I. Rationale

lI.   Introduction

llI.  Characteristics

IV. Research Outcomes

V.   Applications
 
 

I teach and assess students in a residential diagnostic facility. During the course of my daily chartings, I came across a noticeable difference in behaviors between traditional classroom time and computer time. While at the computer, students with severe emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) appeared to remain in their seats for longer periods of times without adult supervision or verbal prompts. Outbursts and non-compliance decreased during computer time. Students, who could not focus in class longer than a few minutes, could stay focused on a computer program for as long as an hour. For these reasons, I chose to research computer based instruction and its effects on students with emotional and behavior disorders.
 
 

Students with behavior disorders are difficult to motivate and teach, having experienced failure in the traditional school setting.(1) When placed in alternative programs, these students are often presented with a curriculum of basic skills and functional academics, rather than challenged by a variety of options that render meaningful or successful outcomes. Realistically, most schools do not have resources necessary in order to meet individual needs. However, it may be possible to apply some elements used in research models when creating an educational program for students with conduct disorders. Through the use of technology, effective teaching methods, and positive feedback, failing students may be brought back into the mainstream.
 
 

The student with emotional or behavioral disorders is described as an individual with behavioral or emotional responses in school that "are so different from his/her generally accepted, age-appropriate, ethnic or cultural norms as to result in significant impairment in self-care, social relationships, educational progress, classroom behavior, or work adjustment." (6) Prevailing characteristics of the behavior-disordered student are noncompliance, interpersonal difficulties, anxiety, withdrawal, lack of motivation, poor frustration response, acting out, and serious academic deficits. Other traits may include inattention and implusivity, poor problem-solving abilities, and insufficient self-control. Often their homes are places of mistreatment and tension, and many have histories of substance abuse and truancy. Along with the label of EBD (emotional and behavior disorder) a large proportion of these students carry a secondary handicapping condition. Sometimes diagnosed, but often ignored due to the primary EBD or BD label, these students can demonstrate signs of specific learning disabilities or mild mental retardation and their subsequent behaviors are a result of the secondary disabilities. By the time they reach middle school, failure is common occurrence and most students with this label do not graduate from high school. Task avoidance and misbehavior further the atmosphere of failure from both student and teacher perspectives. Success and praise, guaranteed to help students work harder, are elusive factors in the education of these students. More often than not, the teacher takes on a baby-sitting role, handing out unchallenging busy work in order to separate students from one another and keep peace in the classroom. In residential settings for severely behavior disordered students, (those with brain trauma, chemical imbalances, or juvenile offenders) much of the time is spent restraining, redirecting students and attempting to deal with disruptive behaviors during transitions. While adults in charge of students in the above settings are well intentioned, the need to contain disruptions and outbursts remain a large part of the classroom day. Because these students are unable to interact appropriately with peers or authority figures, mainstreaming has been, for the most part, a failure. Lacking socialization skills, students with conduct/behavior disorders are not accepted by peers, or sadly, many teachers in the regular ed. classroom. Their best behavior is not good enough, and misunderstanding of the disorder, again, returns them to self-contained or residential placements. Research has been done on the types of technology and teaching methods in a variety of instructional settings that have been successful in motivating students with conduct disorders. Specific cases are also included in my findings, in which students have made significant academic and social gains when allowed to make independent choices, engage in research, and collaborate with peers through the use of computer-assisted instruction.
 
 

Research has shown that Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) may help BD students academically by increasing their time on task and decreasing disruptive behavior.(2)  The computer offers a personalized learning environment "without the complications of adult interactions or behavioral control issues."(6) CAI is a useful aide to teachers by providing learner control and immediate feedback to students unable to function in the regular education environment. How teachers develop programs for the emotionally and behaviorally disabled is vital to their success. Most schools have limited funding for computer resources, therefore, cooperative learning on computers can serve two purposes: that of cost-effectiveness, and improvement of social skills.

Because students with behavior problems have difficulty getting along with others and often have accompanying learning disorders, a competitive environment where individuals are rewarded is not conducive to feelings of well being or academic success. When these students work in small groups, they are able to learn teamwork through sharing a common goal and their rewards are greater, due to group recognition. Students in cooperative settings achieve significantly higher on post-tests than do students in an individualistic task structure.(3) Furthermore, students in cooperative groups show better understanding of each other, develop better peer relationships, and gain support from their peers. When applied to the mainstream, disabled students paired with non-disabled students gain understanding and form successful peer relationships.(7) Slavin, in 1977, found that a cooperative learning group in a special school for BD students improved on-task behavior and positive interactions between students. (4) Students showing difficulty in reading or math skills were, as stated, reinforced by others in the group, without the isolation of individual learning, hence individual failure.

