For 15 years I have worked with adolescent students who have emotional or behavioral disorders; The most common mental diagnosis I encountered was disorder. Students with conduct disorder are often highly volatile and exhibit persistent antisocial offending. This usually involves student behavior: cruelty to others (can include animals); rego-rum; theft; lying and / or manipulation and / or destruction of property.
According to the Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health website (www.macmh.org): “Receiving a diagnosis of conduct disorder , the child or adolescent must exhibit 3 or more known behaviors in the past 12 months.
Diagnosing the disorder can be complicated because children are constantly changing. This makes it difficult to discern whether the problem is persistent enough to warrant a diagnosis. In some cases, what appears to be a disorder may be a problem of adapting to acute or chronic stress. Many children with conduct disorder also have learning disabilities and about 1/3 are depressed. Many children end up exhibiting behavior problems when they are treated for depression.
The US Department of Health and Human Services estimates that between 6 and 16 percent are males and 2 up to 9 percent of women under the age of 18 have the disorder, which ranges in severity from mild to severe.
The behavior presented by a student’s conduct disorder, in a school setting, can be very challenging. They can, but are not limited;
Lack of empathy
harming or threatening to harm oneself and/or others
The continuous-fraction rule
Lying and/or abusive staff and elders
Defiance and non-compliance
Anger erupts
Destroying property (of self and/or others)
Theft
Needless to say, these students are also often removed from classes, suspended and/or expelled. They often get involved in physical altercations and bring weapons to school. Students with conduct disorder have difficulty with interpersonal relationships and may be abusive to boyfriends/girlfriends.
Because they are defiant, students with conduct disorder are often absent from school and have difficulty with assignments.
If you have a student in class who has been diagnosed with anxiety disorders, here are some ideas to help them;
Avoid giving ultimatums – use options instead.
Calmness and logic in interactions and if students’ behavior escalates. These students like struggles and arguments of virtue.
Select materials that are relevant to students’ lives. Although their skills are at a lower level, they generally do not respond well to material things, which they feel they are below (wise). Look for “high-care, low-capacity” materials.
Do not touch the students.
If the student is ready for work, consider a work-experience program. Disorganized students often do well in work programs in schools because they find an incentive to earn money. .
We will explain the plan ahead of time about what will happen if the student is angry. Make sure parents, staff and students are informed of what will be done and the order of steps that will be safe for the student and others.
Don’t be “envy” against the student and want to start with them. Behavior disordered students have real mental health issues< /a> and are often so overwhelmed and confused by their behavior as those around them.
Shame is a concern of all young people, but it is multiplied in students with behavioral disorders. Modifications and adaptations are implemented in subtle, non-overbearing ways in order to place the student in a sense of dignity and responsibility. Blaming, harsh criticisms will perpetuate these students’ fears of failure and feed into cycles of anger and rage.
Students with conduct disorder often work best in small group or one-on-one settings. They need a lot of structure and clear expectations if they are to be good. Therefore, it is beneficial for doctors who deal with the child to have permission to speak with some mental health. These teachers can help you gain a better understanding of the disorder, and work with you to develop more effective interventions for the student in your classroom. In turn, you give the mental health professional a better insight into how the child is doing in the academic setting, which can help the professional treat the child in a holistic manner.
