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EDCO 6676 - Students at Risk: Assessment and Intervention
Module 5: Individual Risk Factors
Slide 1
Welcome to Module 5
Individual Risk Factors
Frank Kline
In this module we will consider the
kinds of risk that are more associated
with the individual. These sources of
risk will include a variety of illnesses
and conditions that are both physical
and mental.
We will also consider why some
individuals seem so deeply impacted by
the risk factors and others seem more or
less impervious to them.
Finally, I will describe another set of
activities related to the individual.
Slide 2
Characteristics Personal
Responses
• Blaming the victim
Before we start into specific conditions,
let me make a few general comments
about risk factors within individuals.
First of all, we tend to blame the
victim. Let me read you part of a case
study from a book titled “Students at
Risk” by Manning and Baruth
published in 1995.
Mrs. Blair, a middle school teacher at
P.S. 98 spoke: “Those kinds—what
makes them that way? Some poor
children come to school dirty; others
take drugs; several can’t speak English;
and even fourteen-year-old Susan is
pregnant.” the tirade went on for 3 to 4
minutes. “I don’t know what to do—
give us some decently motivated
students and we might be able to
achieve the results the school board
wants.”
Several teachers listened and
either said nothing or nodded their head
in agreement. One teacher, however,
Mrs. Santiago, spoke calmly yet
directly to Mrs. Blair: “Blaming the
victim does not help. Children should
not be blamed for their predicaments.
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
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EDCO 6676 - Students at Risk: Assessment and Intervention
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They do not choose to be poor and
dirty. Some might have made poor
choices to experiment with drugs or
sexual activity, but they still need our
help and understanding, perhaps even
more now.”
The kind of talk Mrs. Blair shared is
fairly common. We tend to talk about a
variety of conditions as if people had
chosen their lot. We talk about the
“deserving poor” as if some weren’t
deserving. When we don’t focus on
solutions to problems or the effects of
the causes or conditions, we tend to end
up blaming the victim.
Slide 3
Characteristics Personal
Responses
• Blaming the victim
– Double jeopardy
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
Some of the negative consequences of
blaming the victim include:
placing the children in double
jeopardy. The blame placed on the
victim actually places them at risk.
Thus they are at risk not only because
they are victims, but also because they
are being blamed.
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Slide 4
Characteristics Personal
Responses
• Blaming the victim
– Double jeopardy
– Fail to recognize condition and impact
Slide 5
Characteristics Personal
Responses
• Blaming the victim
– Double jeopardy
– Fail to recognize condition and impact
– Behavior choices and at risk
Slide 6
Characteristics Personal
Responses
• Blaming the victim
– Double jeopardy
– Fail to recognize condition and impact
– Behavior choices and at risk
– Society’s responsibility?
Failure to recognize the
condition and its impact. The fact is
that the condition exists and we need to
focus on the condition, its causes,
effects, and how we can ameliorate the
negative consequences for our children.
Blaming the victim is
sometimes easier when the reason they
are a victim is because of a behavior
choice. We often think things like, well
if they didn’t engage in risky sexual
behavior they wouldn’t be pregnant.
However, the fact is they did and they
are. So what are we going to do about
it? Certainly part of our response
should be to build toward a more
positive future, but just because they
didn’t associate the cause and its effect
doesn’t mean they should be blamed or
denied assistance.
I don’t want to sound too liberal
or polyannaish either one, but consider
the following quotes from a recent early
morning radio show aimed at teenagers
and then tell me that we as a society
don’t share some of the blame for risky
sexual behavior! These quotes were
taken from a local radio station which
plays music geared toward teens within
this year.
There was a discussion with a caller of
sexual behavior at work with the
distinct implication that “everyone”
was doing it and that the caller should
also be involved. Comments like
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
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“Calling Bob to dressing room 5.” were
made when the host found out that the
caller was a female working at
Nordstroms.
Introduction to song on 95.7. Male and
Female announcer quoting the lyrics of
a song. The male announcer says,
“You’re and Ocean and I’m an Island—
and here’s my palm tree.” The female
announcer jumps in “And look—here’s
your coconuts!”
Slide 7
More Helpful Responses
• Look for solutions
Ok then, if we are not to blame the
victim, then what should our response
be?
First of all we need to focus on finding
a solution for the immediate problem.
This is the intervention phase of our
work. While it isn’t as effective as
prevention, it is immoral to allow a
negative condition to exist if we
perceive it, and can do something to fix
it.
