Emotional and behavioral disorders: characteristics and management

Systematic Screenings for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

What exactly does the school system owe its children? That is the question being inferred within the debate regarding the use of systematic screening and identification methods for suspected emotional and behavioral disorders within the context of modern school systems. Many opponents of such practices would say that doing so creates an unrealistic financial burden on the school itself. However, this claim is ridiculous. It is clear that schools have an obligation to provide the best environment for education for all of its students, and so must identify potential risk factors that might take away from each child's individual education.

Despite the belief that such systematic screenings for emotional and behavioral disorders costs the school more than it benefits the students, it is clear that such practices are an absolutely necessity in order to best provide for the student body. Students who have emotional or behavioral disorders that go undiagnosed can have negative academic experiences while in school. Without the special attention they need and deserve, these students' grades can suffer along with having poor behavioral records in school. Left unchecked, this can have serious negative consequences later in life in terms of applying for college or professional statuses. Systematic screening "is particularly useful for proactive identification of students with internalizing problems because these students often go unnoticed and un-referred by teachers," (Rutherford et al. 2004:268). Therefore, these measures are necessary in providing the best environment for the education of all students. Once students have been assessed as having an emotional or behavioral disorder, measures and proper steps can be taken to help improve their in-school experience with counseling and additional resources. Thus, claiming that such practices are not practical based on the financial status of the school is then denying students their right to a fair and open learning environment.