Emotional and Behavioral Disorder Intervention: Key Strategies for Effective Support

Self-Regulated Strategy Development Works for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: A Meta-Review

Writing is a cornerstone of academic success and a fundamental skill for the 21st-century workforce. However, students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) often face substantial barriers to developing effective writing skills. The self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) model is widely recognized as the only evidence-based writing intervention for students with EBD. Yet, questions still need to be answered about its effectiveness across all demographics within this group. Dr. Justin D. Garwood and Dr. Nelson C. Brunsting conducted a meta-review to explore whether SRSD is equally effective for all students with EBD and to identify factors that moderate its effectiveness. This blog delves into their findings, providing insights for educators and researchers alike.

Understanding Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Students with EBD frequently display externalizing behaviors such as aggression and noncompliance or internalizing behaviors like anxiety and depression, which can significantly impact their mental health. These challenges make it difficult for teachers to provide consistent academic instruction. Academically, students with EBD typically score in the 25th percentile or lower in literacy and mathematics and often fall further behind as they progress through school. These academic struggles correlate with lower academic performance, higher dropout rates, and increased likelihood of criminal justice system involvement.

Despite representing approximately 12% of school-aged youth, only 1% of students receive special education services under the EBD classification, underscoring the need for effective emotional and behavioral disorder intervention. This discrepancy highlights significant under-identification, especially for students with internalizing behaviors or those whose challenges do not lead to visible classroom disruptions. Recognizing these challenges, researchers aim to refine interventions like SRSD and incorporate behavioral therapy to support a broader spectrum of students with EBD.

The Significance of SRSD for Students with EBD

SRSD is a research-based instructional model that teaches genre-specific writing strategies while integrating metacognitive techniques like goal-setting, self-monitoring, and self-reinforcement. SRSD consists of six stages:

1. Develop Background Knowledge
2. Discuss It
3. Model It
4. Memorize It
5. Support It
6. Independent Performance

Research supports SRSD as the only evidence-based writing intervention for students with EBD, showing improved writing performance and students’ perceptions of themselves as writers. However, as the current meta-review by Garwood and Brunsting highlights, gaps in the literature and implementation challenges necessitate a closer examination of its effectiveness for diverse students.

Research Questions

Garwood and Brunsting sought to answer two primary questions:

1. How do the demographics of students in SRSD research compare to national statistics for students with EBD?
2. When controlling for implementation fidelity, do factors such as sex, race, special education status, grade level, and intervention agent moderate SRSD’s effectiveness?

Methodology

The meta-review included 18 single-case design studies, each meeting stringent inclusion criteria such as using SRSD for writing, clearly identifying participants with or at risk for EBD, and publication in peer-reviewed journals. The studies were analyzed for demographic representation, fidelity of implementation, assessment methods, and improvement rate differences (IRDs) in writing outcomes.

Key Findings

1. Demographic Gaps in SRSD Research

The review revealed significant demographic disparities in the participants of SRSD studies compared to national statistics:

• Overrepresentation of Caucasian students: 70.7% of participants were Caucasian, compared to 54.3% nationally.
• Underrepresentation of Hispanic/Latino students: Only 2.2% of participants were Hispanic/Latino, compared to 13.7% nationally.
• Exclusion of Native American and Pacific Islander students: These groups were absent from the SRSD research sample despite being included in national statistics.

2. Moderating Variables

The meta-review identified several factors influencing SRSD’s effectiveness:

• Grade Level: Elementary students demonstrated significantly more significant improvements than secondary students, suggesting SRSD may be more effective for younger learners.
• Special Education Status: Students not receiving special education services experienced greater gains, possibly due to fewer behavioral challenges interfering with instruction.
• Intervention Agent: Both researchers and classroom teachers were equally effective in implementing SRSD, underscoring its practicality for school settings.

Implications for Practice and Research: For Educators

Teachers working with students with emotional or behavioral disorders should feel confident in adopting SRSD for writing instruction, as it also addresses aspects of behavioral health and enhances coping and social skills. The intervention’s demonstrated effectiveness across diverse instructional agents makes it a viable choice for general and special education classrooms. Moreover, SRSD aligns well with multi-tiered support systems, particularly as a Tier 2 intervention for students requiring additional help.

For Researchers

The findings highlight critical gaps in SRSD research that must be addressed:

• Inclusion of underrepresented demographics: Future studies should prioritize recruiting participants from Hispanic, Native American, and Pacific Islander backgrounds to ensure SRSD’s effectiveness for all students with EBD.
• Detailed reporting: Researchers should consistently report individual-level data, including race, sex, and grade level, to enable nuanced analyses of intervention outcomes.
• Mixed-methods approach: Combining quantitative and qualitative research methods can provide deeper insights into the factors influencing SRSD’s success and applicability across different contexts.

Limitations

The meta-review acknowledged several limitations:

1. Fidelity Reporting: Many studies reported fidelity at the study level rather than the individual participant level, limiting the precision of analyses.
2. Outcome Measures: Variability in measuring writing outcomes across studies complicated comparisons.
3. Demographic Representation: The absence of diverse participant groups constrained the generalizability of findings.

Conclusion

The meta-review by Garwood and Brunsting affirms SRSD’s status as an evidence-based intervention for improving writing outcomes in students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD). However, its findings also reveal significant disparities in demographic representation and differential effectiveness among subgroups. Addressing these gaps, potentially through interventions such as counseling and behavioral therapy, is essential to ensuring equity in educational opportunities for all students with or at risk for EBD. SRSD remains a critical tool in the educator’s toolkit, offering hope and tangible strategies to support one of the most vulnerable student populations, while also addressing their mental health needs.

References

1. Garwood, J. D., & Brunsting, N. C. (Year). Does Self-Regulated Strategy Development Work for All Students with and at Risk for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders? A Meta-review focusing on emotional and behavioral disorder intervention.
2. Harris, K. R., & Graham, S. (2016). Self-regulated strategy development in writing: Policy implications of an evidence-based practice. Policy Insights from Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 3(2), 77-84.
3. Losinski, M., Cuenca-Carlino, Y., Zablocki, M., & Teagarden, J. (2014). Examining the efficacy of self-regulated strategy development for students with emotional and behavioral disorders: A meta-analysis. Behavioral Disorders, 40(1), 52-67.
4. Ennis, R. P., & Jolivette, K. (2014). Existing research and future directions for self-regulated strategy development with students with and at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. Journal of Special Education, 48(1), 32-45.
5. Lane, K. L., Harris, K. R., Graham, S., Little, M. A., & Sandmel, K. (2010). Story writing: The effects of self-regulated strategy development for second-grade students with writing and behavioral difficulties. Journal of Special Education, 44(2), 107-128.
6. Saddler, B., Asaro-Saddler, K., Moeyaert, M., & Ellis-Robinson, T. (2017). Effects of a summarizing strategy on written summaries of children with emotional and behavioral disorders. Remedial and Special Education, 38(2), 87-97.
7. Institute of Education Sciences. (2015). National Center for Education Statistics: U.S. Department of Education Statistics.
8. Kauffman, J. M., & Landrum, T. J. (2017). Characteristics of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders of Children and Youth (11th ed.).
9. Parker, R. I., Vannest, K. J., & Brown, L. (2009). The improvement rate difference for single-case research. Exceptional Children, 75(2), 135-150.
10. Ryan, J. B., Pierce, C. D., & Mooney, P. (2008). Evidence-based teaching strategies for students with EBD. Beyond Behavior, 17(1), 22-29.