Students engaged in computer lessons make more academic gains than those involved in similar learning tasks off the computer. Plienis and Romanczk noted that BD students' behavior was considerably less disruptive in a computer setting than compared to a similarly designed teacher setting. (5) Students remained in their assigned areas and required less teacher redirection to the task. Focus on the task was apparent, and students were reluctant to end their sessions. CAI has been shown to increase attention, improve academic and behavioral performances, and provide a motivating learning environment for BD students.(8) Attention-deficit-disordered students have benefited through CAI because of independent practice and increased active learning time. When reward activities were offered, students chose the computer over other free time activities, furthering academic goals.(5,6)
 

My research on computer-assisted instruction took place over a three month period of time, and focused on specific behaviors in the classroom vs. computer room settings. The students in my primary classroom (ages five to nine) have a wide range of abilities and a variety of handicapping conditions. All are considered too difficult for the school system, and have been referred to the center for diagnoses, behavioral modifications, and I.E.P development. Students are paired at each computer, and alloted 30 minutes each hour for individual work. The remaining 30 minutes is spent in cooperative learning time with adult supervision.
 

Behavior Key

Aggression:  Hitting, striking, biting, kicking, scratching, throwing objects.  Also includes verbal threats of violence, and acts requiring physical intervention.

Self-Injurious Behavior:  Head butting, biting self, cutting, maiming, etc... Students often appear
battered.  Many require helmets or arm/leg splints and mitts.

Non-Compliance:  Acts of defiance, ignoring adult requests, resisting schedule changes, running during transitions, refusal to comply with classroom activities.
 
 

    Student         Diagnosis                       Classroom                                      Computer
 

Joey S.	ADHD,  ODD,  Communi -cation Disorder,  Conduct Disorder,  Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, MMR	Aggression Daily Average:   6 incidents per hour	S.I.Behavior Daily Average:   3 incidents per hour	Non-Compliance Daily Average:     14 incidents per hour	Aggression Daily Average:   2 incidents per hour	S.I.Behavior Daily Average:   1 incident per hour	Non-compliance Daily Average:     3 incidents per hour
Renei M.	MMR, ODD, Schizo -phrenia,  Traumatic Brain Injured,  Communi -cation  Disordered,  Autistism, Behavior  Disordered	Aggression Daily Average:     12 incidents per hour	S.I.Behavior Daily Average:     15 incidents per hour	Non-Compliance Daily Average:       3 incidents per hour	Aggression Daily Average:     4 incidents per hour	S.I.Behavior Daily Average:     6 incidents per hour	Non-compliance Daily Average:     1 incident per hour
Anthony Y.	ADHD, ODD,  Conduct  Disordered, Learning Disordered	Aggression Daily Average:   3 incidents per hour	S.I.Behavior Daily Average:   0	Non-Compliance Daily Average:     8 incidents per hour	Aggression Daily Average:   1 incident per hour	S.I.Behavior Daily Average:   0	Non-compliance Daily Average:   0
Jeremy M.	Autistism, Communi- cation  Disorder Moderately Mentally Handicap -ped	Aggression Daily Average:   0	S.I.Behavior Daily Average:   5 incidents per hour	Non-Compliance Daily Average:     18 incidents per hour	Aggression Daily Average:   0	S.I.Behavior Daily Average:   3 incidents per hour	Non-compliance Daily Average:   1 incidents per hour
Megan L.	Autism, Hearing Impaired, MMR	Aggression Daily Average:   0	S.I.Behavior Daily Average:   7 incidents per hour	Non-Compliance Daily Average:     16 incidents per hour	Aggression Daily Average:   0	S.I.Behavior Daily Average:   2 incidents per hour	Non-compliance Daily Average:   5 incidents per hour
Matthew Y.	Mildly Mentally Handicap -ped, ODD, Communi- cation Disordered	Aggression Daily Average:   0	S.I.Behavior Daily Average:   0	Non-Compliance Daily Average:     15 incidents per hour	Aggression Daily Average:   0	S.I.Behavior Daily Average:   0	Non-compliance Daily Average:   8 incidents per hour
Betty G.	Autism,  MMR,  Visually Handicap -ped,  CP	Aggression Daily Average:   3 incidents per hour	S.I.Behavior Daily Average:   6 incidents per hour	Non-Compliance Daily Average:     10 incidents per hour	Aggression Daily Average:   2 incidents per hour	S.I.Behavior Daily Average:   5 incidents per hour	Non-compliance Daily Average:   9 incidents per hour
Michael R.	Communi- cation Disordered, ODD, Conduct Disorder	Aggression Daily Average:   1 incident per hour	S.I.Behavior Daily Average:   0	Non-Compliance Daily Average:     17 incidents per hour	Aggression Daily Average:   0	S.I.Behavior Daily Average:   0	Non-compliance Daily Average:   12 incidents per hour

