Students with emotional disturbances participating in recess.

Lucas, Matthew D.

Introduction

The participation of a student with an emotional disturbance in recess can often be both challenging and rewarding for the student and teacher. This paper will address common characteristics of students with emotional disturbances and present basic solutions to improve the experience of these students in the recess setting. Initially the definition and prevalence of emotional disturbance will be presented. This will be followed by a discussion of the benefits of the recess setting for the student. Next, as a lead-up to the specific topic of recess for students with emotional disturbances, a discussion of possible modifications and teaching strategies for working with children with emotional disturbances in the classroom will be noted. The article will then address the possible challenges and subsequent modifications and teaching strategies for working with children with emotional disturbances in recess. Lastly, specific methods of proactively including a student with an emotional disturbance in a basketball-related recess activity will be discussed.

Definition and Prevalence of Emotional Disturbance

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) states children who are determined to have emotional disturbances receive special education services if the disorder affects the educational performance of the child. An emotional disturbance is defined by IDEA as follows:

"(i) The term 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) The term includes schizophrenia. The term does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance" (CFR [section]300.7 (a) 9) (IDEA, 2004).

According to the United States Department of Education (USDOE) approximately 2% of school-age children in the United States have been determined to have some form of an emotional disturbance. In addition to this percentage of prevalence it is important to note the following:

* The actual number of students ages 6-21 being identified and served under the IDEA category of emotional disturbance is less than half the USDOE estimate.

* 8% of students with disabilities fall under the emotional disturbance label, the fourth largest IDEA disability category (Taylor, Smiley, Richards, 2009).

Benefits of the Recess Setting for Children

Simply stated, the benefits of the recess setting for children are high. Included in these benefits are both physical and social benefits. In terms of physical benefits, recess has been shown to lead to:

* Improvement of out-of-school activity levels--children usually are involved in physical activities on days in which they participate in in-school physical activities (Dale, Corbin, & Dale, 2000).

* Improvement of general fitness and endurance levels for children (Kids Exercise, 2009).

Recess, as noted previously also leads to a variety of social benefits. Such benefits include improvements in the following social skills:

* Attentiveness (Pellegrini, Huberty, & Jones, (1995)

* Conflict resolution

* Cooperation

* Respect for rules

* Taking turns

* Sharing

* Using language to communicate

* Problem solving in situations that are real (Council on Physical Education for Children, 2001)

One should note that these social skills are of particular importance to an individual with an emotional disturbance.

Possible Modifications/Teaching Strategies For Working with an Individual with an Emotional Disturbance In the Classroom

Because of the common characteristics noted previously in the definition of emotional disturbance, the education of a child with the disorder can often be challenging in the classroom. It is important to note these classroom challenges as they will help form a better understanding of those challenges faced in the specific setting of recess. Common instructional modifications/teaching strategies utilized for children with emotional disturbances in the classroom include the following:

* having a small class size

* exposing students with behavioral disorders to other students who demonstrate appropriate behaviors

* having pre-established consequences for misbehavior, administering consequences immediately, then monitoring proper behavior frequently

* determining whether the student is on medication, what the schedule is, and what the medication effects may be on his or her class demeanor with and without medication--then adjusting teaching strategies accordingly

* using time-out sessions to cool off disruptive behavior and as a break if the student needs one for a disability-related reason

* in group activities, acknowledging the contributions of the student with a behavioral disorder

* enforcing classroom rules consistently

* providing encouragement

* in order to build self-esteem, rewarding more than you punish

* praising immediately at all good behavior and performance

* changing rewards if they are not effective for motivating behavioral change

* being patient, sensitive, a good listener, fair and consistent in the treatment of students with behavioral disorders (General Strategies, 2007).

Possible Challenges & Modifications for Children With Emotional Disturbances In the Recess Setting

As a result of many characteristics associated with the emotional disturbance category, and with an understanding of the challenges faced by these students in the classroom, one should be able to better understand the special challenges faced by a student with an emotional disturbance in the recess setting. An understanding of these factors is especially important in this environment because of the safety concerns that are unique to the recess setting. Failure to address many of the characteristics of a student with an emotional disturbance such as inappropriate types of behavior and a tendency to develop fears could result in injury to the student or peers. Another reason why special consideration should be made to the recess is because this setting provides a unique opportunity for children to practice the social skills necessary to build and maintain relationships, often a problem for children with emotional disturbances (Emotional Disturbance, 2010).

