic intellectual work and experiences within our students' reach.

For a long time it was believed that the interchange between genes and the mind was oneway. The common belief has been that our genes are fixed and thus our intelligence and our tendencies are fixed as well. In his book titled Enriching the Brain: How to Maximize Every Learner’s Potential, Eric Jensen (2006) proposes just the opposite idea. Through his own research and the recent studies of neuroscientists, it has now been proven that people actually do have the chance to change their brains, to maximize their learning potential, and even to potentially raise their IQ scores through the occurrence of gene-environment interplay called “gene expression” (p. 6). As Jensen points out, this theory has huge implications for educators. Jensen refers to this “maximizing of gene expression” as enrichment, or “the positive biological response to a contrasting environment, in which measurable, synergistic, and global changes have occurred” (2006, p. 47). The results of proper enrichment, then, are an “enrichment response,” which results in two happenings: the first enhances students’ ability to learn and retain information and positively affects the cognition of average to gifted learners; the secondincludes the possibility for enrichment to improve the cognition of those with impaired learning, the disadvantaged, or brain damaged (Jensen, 2006, p. 81). Central to obtaining the enrichment response, Jensen writes, is the application of the law of contrast, or the law that says for learning to stick and influence gene-expression it must be “novel, challenging, and meaningful” (2006, p. 80). While many teachers are good at making classroom learning novel and challenging, the meaningful part often gets pushed to the side. And so we have bored students. Or we have students that think, “School just isn’t for me.” Or they act out. Or maybe even they drop out. And they do so because brains do not handle boredom well: they want to novel and challenging tasks. In fact, Jensen records that “in animal studies, the negative effects of boredom on the dendrites of brain cells are significant” (2006, p. 70). “Infact,” he says, “there’s a greater negative from boredom than there is a positive from enrichment” (Jensen, 2006, p. 70).

When comparing the studies of Jensen, the NNPS, and Cole, what seems to be essential to the success of school-community partnerships is how well the program’s goals are articulated to both the students and community organizations involved and how well the teacher and administrators willingness to stay dedicated and focused on the task at hand. The prevailing opinion also seems to be that researchers would benefit from having more information about the specific activities that schools implement to involve families and community members. Sheldon (2007) concluded that many researchers cite “weak evaluation design” as a large part of the problem (p. 274). He calls for “more studies of partnership interventions in which researchers used matched comparison groups that include pre- and post- designs,” (Sheldon, 2007, p. 274), as well as more “focused and subject-specific measures of partnership practices, and not overly general or superficial measures of involvement” (Epstein and Sheldon, 2006, para. 6). One could also conclude from Jensen and Cole’s work that studies should consider researching the qualitative results of school-community partnerships, focusing on how to provide an enrichment response, which tells teachers, administrators, and parents what their kids are actually getting out of the partnership, rather than data like attendance rates and high stakes test scores, which are highly impersonal and, from what studies have shown, only slightly affected by school-community partnerships. Sheldon promotes that, “These principals should help researchers frame better questions and apply more rigorous methods to study partnerships, and help educators, parents, an community partners to work better together to support student success” (2007, para.4). Studies have shown that parents and community members are interested in finding way to enrich their children’s learning experience, but they need “good, clear information from educators in order to remain involved in their children’s education from preschool through high school” (Epstein and Sheldon, 2006, para. 5).

Bad Boy, Bad Girl

Tim is a six-year-old boy who has been brought to a family medicine clinic for an initial visit. On entering the examination room, the physician observed Tim spinning in circles on the stool while his mother pled, “If I have to tell you one more time to sit down…” Tim was not permitted to begin first grade until his immunizations were updated. His mother explained that Tim had visited several physicians for immunization but was so disruptive that the physicians and nurses always gave up. She hoped that with a new physician, Tim might comply. The mother described a several-year history of aggressive and destructive behavior, as well as four school suspensions during kindergarten. He often becomes “uncontrollable” at home and has broken dishes and furniture. Last year, Tim was playing with the gas stove and started a small fire. Tim frequently pulls the family dog around by its tail. Tim's older sisters watched him in the past but have refused to do so since he threw a can of soup at one of them. Tim's father is a long-haul truck driver who sees Tim every three to four weeks.