Slide 8
More Helpful Responses
• Look for solutions
• Maintain expectations
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
Secondly, we need to maintain our
level of expectations. God’s love is
comprised of both grace and truth.
Jesus balanced them perfectly in His
life and ministry. He forgave sins, and
healed people, but he also held folks
accountable for their actions. One
example of His mix of truth and grace
is found where he talks about giving.
He mentions a widow who put in just a
couple of cents as greater than a rich
man who made a large gift with a large
fanfare. Jesus point was that the widow
gave her all, so that even though it
wasn’t very much, her commitment
was great and she would have a greater
reward in heaven—this demonstrates
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His grace. The rich man on the other
hand, gave a small portion of what he
COULD have given ,and what’s more,
gave it for the attention he received.
Jesus said that He received his reward
here on earth and would have none in
heaven.
To find the balance of grace and truth is
very difficult. Somehow, we must
provide concrete help in situations of
need, but also maintain our high
expectations for appropriate and good
behavior.
Slide 9
More Helpful Responses
•
•
•
•
Slide
10
Look for solutions
Maintain expectations
Find the root cause
Help deal with consequences
Conditions Placing Individuals
at Risk
•
•
•
•
•
•
Self-concept
Daydreaming and lack of motivation
Self destructive behavior
Chronic illnesses
Learning Disabilities
Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder
• Behavioral Disorders
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
Another important response is to look
below the obvious to the root cause.
What may seem to be the cause at first
glance, may not be so obvious at
second glance. By looking for the
causes and supporting factors—think
abut Chatlos’ enabling system for drug
abuse from the medical text—you can
better intervene and also prevent the
condition from happening again.
With the general understanding of
responses to individuals at risk now in
mind, let’s turn our attention to some
specific conditions of risk. While there
are many many conditions which
largely reside within an individual and
can place them at risk, we will consider
the following in more detail:
Self-concept
Daydreaming and lack of
motivation
Self destructive behavior
Chronic illnesses
Learning Disabilities
Attention Deficit Disorder,
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
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Disorder
Behavioral Disorders
Slide
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Self-concept
• Tremendous impact on life
Slide
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Self-concept
• Tremendous impact on life
– cognitive development
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
Self concept has an incredible impact
on our life. Self concept can be either
very helpful or very destructive in a
person’s life. The key to a good self
concept is an accurate self concept. A
“good” self concept in which the
individual feels very good about
themselves, but the feeling is
inaccurate, will lead to poor judgment
and risky behavior just like a person
who has a very poor self concept—
doesn’t think they can do anything!
Self concept develops from two major
sources. First of all, we begin to have
self awareness as we develop
cognitively. Some young children
seem entirely oblivious to the
surrounding world. I watched a boy of
about 8 or 10 playing football in the
parking lot of a gas station by himself
just yesterday. He dodged and weaved
among tacklers only he could see. He
did his celebration dance in the infield
after crossing a goal line that was in his
imagination. He was totally unaware
that at least two total strangers were
watching his behavior entranced at his
internal engagement.
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Slide
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Self-concept
• Tremendous impact on life
– cognitive development
– social development
– social well-being
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
Before too long—some feel entirely too
quickly—we become totally aware of
what others think. I remember the first
time I saw my daughter “primping” in
front of a mirror before school. She
seemed so young to me to care so much
about how she looked. Regardless of
when it happens, all of a sudden, our
social well being is dependent upon
how others perceive us. In this culture,
having the right pair of jeans or shoes,
can be critical. Wearing the wrong
kind of glasses, makeup, scent,
clothing, etc., especially as a young
adolescent, can set one apart in a way
that is intensely uncomfortable. Too
often, if you don’t look just right, you
can’t be accepted in the right “set” of
kids.
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Slide
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Self-concept
• Tremendous impact on life
– cognitive development
– social development
– social well-being
• Accumulates from daily life experiences
– information about degree of self-worth
– same sources may both increase and lower
sense of self-worth
Slide
15
Self-concept
• Tremendous impact on life
– cognitive development
– social development
– social well-being
• Accumulates from daily life experiences
– information about degree of self-worth
– same sources may both increase and lower sense of self-worth
• Relationship to other conditions
– is an “at-risk” condition in and of itself
– contributes to intensity of other “at-risk” conditions
Slide
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Daydreaming and Lack of
Motivation
• Assessment--is the learner really
unmotivated? If so, why?
