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Ed. 225 Exceptional Child

Collection of Experiences: Emotional Impairments
Maia Johnson

This past summer, I worked as a counselor at Camp Ojibway, a ministry of

my church at home in Minnesota. For me, the most rewarding part of the job was
forming personal connections with campers, and meeting them where they were
at in their lives and in their faith so that I could best support and encourage them
during their week at camp. Not only was I there to help them have fun, but to be
a role model and resource for thema relationship that would hopefully continue
even after they had returned home. Many of my campers have kept in touch over
some form of social media, just checking in or sending me an occasional
message. However, I have remained close to one of my campers this summer.
Anna1 was in my cabin during my last week as a counselor, and over the course
of the week I grew to learn many things about her and struggles she faces on a
daily basis. Anna has severe anxiety and possible depression. She has a list of
things that frighten hernot just things that she is afraid ofbut seemingly
irrational fears that are debilitating and detrimentally affect her schoolwork and
social life.
After making such an incredible connection with Anna, I was very curious
to learn about emotional impairments in class. Before then, I had no idea that
anxiety and behavioral problems fit under a category of disabilities, but it was
amazing to me how much I had learned from working with Anna that suddenly
clicked when we discussed emotional impairments. After learning what defines
1

Name has been changed

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an emotional impairment and taking a field trip to a school for students with this
disability, we discussed ways that the experience could be an insightful
perspective on how best to aid students with emotional impairments in a
classroom setting.
According to the Michigan Administrative Rules for Special Education
(2012), an emotional impairment can be defined as:
(1) Emotional impairment shall be determined through manifestation of
behavioral problems primarily in the affective domain, over an extended
period of time, which adversely affect the students education to the
extent that the student cannot profit from learning experiences without
special education support. The problems result in behaviors manifested
by 1 or more of the following characteristics:
(a) Inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal
relationships within the school environment.
(b) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal
circumstances.
(c) General pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
(d) Tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with
personal or school problems.
(2) Emotional impairment also includes students who, in addition to the
characteristics specified above, exhibit maladaptive behaviors related to
schizophrenia or similar disorders. The term emotional impairment

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does not include persons who are socially maladjusted, unless it is
determined that the persons have an emotional impairment.
I really enjoyed our field trip to Sheldon Pines, a level 5 school for
students with emotional impairment and
behavioral disorders. All 38 students who
attend follow a school-wide plan, have an
individual IEP, and each use behavior
intervention plans (BIPS). The students
range from kindergarten through high school

Figure 1: The entrance to Sheldon Pines

and are split by age and placed in one of 5

classrooms along with teachers and teaching assistants. We learned about the
disciplinary procedures used: warnings, reminders, in-house, and a form of
confinement. I did wonder how students were taught a specific curriculum if they
were divided by age groups.
I thought it was interesting that although Sheldon Pines is a level 5 school
(the most restrictive), yet it remains an
LRE for the students (least restrictive
environment). I enjoyed getting the
Figure 2: The distribution of age groups of
the students currently at Sheldon Pines.
There is such a wide variety, so I am curious
to know how a curriculum is created.

opportunity to hear from a current

student. She explained how she
thinks that the disciplinary system is

efficient, and that she used to have more behavioral problems, but hasnt had as
many issues recently. It seemed to me that this student was very self-aware,

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when she explained that often she just removes herself from a situation that
could potentially set her off and go to in-house before a problem is created.
Self-awareness was something that Anna was working on this summer as
well. I could tell that she didnt want to behave differently, but the anxiety and
depression affected her
interactions with other campers
and her overall camp experience.
She spent much of the time on her
own, although when I was one-onone with her, I could hardly get a
word in. She had no control over
th

th

Figure 3: A group picture of my 7 and 8 grade

cabin. The girls were all extremely outgoing and
social, and became fast friends. Anna can be seen
crying on the right.

her emotions and would break

down at unexpected times for no

explainable reason. At night, her fears got worse and she would sob for hours at
a time, as her fears seemed so real to her. Something that I noticed was that she
relied heavily on specific instructions. For example, she would not eat at meals
unless she was sitting next to me. At first she would tell me that she wasnt
hungry, but she had no problem eating when I told her that she had to at least
have her fruit, or a sandwich. It was as if she would revert to childish behavior,
and it was hard to remember that she was almost 15 because she didnt act like
typical kids her age. This made me wonder, do most students with emotional
impairments act younger than their age? Could this be a ploy for attention, or
would it simply be that they havent fully matured?