Sharon, a 15-year-old girl, was brought to the doctor's office by her mother. Her mother explained that Sharon was suspended from school for assaulting a teacher and needed a “doctor's evaluation” before she could return to class. The history reveals that this is Sharon's 10th school suspension during the past three years. She has previously been suspended for fighting, carrying a knife to school, smoking marijuana and stealing money from other students' lockers. When asked about her behavior at home, Sharon reports that her mother frequently “gets on my nerves” and, at those times, Sharon leaves the house for several days. The family history indicates that Sharon's father was incarcerated for auto theft and assault. Sharon's mother frequently leaves Sharon and her eight-year-old brother unsupervised overnight.

(both stories were used as illustrative cases on the Searight, H. Russell, Rottnek, Fred, and Abby, Stacey L. (2001) article on conduct disorders)

Despite their age differences, Tim and Sharon have a lot in common: they both have conduct disorders. They exhibit challenges related to self-control, anger, and impulsivity, little on-task behavior, reduced frustration tolerance, and poor self-concept and social skills (Salend, 2011, pg. 66). In the classroom these characteristics would display themselves in the following ways:

Inability to build or maintain good relationships with peers and teachers

inappropriate behaviors or feelings under normal circumstances

A general, pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression

A tendency to develop physical symptoms of fears associated with personal or school problems

And most important for educators to note, an inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors

(Salend, 2011, pg. 66)

This blog endeavors to show that people like Tim and Sharon are not simply bad boys and bad girls. It provides information on what a conduct disorder is, how it affects students in the classroom, and what kind of strategies teachers can use to help students with conduct disorders succeed at their full behavioral and intellectual potential.

#conduct disorders #emotional disturbanc #behavioral disorders #exceptional learners

What is a conduct specific behavior disorder?

Individuals who have emotional and behavioral disturbances exhibit significant behavioral excesses or deficits. Because of this, they will exhibit patterns of behavior that depart significantly from the expectations of others or societal norms. In recent years, "behavioral disorders" has gained favor over "emotional disturbance" as a more accurate label leading to more objective decision-making and fewer negative connotations.

IDEA defines serious emotional disturbance (SED) as "a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree, which adversely affects educational performance: An inability to learn which 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." (CEC, 2011). The federal definition includes children who are diagnosed as schizophrenic, but excludes socially maladjusted children "unless it is determined that they are seriously emotionally disturbed" (CEC, 2011).

Conduct disorders are more specifically defined as "a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others or major age-appropriate societal rules or norms are violated" (American Psychiatric Association, quoted in Salend, 2011, pg. 67).This includes those with oppositional and defiant behaviors as well as those with antisocial tendencies. For more information on what conduct disorders look like see the "characteristics" post below.

#conduct disorders #behavior disorder #exceptional learners

Causes of conduct specific behavior disorders:

Like most behavior disorders, it is believed that the cause of conduct disorders involves an interaction of genetic/constitutional and familial/social factors. According to Searight, Rottnek, and Abby (2001), "children who have a conduct disorder may inherit decreased baseline autonomic nervous system activity, requiring greater stimulation to achieve optimal arousal. This hereditary factor may account for the high level of sensation-seeking activity associated with conduct disorder" (2001). Recent research has also been trying to delineate the neurotransmitters that influence aggression, with imbalances in serotonin most strongly associated so far (Searight, Rottnek, and Abby, 2001).

