5 Signs of Emotional Disturbance

Children with emotional disturbance display behaviors that are not typical for their given age or culture. Read about 5 core characteristics of children with emotional and behavioral disabilities.

Students with emotional disturbance frequently display externalizing, or acting-out behaviors. This includes noncompliance, such as ignoring the teacher or not following directions.

Other children with emotional and behavioral disabilities can be the opposite of aggressive. They may have severe depression, mood or anxiety disorders.

Destructive behaviors of children with emotional or behavioral disabilities almost always leads to academic failure.

IQ tests measure how well students perform on given tasks during a certain time. Considering that IQ tests are affected by previous learning and attending to the task at hand, students who have difficulty paying attention in class—like students with behavioral disorders—may not do as well on IQ tests.

Some children with mild intellectual disabilities may have great social skills, and other kids may need social skills training. Students may have trouble understanding the content of interactions and expectations for friendships.