A model for school psychology practice: addressing the needs of students with emotional and behavioral challenges through the use of an in-school support room and reality therapy

Adolescence, Fall, 2004 by Perry D. Passaro, Michael Moon, Dudley J. Wiest, Eugene H. Wong

Student 5 began the program with significant academic, intellectual, and behavioral challenges. He was the most physically aggressive of the students. In spite of these limitations he made rapid progress when placed in the program. However, his overall improvement was limited. His placement into general education classes was restricted to certain elective courses and physical education, due to academic and ability deficits. He therefore continued to spend the majority of his instructional day in an ED/SDC setting.

Student 6 was one of the most successful in the program. After six years in an ED/SDC program, this student was able to transition to a maximum RSP and then to only a single period of RSP before his promotion and transfer to high school. His successes were significantly related to medication changes made throughout the year. School staff worked collaboratively with the student's family and psychiatrist to provide feedback regarding his behavior.

Student 7 was without question the most disturbed and disturbing student in the program. His case was also the most complex. He was the most intellectually and academically gifted of the ten students in the study. As the data in Figure i indicate, this student made limited behavioral progress, but could easily succeed in general education classes from an academic standpoint. His behavior, however, negatively impacted his success in general education. In spite of his limited behavioral progress, he continued to participate in, and even increased his general education participation. This contradiction was due to the fact that decisions regarding the student were made during a series of legal proceedings. This continued until he was transferred to an NPS.

Students 8 and 9 made strong behavioral improvement, but each had very limited motivation to participate in general education. Therefore, in spite of numerous efforts to encourage and support their increased participation in general education, they continued to spend the majority of their instructional time in the ED/SDC.

Student 10 was placed into the program late in the school year after multiple interventions in and out of school. However, once he was ineligible to transition to further general education during the study, but as a footnote, he did transition to a full-time general education program in the next two semesters.

DISCUSSION

The results of this study provide positive indicators for the use of RT and an ISSR for middle school students with emotional disturbances. However, there are three significant limitations which should be carefully considered. These include the subjective nature of behavioral measures, student mortality within the study, and the unfortunate fact that if what a student wants is get out of school, he can easily achieve that result. Each of these limitations is discussed below.

Given the subjective nature of the daily student behavioral ratings, there can certainly be a large standard error within the measurement system employed. The positive results could be influenced by decreased sensitivity of the staff to disturbing behaviors and other factors related to increased tolerance. Furthermore, the results can be related to subject mortality and a change in the student population.