SPED Fact Sheet- Emily Rippetoe (Emotional Impairment)

Emily Rippetoe

Special need	Special Need: Emotional Impairment
Characteristics	What characteristics are common and which are less common? Are some characteristics more prevalent at different ages? A full discussion of the characteristics should be included. For a student to be considered E.I., the student needs to exhibit some of the following characteristics to a degree that the symptoms impair the student’s educational experience:  an inability to form interpersonal relationships  inappropriate types of behavior or feelings during normal situations  they are generally unhappy or depressed and/or they develop physical symptoms associated with an aversion to a person or situation at school. Although some of these symptoms are not across-the-board considered standard, the majority of the individuals I spoke to and websites I researched list these symptoms. I have also found this data supported by experiences I have had with students in school. For example, Student A is an 8 year old boy who I believe might be emotionally impaired because there have been dozens of situations where this student has reacted overly emotional (either extreme anger and/or becomes hysterical) at even the slightest provocation. Of these symptoms, the more common ones are an inability to form interpersonal relationships and inappropriate types of behavior or feelings during normal situations. These are also some of the more easy to identify symptoms because they tend to manifest in a way that is perceptible, especially if you are looking for them. One of the less common symptoms is the physical symptoms associated with feelings of aversion. Even when it occurs, these physical symptoms are often mistaken for illness or general unrest. Across the grade levels, the symptom of inability to develop interpersonal relationships is more easily identified in older students because the relationships between the students are more solidly developed by the time the students are in the upper elementary school grades and are therefore more easily noticeable. Issues in this area are also more likely to manifest in the classroom and are therefore seen more often.
Misconceptions	What are misconceptions about this special need that need to be addressed? How do these misconceptions affect the teaching and learning of students?  Many people believe that being emotionally impaired means that you have no control over your emotions and therefore are truly dangerous to others. Students with E.I. struggle with controlling certain aspects (depending on the individual) of their emotions but do not have a complete lack of control of them. This misconception makes teaching difficult because many students and parents feel threatened by this impairment and therefore wish to be separated from that student. This is a problem because one of the most beneficial treatments for E.I. is that the student is allowed normal interactions with other students while being provided with a proper outlet or means to help them control their emotions. This helps them to adapt to real life situations rather than just hiding them from the world.
Resources	What can someone read to find out more about the disability/exceptionality? Is there a national organization that provides useful information? What articles, books, or links can people use to access information? Several states in the country (including Michigan, Massachusetts, and Kentucky) have information about this disability on their state government sites (ex. mighigan.gov). It was on these sites where I found the bulk of my information. In addition, another great resource for finding out about Emotional Impairment is your local school psychologist, social worker, and special education teachers. Emotional Impairment is a condition that expands beyond the classroom in terms of the areas of life that it affects. This means that human resources like those listed above are more likely to be informed about this condition because it is so commonly an issue in many parts of our life. A good portion of the information I gained about curricular modifications came from a local psychologist who often works with children with these conditions.
Curricular Modification(s)	What are ways you or your cooperating teacher have modified or could modify the curriculum to assist a student with this disability or exceptionality? (If it turns out there are no students in your classroom with the disability or exceptionality you select, write a hypothetical example of curricular modification) Students with E.I. should be made aware of their condition with the emphasis on the fact that they just need a little help controlling their emotions.  By making the students aware of their condition, it helps to avoid any confusion or guilt that the student might feel about their behavior. It also helps the students to understand what causes their impairment and therefore helps them to fight against them. They also need to be given effective forms of outlets that are strategic in the sense that they allow the students opportunities to succeed.  For example, if you have a boy who is E.I. and you tell him to write in his journal when he feels frustrated or angry, make sure that he is good at or at least enjoys writing. Giving him emotional management strategies that do not line up with his successful academic qualities only sets them up for failure because they are likely to get even more frustrated because of the academic stress rather than giving them a proper opportunity to express themselves appropriately.  Giving students with E.I. plenty of opportunities to interact with other students with the use of an emotional manager (such as the counting to ten method)  This is also a great way to assist those students in learning to deal with situations that will be inevitable in an academic climate.