Our self concept is confirmed or shifted
thousands of time daily in the various
kinds of interactions we have. Usually,
that process is more or less transparent
to us. We are simply not even aware
that it is happening. Occasionally,
there is an event that radically shifts our
self concept. I can remember several
specific times when my self image was
shifted positively—several of them
were associated with education!
Self concept issues are also related and
part of other kinds of conditions. It can
be the primary risk factor and it can
also be a secondary factor. That is, an
inaccurate or unhealthy self concept
can result from effects or side effects of
other conditions. Chronic illness is a
good example. When a person has low
vitality and can’t run or play, or looks
“funny” as a result of treatment, their
self concept can be impacted in a
negative way. If people are not
sensitive or act cruelly, the self concept
and self confidence of the person who
is ill can be really damaged.
People have varying degrees of
commitment to ideas and motivation to
various performances. If a person
appears to be daydreaming and isn’t
motivated to do anything, that is not
necessarily a “risk”. If it were, I would
be seriously at risk! Ha!
However, daydreaming can consume so
much time that the “real” world takes a
second place. Sometimes it is an
escape from other conditions that are
debilitating and difficult. When
daydreaming begins to take so much
time that it jeopardizes school work,
then teachers and counselors need to
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
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begin to make inquiries. Probably the
best method is simply a direct interview
to try to assess what is occurring that
leads to the daydreaming.
Slide
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Daydreaming and Lack of
Motivation
• Assessment--is the learner really
unmotivated? If so, why?
• Hierarchy of needs
Slide
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Daydreaming and Lack of
Motivation
• Assessment--is the learner really
unmotivated? If so, why?
• Hierarchy of needs
• Relevance
– In the eye of the beholder
– Comes from perceived goal overlap
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
Remember Maslow’s hierarchy of
needs. If those needs toward the
bottom of the hierarchy are not met, the
needs toward the top won’t be
addressed.
Lack of motivation is also an issue—
however, there are very few people
who are genuinely without motivation.
More commonly, the student is
motivated—just not toward school
work! That brings up the issue of
relevance. I believe that it is the job of
educators to convince their students
that what they are teaching is
important. Something is perceived as
important if it is relevant to a person’s
goals and desires. It used to be that we
could more or less assume that people
in the schools had about the same goals
and desires. In Leave it to Beaver’s
world, we were all about the same, had
similar values and similar aspirations.
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That is no longer the world in which we
live.
It is incumbent upon us to learn what
goals our students as individuals have.
By knowing them, we can show our
students how what they want and what
we are teaching relate. It is only by
starting with the vision a student
already has for his life that we can
make his/her education relevant. It is
only be starting with and listening to
the vision a student already has for his
life that we can help him/her raise
his/her vision!
Slide
19
Self Destructive Behaviors and
Accidents
• Suicide
– Gender difference, genetics, inter-related causes
– Role of guns in suicide
The role of depression in suicide is
clearly established. However,
depression is also becoming more and
more treatable! The signs of
depression are fairly well established
and I know you cover them in other
classes. The point for this discussion is
that they shouldn’t be ignored.
Suicide can also be related to or caused
by other at risk conditions. The boy
under pressure to succeed, the pregnant
14 year old or the teenager abusing
drugs may all be potential suicide
victims at one time or another.
Genetics may also play a factor in the
decision to commit suicide. The closer
the relations to someone who has
committed suicide, the more likely an
individual will commit suicide. The
decision to commit suicide however, is
probably the culmination of a number
of interrelated factors including:
gender, stress, other risk conditions,
social connectedness, other risk-taking
behaviors, etc. One of the contributing
factors is opportunity. Because guns
are so lethal, when they are present in
the house, suicide attempts are 90%
more likely to be successful! The
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
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decision to commit suicide using a gun
is so much more irrevocable than that
of almost any other form of death. I
don’t know what your political leanings
are, but in my mind that is a strong
argument for some form of gun control.
Slide
20
Self Destructive Behaviors and
Accidents
• Suicide
– Gender difference, genetics, inter-related causes
– Role of guns in suicide
• Accidents
– Death
• More than half of all deaths between 10 & 19!
• Of those, nearly three-fourths vehicle-related
• About one fourth of all fatally injured drivers are drunk
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
Accidents are another factor placing
children—especially adolescents—at
risk. In fact, accidents account for
more than half of all deaths for persons
between 10 and 19. Most accidental
deaths are associated with vehicles, but
drowning and firearms are also
significant causes of accidental deaths.