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Although working with Anna was hands-down the most difficult challenge I
faced at camp this summer, it was also very rewarding. I got to know her very
well and she still texts me on a regular basis checking in on me, or expressing a
prayer request for a school project, or test, or anything else she is nervous about.
I now know just how much patience it takes to work with students with emotional
impairments, but I also know that when you can break through and get to know
the child separately from their disability, there is a person who just wants to be
deeply understood.
Although I am not planning on teaching in a classroom setting, I know that
I will continue to work at camp and with youth in other settings. I think that the
biggest thing that I learned through my experience with Anna is the ability to be
flexible and patient. The only way that we found to help Anna cope with her
outbursts was to take her on a short walksomething that she and her dad refer
to as a hot lapuntil she could stop crying and take a deep breath. In the initial
email I received from Annas parents with suggestions and hints to dealing with
an outburst, there was no reference to taking a walk, and it took us a few days to
figure this strategy out. As an educator, not all students with emotional
impairments will have the same coping mechanisms. It will take time to try out
many different things to determine what is best for a particular student.
Students with emotional impairments generally need cues and reminders
about appropriate behaviors. One way you can accommodate this in a classroom
is by having a system to catch kids being good, which promotes the display of
appropriate behaviors by rewarding productive behavior. For some, giving verbal

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praise in front of others for doing
something constructive can feel
belittling. For these students, forms
of non-verbal praise can be used,
such as giving a thumbs up,
smiling, or mouthing the word
good!
Assist with transitions to
and from school, in between classes, and in between activities. Dont respond to
behavioral problems clouded by your own emotions, respond based on a
consistent set of standards that dont vary from student to student. Help the
student to make objectives for each class and set goals to strive for.
Although a seemingly simple technology, one method that seems to
work at Sheldon Pines is using a daily evaluation chart. This chart is signed off
by teachers in each class and gives the student feedback on their behavior. A
more fun version of this feedback is through a sticker chart. A large chart with
any number of boxes, some of which contain compliments like "super job" and
"nice work", and some of which contain a small reward. Cover all of the boxes
with removable stickers, and when a student has shown great effort, or good
behavior for a set span of time, allow them to choose a sticker to remove from
their chart (Catching Kids Being Good).
To learn appropriate behaviors in any given situations, another assistive
technology could be the Social Stories program. The student is presented with a

Figure 4: An example of a Sample Stories scenario

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situation, skill, or concept in terms of relevant social cues and common
responses. The goal is not to change the individuals behavior, but to improve
understanding of events and expectations that will hopefully lead to more
effective responses from the student (Parette).
Although this was not an effective solution for her week at camp, Anna had
an iPod with her that contained some of her favorite songs and a few recordings
of her parents reading her stories. Typically, listening to these and just taking a
couple minutes separated from the group helped Anna to regain control of her
emotions and calm down. iPods and other personal electronic devices can be
used as a soothing mechanism as well as an assistive technology due to the
potential of using apps and helpful downloads (Lawson).
Overall, I was able to gain a clearer understanding of the abilities and
challenges faced by students with emotional impairments through visiting
Sheldon Pines. This new knowledge about this disability provided a lot of clarity
about my experience working with Anna this summer. I now feel that I am better
prepared to accommodate for these students in a classroom setting and beyond.
REFERENCES

"Catching Kids Being Good." Catching Kids Being Good. Behavior Advisor, n.d.
Web. 04 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.behavioradvisor.com/CatchGood.html>.

Lawson, Eric. "IPads, IPod Touches, and IPhones as Assistive Technology in

Education." Classroom Technology News. Tech and Learning, 28 Mar.

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2011. Web. 04 Nov. 2014. <http://www.techlearning.com/from-theclassroom/0015/ipads-ipod-touches-and-iphones-as-assistivetechnology-in-education/47768>.

Michigan Department of Education. Michigan Administrative Rules for Special

Education. Web. 18 Sept. 2014.
<http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0%2C4615%2C7-1406530_6598_7376---%2C00.html>.

Parette, Howard P., Jr., E. Paula Crowley, and Brian W. Wojcik. "Reducing
Overload in Students with Learning and Behavioral Disorders: The Role
of Assistive Technology." Teaching Exceptional Children Plus 4.1
(2007): n. pag. TECPlus. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.