Education and Treatment of Children - Characteristics of Students with Emotional Disturbance Manifesting Internalizing Behaviors: A Latent Class Analysis

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dhado

Students receiving special education services for emotional disturbance (ED) present educators with complex challenges that include both externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Prior research has emphasized externalizing behaviors, leaving internalizing profiles less examined. This study uses a nationally representative sample and latent class analysis to identify an internalizing class, then evaluates student characteristics through direct assessment and compares teacher perceptions with students’ self-reports. Results show about 7% of students exhibit internalizing behaviors and teacher in-class ratings align with student self-reports.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Context and Research Gap

Definitions: Internalizing vs. Externalizing Behaviors

Study Approach and Objectives

Key Findings

EDUCATION AND TREATMENT OF CHILDREN Vol. 36, No. 4, 2013 Characteristics of Students with Emotional Disturbance Manifesting Internalizing Behaviors: A Latent Class Analysis Nicholas A. Gage University of Florida Abstract Students receiving special education services for emotional disturbance (ED) present school personnel with many challenges and those challenges can typically be described as the manifestation of externalizing and internalizing behaviors. To date, most research has focused on students exhibiting externalizing behaviors. This study addresses this gap by examining (a) prevalence of students receiving special education services for ED manifesting internalizing behaviors,(b) characteristics of students with ED manifesting internalizing behaviors, and (c) the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of internalizing behaviors and students’ self-report of internalizing behaviors. Using a nationally representative sample of students receiving special education services for ED, a latent class analysis was conducted to identify an internalizing class of students. Characteristics of those students were then examined based on a direct assessment of students. Results indicate that approximately 7% of students receiving special education services for ED manifest internalizing behaviors and that teachers’ ratings of in-class behavior were accurate when compared with students’ self-report of internalizing behaviors. Students receiving special education services for Emotional Distur bance (ED) present many challenges to educators and have among the worst short and long term outcomes among students with high incidence disabilities, including poor academic achievement, high suspension and drop-out rates, and increased risk for arrest (Bradley, Doolittle, & Bartolotta, 2008; Bradley, Henderson, & Monfore, 2004). Complicating intervention efforts is heterogeneity within the disability category (Wagner, Kutash, Duchnowski, Epstein, & Sumi, 2005), with students manifesting a myriad of social, emotional, and behavioral characteristics and profiles. ED heterogeneity can be mediated via two classes of behavior: externalizing and internalizing behaviors (Kauffman & Landrum, 2012). Externalizing behaviors are characterized Preparation of this article was supported, in part, by a grant from the Institute for Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education (R324B080007) . Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position of the U.S. Department of Education, and such endorsements should not be inferred. Correspondence regarding this article should be addressed to Nicholas A. Gage; e-mail: [gagenicholas@gmail.com](gagenicholas@gmail.com) 128 NICHOLAS A. GAGE as behavioral patterns directed outwardly toward the social environment and include aggression, disruption, and hyperactivity. Internalizing behaviors are characterized as behavior patterns directed inwardly towards oneself and include depression, socialwithdrawal, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, and selective mutism (Gresham & Kern, 2004; Morris, Shah, & Morris, 2002). Students with internalizing behaviors may have difficulty making and sustaining friendships absent of concomitant aggressive behavior, display depressed affect consistently across multiple settings, or be extremely reluctant to speak even though they have the requisite skills (Kendiziora, 2004). Typically, prevalence statistics for students receiving special education services for ED, including the annual Individuals with Disabilities Education ACT (IDEA, 2004) Reports to Congress (U.S. Department of Education, 2008) and research estimates (e.g., Forness, Freeman, Paparella, Kauffman, & Walker, 2012), aggregate all students within the ED category together, regardless of emotional or behavioral profile (i.e., internalizing, externalizing, comorbid) . Studies have examined differential characteristics of students receiving special education services for ED (e.g., Wagner et al., 2

FAQs

What gap does the study address about emotional disturbance (ED)?

It addresses the limited focus of prior research on externalizing behaviors by examining internalizing behaviors in students receiving special education services for ED, including teacher and student perspectives.

How did the study identify an internalizing group?

It used a latent class analysis on a nationally representative sample of students receiving special education services for ED to identify an internalizing class.

What relationship did the study find between teacher ratings and student self-reports?

Teachers’ in-class behavior ratings of internalizing behaviors were accurate when compared with students’ self-report of internalizing behaviors.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dhado