Of the deaths associated with vehicles,
more than ½ of the fatalities occur at
night although adolescents do only
about 1/5th of their driving at night. In
addition, more than half of these
accidents involve alcohol, and about
1/4th of the fatally injured drivers are
intoxicated. Some studies show that it
takes less alcohol to place an adolescent
driver at risk than that for an adult
driver.
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Slide
21
Self Destructive Behaviors and
Accidents
• Suicide
– Gender difference, genetics, inter-related causes
– Role of guns in suicide
• Accidents
– Death
• More than half of all deaths between 10 & 19!
• Of those, nearly three-fourths vehicle-related
• About one fourth of all fatally injured drivers are drunk
– Injury
• Academic impact from days missed, permanent disability,
restricted activities
Slide
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Chronic Illnesses
Slide
23
Chronic Illnesses
• Attendance
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
Accidents don’t always result in death.
Even when they result in injury, there
are many issues that can place a student
at risk. For example, injury can result
in disfigurement or impairment of
physical function either temporarily or
permanently. Self concept as well as
actual ability can be severely impacted.
In addition, significant absences can
occur, vitality can be lowered,
cognitive abilities impaired, and on and
on!
Let’s consider chronic illnesses. First of
all, this category of risk includes
diseases, conditions, and illnesses that
last for a significant period of time.
The school problems facing children
who have chronic illnesses may seem
rather trivial when weighed against the
sometimes life threatening impacts of
their illness. However, especially if
there is hope for recovery, attention to
these problems and issues can
ameliorate the long term impact of the
illness on the student’s life.
Attendance is often impacted not only
by the disease, but also the treatment.
Some of the reasons for absence are
under the control of the parents. They
should be helped to see that treatments
and doctor visits should be scheduled
outside of school hours when at all
possible. Research has clearly
indicated that non illness related factors
such as parent’s perception of the
illness, the parent’s level of education,
and the child’s ability to participate in
physical activities are also related to the
amount of absences.
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Module 5: Individual Risk Factors
Slide
24
Chronic Illnesses
• Attendance
• Performance
Slide
25
Chronic Illnesses
• Attendance
• Performance
• Treatment effects
Slide
26
Chronic Illnesses
•
•
•
•
Attendance
Performance
Treatment effects
Socioemotional issues
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
Even when a child with a chronic
illness is at school, their performance
can be impacted by the illness. A
generalized low vitality, or specific
symptoms such as nausea associated
with either the illness itself or the
treatment can impact a child’s ability to
attend and engage in productive
cognitive effort.
Treatments can produce symptoms
such as lethargy, nausea, weakness,
pain and fatigue that impact school
functioning. Certain kinds of illnesses,
conditions, and/or treatments can
produce disfigurements that impact
school performance negatively. Such
things as amputation, hair loss, skin
grafts, etc. can make it very difficult to
perform at school.
This leads directly to consideration of
the socioemotional problems that a
student can face in school as a result of
chronic illnesses. The prolonged
absences may lead to discomfort in reentry to school settings. Furthermore,
peers may shun the student because of
unfounded fears of “catching” the
illness or disease. The key to
successful reintegration of students
with chronic illnesses is in education of
the peers. Counselors can play a key
role in this effort!
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Slide
27
Chronic Illnesses
•
•
•
•
•
Slide
28
Attendance
Performance
Treatment effects
Socioemotional issues
School personnel attitudes
Chronic Illnesses
•
•
•
•
•
•
Attendance
Performance
Treatment effects
Socioemotional issues
School personnel attitudes
Parent attitudes
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
Working with school personnel and
other students to help them have a
positive attitude towards the ill student
can be a very positive role for the
counselor. A combination of modeling
and information can help educate both
school personnel and other students.
People often have strong emotions
related to illness, and it’s difficult to
deal with them! Emotions such as
guilt, sadness, denial, anger and fear
can all be related to chronic illness of
those around us. Counselors can help
people deal with those feelings
appropriately increasing the likelihood
of a successful reintegration by the
person with a chronic illness.
Parent attitudes toward school are also
critical. Parents often devalue school
and associated developmental
opportunities in light of the nature of
their health concerns. However, the
fact remains that if the child recovers,
they will need to pick up the pieces of
their lives and go on. Minimal
interruption of schooling will assist this
“going on” Furthermore, parents can
contribute to their recovery by working
to keep their lives as normal as possible
in light of their illness and the
treatments they receive.