But, as earlier stated, hereditary factors are not the only influence contributing to conduct disorders. Searight, Rottnek, and Abby (2001) also outlines parental substance abuse, psychiatric illness, marital conflict, and child abuse and neglect as increasing the risk of conduct disorder. Exposure to the antisocial behavior of a caregiver is a particularly important risk factor. Children with conduct disorder, while present in all economic levels, also appear to be overrepresented in lower socioeconomic groups. Another common feature appears to be inconsistent parental availability and discipline. As a result, children with conduct disorder do not experience a consistent ties between their behavior and its consequences (Searight, Rottnek, and Abby, 2001).

The early childhood pattern for conduct disorders is similar to that of other behavior disorder patterns and includes "irritability, inconsolability and impaired social responsiveness" (Searight, Rottnek, and Abby, 2001). The response of caregivers to these behaviors, particularly caregivers who have their own psychiatric conditions and substance abuse problems, may respond with strategies that only exacerbate the problem such as coercion or inconsistent corrective behaviors or punishments. Financial stress is another common factor among families of children with conduct disorders and can cause further stress a child predisposed to have disordered behaviors. These children are also more susceptible to the rise in peer group influence that typically occurs in later elementary school and into middle and high school (Searight, Rottnek, and Abby, 2001).

#conduct disorder #behavior disorder #exceptional learners

Characteristics of students with conduct specific behavior disorders:

According to the Searight, Rottnek, and Abby (2001), the clinical features of a conduct disorder include four types of recognized symptoms:

1. Aggression or serious threats of harm to people or animals

2. Deliberate property damage or destruction (e.g., fire setting, vandalism)

3. Repeated violation of household or school rules, laws, or both

4. Persistent lying to avoid consequences or to obtain tangible goods or privileges.

There should be at least three specific behaviors present for at least six months for a conduct disorder to be present. Isolated behaviors, which are common in about 80 % of youth in the United States (e.g., shoplifting, experimentation with marijuana or alcohol), do not qualify a person to have a conduct disorder. A diagnosis of conduct disorder requires a persistent history of multiple problem behaviors.

Other features of conduct disorders may include an inability to appreciate the importance of others' welfare and little guilt or remorse about harming others. Adolescents with conduct disorders often develop skills in outwardly verbalizing remorse to obtain favor or avoid punishment, but do not experience any apparent guilt. Individuals with conduct disorder often view others as threatening or malicious without having a substantial reason for doing so. As a result, these children and adolescents may lash out preemptively, and aggression may appear unprovoked.

Several common childhood psychiatric conditions have features similar to those of conduct disorder, and overlap is also common. The major categories include attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder, mood disorder (major depression, dysthymia, bipolar disorder), substance abuse and intermittent explosive disorder (Searight, Rottnek, and Abby, 2001).

#conduct disorder #behavior disorder #exceptional learners

School impact:

(Click on the picture above to watch a short video on the school impact of conduct disorders)

As Peter Wong stated in the video, the school impact of a student having a conduct disorder is both academic and social (2011). Students that choose to be defiant, that choose to get into fights, that choose to take drugs, will get themselves in trouble at school and get themselves in trouble with the law.They will also often miss out on class time, spend class their time in class trying to avoid doing assignments, or spend their time in school in a resource room trying to remediate their behaviors. Time spent out of class puts the student behind the rest of the class. Another concern for classrooms with a students with conduct disorders are the distraction that they cause the rest of the class.

As the Council for Exceptional Children (2011) points out, multidisciplinary educational teams, including parents, must design programs to meet the individual behavioral and academic needs of identified with conduct disorders. Most students can benefit from supportive treatments provided in regular programs. For others, at least temporary placements in special classrooms, schools, or institutional programs may be appropriate.

Special programs usually attempt to provide a structured environment where students experience a high degree of success; rules and routines are predictable; and students are consistently rewarded for appropriate behavior. Behavior management techniques, such as positive reinforcement, token economies, contracting, and time-out, which rely on direct measurement and monitoring of behavioral change, are commonly used in SED programs. The assessment and systematic teaching of social skills through modeling, discussion, and rehearsal are frequently used to help students increase control over their behavior and improve their relations with others. In addition, supportive therapies involving music, art, exercise, and relaxation techniques, as well as affective education, individual, and group counseling are sometimes employed to improve self-understanding, self-esteem, and self-control (CEC, 2011).