The following chart notes possible challenges associated with children with emotional disturbances and possible modifications to these challenges in recess. It is important to note these modifications are simply the "classroom" modifications slightly altered to the recess setting. It is also important to remember not all of these characteristics are prevalent in all individuals with emotional disturbances and not all of these solutions will be successful when working with all children with emotional disturbances. They do, however, represent a solid foundation. It should also be noted these modifications attempt to develop an environment that is cooperative. Such a cooperative environment would seem to lead to a high comfort level which would in turn seem to be beneficial to many children with emotional disturbances. This is the case as an uncomfortable environment is often characterized by negative psychological and social feelings which can often lead to feelings of a poor self-concept, depression and isolation, withdrawal and paranoia (Emotional Disturbance, 2010). The following chart notes modifications stated in Strategies for Teaching Students with Behavioral Disorders (2007). For the purpose of this article, the authors have aligned each of these modifications with the characteristics of emotional disturbance noted in previously in the IDEA definition of the disability category.

Methods of Including a Student with an Emotional Disturbance in a Basketball-Related Recess Activity

For the purpose of discussion of including a student with an emotional disturbance in recess, the class would be participating in a simple activity in which students are divided into groups of approximately five, each group at its own basket. The groups will be shooting, one student at a time, from marked spots on the floor. The other four group members obtain the rebound, pass to each other, and back to the shooter. Each shooter will shoot for one minute before rotating to another shooter. The skills that will be practiced are shooting, rebounding, passing and cooperation. To appropriately include an individual with an emotional disturbance the following modifications should be made. Before beginning the activity, the teacher should choose the groups so as no one is "left-out" or "picked last". The groups should be evenly divided in terms of skill so as not to have one group feel discouraged for poor performance. It is to be remembered this will allow students with behavioral disorders to be exposed to other students who demonstrate appropriate behaviors. The teacher should model the correct procedure, including behavior, during a demonstration of the class activity. The teacher should also make it a point to provide constant encouragement to all students and praise effort, not simply success. It is also important to note that score is not to be kept as non-competitive activities are less likely to lead to unhappiness or depression.

Conclusion

The participation of a student with an emotional disturbance in recess can often be both challenging and rewarding for both the student and teacher. The rewards can manifest themselves in the ability of the teacher to guarantee the safety of all students in an instructionally sound environment. This article has hopefully addressed some basic concerns and solutions to improve the recess setting of students with emotional disturbances.

REFERENCES

Council on Physical Education for Children. "Recess in elementary schools: A position paper from the National Association for Sport and Physical Education. 2001

Dale, D., Corbin, C. B., & Dale, K. S. (2000). Restricting opportunities to be active during school time: Do children compensate by increasing physical activity levels after school? Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 71(3), 240-248.

Emotional Disturbance. (2010). Education.com. Retrieved August 16 from http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Emotional/Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Pub. L. No. 108-466. (2004).

Kids and Exercise: The many benefits of exercise. (2009). Retrieved May 5, 2010 from http://kidshealth.org/parent/fitness/ general/exercise.html

Pellegrini, A. D., Huberty, P. D., & Jones, I. (1995). The effects of recess timing on children's playground and classroom behaviors. American Educational Research Journal, 32(4), 845- 864.

Strategies for Teaching Students with Behavioral Disorders. (2007). General Strategies. Retrieved May 5, 2010 from http:// www.as.wvu.edu/~scidis/behavior.html#sect1

Taylor R., Smiley, L., & Richards, S. (2009). Exceptional Students. Columbus, OH: The McGraw Hills Company.

Matthew D. Lucas, Ed.D., C.A.P.E., Assistant Professor & Brittany Long, Longwood University

Table 1: Possible Modifications/Teaching Strategies for Children with an
Emotional Disturbance in Recess

Emotional Disturbance         Possible Modifications in the Recess
Characteristics (as noted     Setting
in the IDEA definition)

An inability to build or      * organize all games that require
maintain satisfactory         teams--do not allow students to "pick"
interpersonal relationships   teams
with peers and teachers.
                              * in group activities, acknowledge the
                              contributions of all students, including
                              the student with a behavioral disorder

                              * provide encouragement to all students

Inappropriate types of        * expose students with behavioral
behavior or feelings under    disorders to other students who
normal circumstances.         demonstrate the appropriate behaviors

                              * use time-out sessions to cool off
                              disruptive behavior and as a break if
                              the student needs one for a disability-
                              related reason

                              * have pre-established consequences for
                              misbehavior, administer consequences
                              immediately, and then monitor proper
                              behavior frequently

A general pervasive mood of   * encourage non-competitive activities
unhappiness or depression.    as they are less likely to lead to
                              feelings of unhappiness or depression

                              * praise everyone for effort, not simply
                              for success

                              * determine whether the student is on
                              medication, what the schedule is, and
                              what the medication effects may be on
                              class demeanor with and without
                              medication--then adjusting teaching
                              strategies accordingly

                              * in order to build self-esteem, reward
                              more than you punish

                              * change rewards if they are not
                              effective for motivating behavioral
                              change

A tendency to develop         * provide encouragement
physical symptoms or fears
associated with personal or   * be patient, sensitive, a good
school problems.              listener, fair and consistent in your
                              treatment of students with behavioral
                              disorders