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Slide
29
Learning Disabilities
• Definition
Slide
30
Learning Disabilities
• Definition
• Providing information
Slide
31
Learning Disabilities
• Definition
• Providing information
• School responsibility
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
Learning disabilities most often have
the idea of discrepancy involved in the
definition. The introduction to special
education courses will have the
specifics of definition for LD and other
disabilities, however, for purposes of
this discussion, I want to highlight the
idea that persons with LD have a
discrepancy between what is expected
and what they actually accomplish!
Many definitions actually include the
idea of normal intelligence as being a
prerequisite for diagnosis.
If children with LD have normal
intelligence, or at least the expectation
of achievement inherent in a
discrepancy definition, then one
wonders why they can’t/don’t learn.
The idea of how information is
presented becomes important and
critical. People with limited mobility
who use a wheel chair are stopped by
curbs or stairs. That is why we have
curb cuts and elevators mandated—to
provide physical access to areas
formerly not available to persons with
limited mobility.
I would submit to you that it is the
school’s responsibility to provide
cognitive curb cuts for students with
learning disabilities. Reading
disabilities are among the most
common. If information about social
studies is only available through a
written mode, then cognitive access to
students with reading disabilities is
denied! Cognitive curb cuts would be
providing some alternative access to
that information—lecture, books on
tape, activity, study groups, etc. can all
assist in making those cognitive curb
cuts and providing cognitive access to
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information for those students with
learning disabilities.
Slide
32
Learning Disabilities
•
•
•
•
Slide
33
Definition
Providing information
School responsibility
Use of the Individual Educational
Plan (IEP)
Attention Deficit
Disorder/Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder
• ADD/ADHD
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
One of the key tools for any student
with a disability is the IEP. The IEP
can be used to document growth, share
information about successful methods,
set goals, and work to define and
improve a student’s education.
ADD/ADHD is a neurologically based
disorder, usually apparent by 6 years of
age. Prevalence estimates run around
1-3% of the school-aged population.
Of those students, about ½ seem to
grow out of it by puberty, the other ½
continue to have it into adulthood.
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Slide
34
Attention Deficit
Disorder/Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder
• ADD/ADHD
• Definition
– Hyperactivity
Slide
35
Attention Deficit
Disorder/Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder
• ADD/ADHD
• Definition
– Hyperactivity
– Inattention
Slide
36
Attention Deficit
Disorder/Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder
• ADD/ADHD
• Definition
– Hyperactivity
– Inattention
– Impulsivity
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
There are three attributes that are
manifested in children/adults with
ADHD. 1) hyperactivity—most often
seen as squirmy, fidgety, behavior.
Some part of the body is in motion, and
often purposeless motion, they might
tap their pencil, jiggle their leg, squirm
in their seat, rocking, etc. Sometimes it
comes across as verbal hyperactivity.
2) inattention, previously, the term
distractibility was used as a component
of ADD/ADHD. Distraction may be a
reason for the inattention, however
inattention is a broader term and is
what is currently used. Regardless, the
result is difficulty staying on task.
The third attribute of ADD/ADHD is
impulsivity. This is more than your
occasional problem looking before you
leap. This is a regular and general lack
of profit from experience. The person
appears unable to refrain from action
long enough to reflect on past
experience and consequences.
Behaviors such as incessant
interruption, saying everything that is
in your mind, grabbing, poor judgment
etc. may be caused or related to the lack
of impulsivity control.
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Slide
37
Attention Deficit
Disorder/Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder
• ADD/ADHD
• Definition
– Hyperactivity
– Inattention
– Impulsivity
• Diagnosis
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
Diagnosis is accomplished by a
physician. We, educators, do NOT
diagnose medical/neurological
conditions such as ADD/ADHD. There
are actually three types of ADHD.
Combined Type includes activity,
attention, and impulsivity. ADHD
Predominantly Inattentive Type and
ADHD Predominately HyperactivityImpulsivity Type are explained by their
names. One of the keys to diagnosis is
that the condition is pervasive and
chronic. That is, a person with ADHD
is unlikely to be distractible only in
reading class! What’s more the
condition is most likely to exist from
birth. If onset can be associated with a
particular time, the symptoms are more
likely to be caused by anxiety or some
other mental health issue. Because the
information required for diagnosis is
not usually immediately visible, the
physician must rely on clinical
histories. Educators can contribute
important information about the onset,
or lack of onset, about the
pervasiveness of the condition, and
many other kinds of observations as
well.
