Emotional Disturbance

Emotional disturbances are specified by IDEA as a disability among thirteen categories of disability. According to Public Health Service Act’s1912(c) Section a child is said to suffer from an emotional disturbance if, from the time of birth till the majority age, has been having diagnosable behavioral, emotional or mental disorder to go through criteria of diagnostic defined within DSM.

(NICHCY) National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities states following characteristics found in a child suffering from emotional disturbances: -

• Inability in learning which can’t be explicated by health, intellectual or sensory factors.
• Inability in developing and keeping appropriate and satisfactory relationships of society with the adults, family and peers in system of school.
• Inappropriate feelings and behavior while responding to the normal conditions like injuring one self or aggression.
• A pervasive humor of depression or unhappiness.
• Tendency in developing negative symptoms of body or threat relating to the personal or problems of school.
• Hyperactivity like impulsiveness or attention for short span.
• Immaturity like incompatible crying, poor skills of coping or temper conniption.

Emotional disturbances are found in different types in a child. Some pf them are mentioned below: -

• Depression – Is regarded as an emotive disorder, being characterized according to disturbances in mood and depressive or manic syndrome. If a person feels intense sadness or helplessness since many months continuously and does not participate actively in normal activities then he comes under the conditions of medical treatment.
• Bipolar-disorder – It is referred as frenzied depression which is emotive disorder which produces feelings of depression and frenzied mood dangles.
• Schizophrenia – It is said to be a inveterate disorder which affects the ability of an individual to see the reality.
• Learning-disorders – It is found in small aged children who are subtle as well as hard to find. These children have problem in listening, clearly speaking, writing, solving any problem and reading.
• Conduct disorders.
• Psychotic disorder.
• Eating disorder.

Questions:

• What is emotional disturbance?
• What are types of emotional disorder?
• State the characteristics of a child with emotional disorder.