Serious Emotional Disturbance (defined in IDEA)

 The term serious emotional disturbance means a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects educational performance:

•  a) An inability to learn, which cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors;
•  b) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers;
•  c) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances;
•  d) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression; or
•  e) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with   personal school problems

This definition specifies three conditions that must be met:

• (a) chronicity (the behavior problem has existed over a long period of time
• (b) severity (the child's behavior differs from that of other children to a marked degree), and
• (c) difficulty in school (the student's behavior adversely affects educational performance) and it lists five types of problems that qualify.  

 The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) published by the American Psychiatric Association, (1994) is often used to classify emotional problems. It is an elaborate classification system consisting of 230 separate diagnostic categories or labels to identify the various types of disordered behavior. The DSM-IV offers the following broad categories of behavioral disorders:

•  Conduct disorder: Students may seek attention, are disruptive and act out.
•  Socialized aggression: Students join a subculture group of peers who are openly disrespectful to their peers, teachers, and parents. Common are delinquency, truancy, and dropping out of school.
•  Attention problems -- Immaturity: These students may have attention deficit disorders, are easily distractible and have poor concentration. They may have the tendency to be impulsive and may not think about the consequences of their actions.
•  Anxiety/Withdrawal: These students are self-conscious, reticent, and unsure of themselves. They typically have low self-esteem and withdraw from immediate activities. They are also anxious and frequently depressed.
•  Psychotic behavior: This student displays more bizarre behaviors than others do. They may hallucinate, may deal in a fantasy world, and may even talk in gibberish.
•  Motor Excess: Students with motor excess are hyperactive. They cannot sit still nor listen to others nor keep their attention focused.