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Slide
38
Attention Deficit
Disorder/Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder
• ADD/ADHD
• Definition
– Hyperactivity
– Inattention
– Impulsivity
The best treatment includes individual
and family interventions, as well as
medication. There are a variety of
medications used to treat ADHD. For a
more complete discussion, please see
the medical book, page 151 and 152.
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
Slide
39
Attention Deficit
Disorder/Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder
• ADD/ADHD
• Definition
– Hyperactivity
– Inattention
– Impulsivity
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Educator’s role
Slide
40
Behavioral Disorders
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder/Conduct
Disorder
• Anxiety Disorders
• Mood Disorders
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
Schools assist in all aspects of
treatment including: assessment and
diagnosis—we can provide key
information to the physician to allow
his/her diagnosis; treatment—we can
monitor and develop powerful behavior
modification plans; and
accommodations—we can change the
way we “do” school to accommodate
the needs of students with ADHD.
There are three general classes of
behavior disorders. Oppositional
Defiant Disorder and Conduct
Disorder; Anxiety Disorders; and Mood
Disorders.
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EDCO 6676 - Students at Risk: Assessment and Intervention
Module 5: Individual Risk Factors
Slide
41
Behavioral Disorders
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder/Conduct Disorder
– Behaviors include aggression, stealing and
vandalism
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
The most obvious and difficult to deal
with from a classroom perspective are
the Oppositional Defiant Disorder and
Conduct Disorders. These kids are in
your face mean all of the time! We are
not talking about the twice a year sleep
bad, get chewed out by your parents,
forget your lunch, blow up on the
playground kind of mean that we all
experience once in a while. This is the
daily, hourly, sometimes moment by
moment temper tantrum, acting out
yelling and whining. These disorders
can include behaviors such as
aggression, stealing and vandalism. It
is unlikely to be a truly psychiatric
problem if these behaviors occur in
isolation. However, if they occur in
clusters, it may represent a more
serious diagnosis—again, we do not
diagnose, physicians do. However, if
we know the concepts and constructs
used in diagnosis, we can present
observations in a way that will help the
physician reach an appropriate
conclusion. These conditions occur in
less than 10% of the school age
population. ODD is less severe than
CD, but many originally diagnosed
with ODD go on to display the more
severe symptoms of CD as they get
older.
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EDCO 6676 - Students at Risk: Assessment and Intervention
Module 5: Individual Risk Factors
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42
Behavioral Disorders
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder/Conduct Disorder
– Behaviors include aggression, stealing and
vandalism
– Central Feature is a defiant and hostile attitude and
pattern of behavior directed toward authority
– Academic underachievement is usual
– Higher rate of aggression, tardiness, insubordination
and other rule violations
Slide
43
Behavioral Disorders
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder/Conduct Disorder
– Behaviors include aggression, stealing and
vandalism
– Central Feature is a defiant and hostile attitude and
pattern of behavior directed toward authority
– Academic underachievement is usual
– Higher rate of aggression, tardiness, insubordination
and other rule violations
– Treatment can involve psychosocial and
pharmacological components.
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
You can imagine the potential
difficulties such children may have in
school. After all, the central feature of
ODD is a defiant and hostile attitude
and pattern of behavior directed
towards authority, and our schools are
set up to run on authority! That’s a
train wreck just waiting to happen!
Academic underachievement is usual.
In fact, the patterns of learning shown
by students with ODD so closely
resemble LD or ADHD, that many
researchers believe they are related.
Beyond the poor academic
achievement, a higher rate of
aggression, tardiness, insubordination
and other rule violations are routine.
Treatment can involve psychosocial
and pharmacological components.
Schools are often involved in the
treatment. If it is only psychosocial,
schools are involved in the
development, implementation, and
monitoring of behavior management
programs. If it is pharmacological,
schools are often involved in the
administration of the medications as
well as the monitoring of the results.
Either way, school personnel need to
understand the kinds of concepts and
issues involved.
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EDCO 6676 - Students at Risk: Assessment and Intervention
Module 5: Individual Risk Factors
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44
Behavioral Disorders
• Anxiety Disorders
– Physical symptoms include nausea, sweating,
or various vague complaints
Slide
45
Behavioral Disorders
• Anxiety Disorders
– Physical symptoms include nausea, sweating,
or various vague complaints
– Treatments include systematic
desensitization, prolonged exposure,
modeling, contingency management, etc.