 
 
 

When cooperative learning is applied to CAI, the benefits increase. Positive groups ensure that members of the team must agree before choices are finalized, spelling and content must be checked by members, further enhancing proofreading skills, and finally, groups can evaluate the meaning and validity of the project. In order to ensure success, groups must be small and carefully selected by the teacher for compatible personalities and heterogeneous social and academic skills. BD students may need guided practice and supervision in order to ultimately succeed with their groups. Rewards must be in place for these students which motivate but do not override the importance of the lesson or of learning social skills within the group. Furthermore, software should be adaptable to skill levels, user friendly with clear instructions, and integral to the activity.

For individual or group use, chosen software should allow students to work at their own pace, provide immediate reinforcement, and offer neutral corrections. Computer activities should actively involve the student so that he learns by doing. For EBD students with histories of academic failure, the software should include remedial assistance. Students should also be allowed to track their own progress through software add-ons or in-program records, thereby gaining control over their own learning. Games should be considered part of the educational program in that they strengthen fine visual/motor skills, develop self-esteem, and intensify curiosity. Students who are given free time for computers should be encouraged to work with higher order games in order to develop response time, problem-solving skills, and develop creativity.(6)
 

My results concur with other studies on behaviorally disordered students and computer-assisted instruction.  The optimistic findings may be the result of one or more combinations of computer-assisted instruction that include visual/auditory stimulation, creative programs, structure, hands-on applications, and student control over the learning environment.  Providing adequate educational experiences for students with emotional and behavior disorders is difficult in the traditional classroom setting, but when given the opportunity to grow academically through CAI, these students gain confidence, skills, and abilitities that can ultimately bring about positive changes and aid in the return to the mainstream.
 

2. Carmen, G.O. & Kosberg, B. (1982) Educational Technology Research: Computer Technology and the Education of Emotionally Handicapped Children. Educational Technology, 22 (2), 26-30

3. Johnson D. W., Johnson, R.T., Warring, D., and Maruyama, G. (1986) Different Cooperative Learning Procedures and Cross-Handicap Relationships. Exceptional Children, 53. 247-252.

4. Slavin, R.E. (1977) A Student Team Approach to Teaching Adolescents with Special Emotional and Behavioral Needs. Psychology in the Schools, 14, 77-84.

5. Plienis, A.J., and Romanczyk, R.G. (1985) Analysis of Performance, Behavior, and Predictors for Severely Disturbed Children: A Comparison of Adult vs. Computer Instruction. Analysis and Intervention in Developmental Disabilities, 5, 345-346.

6. Fitzgerald, Gail. Computer-Assisted Instruction for Students with Attentional Difficulties. Journal of Learning Disabilities v19 n6 p376-79 Jun-Jul 1986.

7. Craver, James M. Technology Links to Literacy: A Case Book of Special Educators' Use of Technology to Promote Literacy. Council for Exceptional Children, Institution Macro International, Inc. 1990.

8. Diggs, Craig S. Technology: A Key to Unlocking At-Risk Students. Learning and Leading with Technology, v.25, n.2, 1997.
 
 
 
 

Special Needs software:

http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/mhudson/ITresource.html

http://www.edbydesign.com/ebdsw/index.html

http://www.saveright.com/digital/educational_software.htm
 

Related Website Articles:
Using Computers to Initiate Active Learning for Students with Severe Behavior Problems

The Benefits of Information Technology