#conduct disorder #behavior disorder #inclusive classrooms #exceptional learners

Prevalence:

I like the above picture because it illustrates the difficulty of pinning down exact number on statistics that measure behaviors. According to DO Bettina E Bernstein's article on conduct disorders in Medscape Refernce, "in the United States prevalence rates for conduct disorder (CD) are estimated at 2-9%, 5 out of every 100 teenagers," and "are complicated by relatively high rates of co-occurrence or comorbidity with other disorders" (conduct disorder). Salden's calculated percentage is a bit more conservative, estimating 3-5% with actual identification at 1% of students (2011, pg. 66). So the exact percentage on conduct disorders, at this point at least, is unsure. We do know that boys far outnumber girls in identified cases of conduct disorders and that there is a large percentage of overlap between conduct disorders and other behavior disorders. Conduct disorders are qualitatively different from these other disorders, however, because they "clearly involves aggression or other behaviors in which the basic rights of others or common social norms are violated repeatedly" (Bernstein, 2011).

Although the percentages presented pertain to students, conduct disorders have no lower age limit. In children under 10 years, Bernstein (2011) points out, the repetitive presence of only 1 of the 15 behaviors in the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Diseases is sufficient for the diagnosis. With this fact in mind, it is important for both health professional and educators to use caution with this label, as its overuse could possibly deter progress or even encourage misdiagnosis of the disorder. The Response to Intervention model outlined in the educational strategies section of this blog give more information on supporting student success without have to view them through a label.

Educational Strategies:

While we all know of students who actually do bang their heads to relieve stress, it should be our goal as educators to find more safe and suitable solutions to relieving the stress and academic strain that our students with conduct disorders often feel. Response to intervention (RTI) strategies are tools for supporting learning difficulties that enable educators to target instructional interventions to children’s areas of specific need as soon as those needs become apparent (IDEA, 2007). This model is currently being extended to our work with students with emotional, behavior, and conduct disorders. As with RTI for academics, “struggling students receive support as soon as possible; multiple tiers of progressively intensive support are provided to students based on need; a problem-solving, data-driven process is used to determine interventions; interventions are research-based; and students are monitored to determine progress” (CEC, 2011).

RTI for emotional and behavioral disorders contains the same basic elements as RTI for academics. Both involve a multi-tiered pyramid plan of more interventions that become more intense as needed. The most popular system of RTI involves three tiers. Observation of student performance is used to inform a problem-solving approach which is used to determine appropriate interventions and accommodations for students. A teams of teachers and professionals is often used for analysis of student progress and problem solving. Following is additional information on these components.

Tier Services in RTI for E/BD In Tier 1, all students receive explicit instruction in behavioral expectations and a system is implemented to encourage, reinforce, and acknowledge appropriate behavior. Also, all teachers implement effective, research-based classroom management practices. Additionally, in Tier 1 all students are screened to identify those who need Tier 2 support.

For Tier 2 services, schools provide targeted interventions to students who did not respond to Tier 1 interventions or were identified through screening as needing additional support. These research-based interventions are often geared to small groups and can be easily implemented.

For Tier 3 services, schools provide intensive supports to students with the most significant behavioral needs. These supports are individualized based on the student’s specific needs. Some students may require wrap-around services, which include community services.

(from CEC, 2011)

West Virginia University (2007) offers a host of strategies for helping students with conduct disorders. Preventative measure which teachers can take to create an environment that encourages appropriate behavior such as grouping students with conduct disorders with students who display proper behaviors, having preestablished consequences for misbehavior, determining whether medication is being taken and whether the timing of the medication is affecting student performance, acknowledging the contributions of the student to the class, developing a contingency plan with the student that outlines what kind of good behaviors are supposed to replace bad ones, praising good behavior and performance often, finding out what kind of reinforcement works for the individual, and treating the student as worthy of respect and consideration.