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
Anxiety disorders include such
disorders as: Separation Anxiety, Social
Phobias, panic disorders, obsessive
compulsive disorders, obsessions, post
traumatic stress disorders, and
generalized anxiety disorders. These
disorders can be manifested in schools
and classrooms in a variety of ways
which can easily be mistaken as other
syndromes or disorders. Such physical
symptoms as nausea, sweating, or
various vague complaints can be
symptoms of anxiety. Children can
also present physical symptoms that are
less “real” in an attempt to avoid
anxiety producing situations. “I’m
sick, I can’t go to school!” Morbid
fears, extremely perfectionist behavior,
repeated erasures or other repetitions,
chapped hands from excessive washing,
and difficulty completing work on time
can all be manifestations of a deeper
Anxiety Disorder.
Anxiety Disorders are treated with a
great variety of methods. Such
methods as systematic desensitization,
prolonged exposure, modeling,
contingency management, etc. are
categorized into a loosely described
group called Cognitive Behavioral
Approaches. Schools are likely to be
involved in some form or another of
these types of interventions.
Medication is also used, and schools
may be involved in monitoring and
administering the medication and its
effects.
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EDCO 6676 - Students at Risk: Assessment and Intervention
Module 5: Individual Risk Factors
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Behavioral Disorders
• Mood Disorders
– Often occur in combination with other
disorders
– Treatments include cognitive and
pharmacological interventions
Slide
47
Other At-Risk Characteristics
• Eating Disorders
Mood disorders include Depression,
Dysthymic Disorder, Bipolar Disorder,
and Cyclothymic Disorders. These
disorders may be manifested in a
variety of ways at school. What’s more
they often occur in combination with
other disorders. One of the most
dangerous signs of depression is
suicidal tendencies. Teachers need to
be careful to report all signs and
symptoms of suicide. Again, both
cognitive and pharmacological
interventions are commonly used and
schools can play an important part.
There are a variety of other at risk
characteristics that deserve at least
some mention.
Eating disorders actually impact almost
all adolescents in some form or another.
Available studies cited in Manning and
Baruth’s 1995 publication show that
most adolescents suffer from some kind
of nutritional or fitness problem.
Sometimes this nutritional problem
raises to an emergent level in anorexia
or bulimia. Other times the risk is more
latent. Either way, adolescents can
profit from good health and nutrition
programs as part of the curriculum.
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
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EDCO 6676 - Students at Risk: Assessment and Intervention
Module 5: Individual Risk Factors
Slide
48
Other At-Risk Characteristics
• Eating Disorders
• Truancy
Slide
49
Other At-Risk Characteristics
• Eating Disorders
• Truancy
• Cultural and Ethnic Differences
Slide
50
Other At-Risk Characteristics
•
•
•
•
Eating Disorders
Truancy
Cultural and Ethnic Differences
Shyness and Withdrawal
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
Truancy not only places students at risk
for academic failure, but also puts them
in positions where other kinds of
problems such as pregnancy and
substance abuse are more likely to
occur. Chronic truancy, defined as 18
or more days without a valid excuse, is
prevalent in about 4% of our students.
On any given day, about 10% of the
school age children are absent.
Truancy is most often a result of a
diffuse set of reasons and causes rather
than any single motive or reason.
Cultural and ethnic differences are not
at risk conditions in and of themselves.
Let me repeat that. Cultural and ethnic
differences are not at risk conditions in
and of themselves. However, the
racism, discrimination and prejudice
often attendant to differences can place
a student at significant risk. Society’s
attitude toward difference can
contribute to and intensify problems
associated with substance abuse, low
achievement, teenage pregnancy, and
delinquent behavior.
Shyness and withdrawal in extreme
forms can also cause significant risk.
Defined as an attempt to avoid
participation in one’s surroundings,
shyness and withdrawal can include
fear of a particular situation, fear of
failure or criticism, lack of self
confidence, etc. Too often these
children are ignored because they make
little trouble compared to other
problems children have. For that
reason, shyness and withdrawal can get
worse and worse.
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EDCO 6676 - Students at Risk: Assessment and Intervention
Module 5: Individual Risk Factors
Slide
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Other At-Risk Characteristics
•
•
•
•
•
Slide
52
Eating Disorders
Truancy
Cultural and Ethnic Differences
Shyness and Withdrawal
Underachievement
Other At-Risk Characteristics
•
•
•
•
•
•
Eating Disorders
Truancy
Cultural and Ethnic Differences
Shyness and Withdrawal
Underachievement
Peer Pressure
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
Underachievers are sometimes called
slow learners. Sometimes achievement
is related to teacher failure to recognize
potential, acceptance of mediocrity,
policies that stifle creativity and
divergent thinking, an unbalanced
curriculum placing too much emphasis
on one subject, or students who have
other interests.