Specific reactionary strategies include making sure punishments fits the level of misbehavior and is never harsh, giving the student time and a place to cool off after an emotional reaction or episode, enforcing classroom rules consistently, and reacting immediately to the misbehavior so that the student sees that the modification or discipline is tied directly to the unwanted action.

We also know that student with conduct disorders often struggle academically as well. Teaching skills such as self-control, self-reinforcement, self-monitoring, self-management, problem solving, cognitive behavior modification, and metacognitive strategies are as important to the academic achievement of these students as are teaching specific reading, math, science, or social studies strategies. Closely reviewing steps for individual assignments or writing the steps down helps students avoid the stress of miscommunication. Giving options for showing competency and allowing students with conduct disorders the ability to have any needed testing accommodations can also reduce anxiety and obstinacy toward completing assignments and showing competency (West Virginia University, 2007).

#RTI #Emotional disturbance #behavior disorder #conduct disorder #educational strategies

For more information see the following resources:

1. The Council for Exceptional Children is a great resource for more information on the ins and outs of behavior disorders and how they effect students in the classroom. The council’s website also offers information on legal policies and advocacy for exceptional children as well as professional development resources for educators.

2. The National Library of Medicine also offers some very accessible medical information on behavior and conduct disorders through a service of their organization, the National Institutes of Health. This site has reputable articles from organizations such as the American Academy of Family Physicians and offers many of its materials in Spanish.

3. The National Institute of Mental Health, which provides much of the research used for information at the National Library of Medicine’s website, is one of the primary sources for in-depth research on child behavior disorders. This site also has information on public outreach, funding, clinical trials, and current news concerning mental health. The search mechanism on this site also makes it incredibly easy to look at articles and research on a variety of mental health topics.

4. The U.S. Department of Education offers information for educators, parents, and students on legislation, regulations, and policies concerning exceptional learners and their rights to equitable education. This following link leads to specific legislation information for students with behavior disorders: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/index.shtml.

5. IDEA.gov is another great site for general information on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the protection exceptional students receive under the act. This site also gives information on individualized education programs (IEPs), alignment of IDEA with No Child Left Behind, and many other resources and information for safeguarding exceptional students, including those with behavior and conduct disorders.

References

American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry (2010). Your Child--Conduct Disorders. Retrieved from http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/publication_store/your_child_conduct_disorders

Bernstein, Bettina E. (2011). Conduct Disorders. Medscape Reference. Retrieved from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/918213-overview#a1

Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) (2011). Behavior Disorders/Emotional Disturbances. Retrieved from http://www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Behavior_Disorders_Emotional_Disturbance.

IDEA (2007). Q and A: Questions and Answers On Response to Intervention (RTI) and Early Intervening Services (EIS). Retrieved from http://idea.ed.gov/explore/home

Salend, Spencer J (2011). Understanding the Diverse Educational Strengths and Challenges: Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. Creating Inclusive Classrooms (pg. 66-67). Boston: Pearson.

Searight, H. Russell, Rottnek, Fred, and Abby, Stacey L. (2001). Conduct Disorder: Diagnosis and Treatment in Primary Care. Am Fam Physician 63(8). Retrieved from http://www.aafp.org/afp/2001/0415/p1579.html.

Vorvick, Linda J., and Merrill, David B. (2011). Conduct Disorders. In MedlinePlus Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000919.htm.

West Virginia University (2007). Strategies for teaching students with behavior disorders. Retrieved from http://www.as.wvu.edu/~scidis/behavior.html.

Wong, Peter (2011). Conduct Disorders and Education (video clip). Retrieved from http://www.videojug.com/interview/conduct-disorders-and-education.

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