Peers are an often powerful and
underestimated source of influence on
the social, academic, and overall
development and behavior of children
and adolescents. During early
adolescence, the peer group becomes
the primary referent for behavior,
values, and decision making. Visiting a
school shows just how much the same
students look. Early adolescents feel a
compulsion to fit in. That compulsion
can influence all kinds of behavior both
risky and constructive. School
personnel should work to influence and
reward constructive behavior as much
as possible.
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EDCO 6676 - Students at Risk: Assessment and Intervention
Module 5: Individual Risk Factors
Slide
53
Individual Resilience
• Organic integrity
Ok, let’s shift focus from conditions of
risk to trying to explain why some
students who have such lousy situations
turn out wonderfully, and others who
seem to have every opportunity, self
destruct. I’m going to do that by
showing you a really neat animation
that Dominic Williamson made for me.
It is taken from a still graphic originally
shown in a publication by Horowitz
and Obrien from 1985.
The first illustration you see is a simple
graph of one dimension. You could
call it the organism dimensions. As
organic beings, we exist on several
continuums of vulnerability. For
purposes of discussion you can think of
one, say susceptibility to illness. It
makes sense that individuals who are
more vulnerable to illness are less
likely to have a positive developmental
outcome. That is, they are more likely
to be sick, they will miss things at
school, they will not do as well in other
ways too. They may be shorter,
smaller, etc. as a result of illness. Their
developmental outcome is likely to be
poorer, associated with a lower point on
this graph.
On the other hand, individuals who are
less vulnerable to illness are likely to
have a more positive developmental
outcome. They may be physically
larger, won’t have missed out on things
at school, and are more likely to be able
to take advantage of the opportunities
around them. Their developmental
outcome is likely to be more positive
which is associated with a higher point
on this graph.
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
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EDCO 6676 - Students at Risk: Assessment and Intervention
Module 5: Individual Risk Factors
Slide
54
Individual Resilience
• Organic integrity X Environmental Facilitation
In this graph we can see an explanation
for how individuals with a high degree
of organic integrity can overcome
environmental problems to have a
strong outcome. Likewise, we can see
how an environment that facilitates the
individual’s growth can also help to
overcome internal problems an
organism might have. Persons at
position “A” have the best of both
worlds, the organism is nearly
invulnerable, and the environment is
facilitative. Persons at position “B”
have the worst of both worlds—the
organism is vulnerable, and the
environment doesn’t help things at all!
Persons at position D are nearly
invulnerable individuals living in an
environment that is not facilitative.
They can still have a nearly optimal
outcome. Individuals in position “C”
are vulnerable in their organism, but
live in an environment that facilitates
their development. Thus, even though
they are vulnerable, a nearly optimal
outcome is available to them.
As school personnel, our job is to make
the environment as facilitative as
possible! We do not want to be in a
position to stand in the way of a
person’s optimal development.
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
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EDCO 6676 - Students at Risk: Assessment and Intervention
Module 5: Individual Risk Factors
Slide
55
Summary
•
•
•
•
•
•
Self-concept
Daydreaming and lack of motivation
Self destructive behavior
Chronic illnesses
Learning Disabilities
Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder
• Behavioral Disorders
• Other Conditions
Well, we’ve come a long way in this
module. We have reviewed a series of
vulnerabilities, if you will, that each
individual carries.
All of us have self concepts that are to
some degree dysfunctional. All of us
spend time daydreaming and
occasionally lack motivation. All of us
engage in self destructive behaviors
(eating too much, lack of exercise,
smoking, am I getting close?). Some of
us have and do face chronic illnesses.
We all learn slightly differently, and all
of us have certain problems of
attention. We all blow up at different
things and . . . . Well you get the
picture.
To the extent that we are not disabled
by these problems, we have had some
kind of facilitation in our environment.
That is, the right stimulus at the right
time to help us get what we need for
development and continued growth.
Some of us have had that helping hand
extended to us by school personnel,
family, friends, etc. some of us have
been able to help ourselves.
It is our job as school personnel to help
our students achieve their optimal
developmental outcome in spite of the
difficulties they may face in their
organic being.
© Frank Kline 2001 [email protected]
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