By Keishla Pesantes
This issue of NASET’s Classroom Management series was written by Keishla Pesantes, and focuses on a literature review of social-emotional learning and interventions among students with disabilities. Students with varying disabilities are at an increased chance of developing social-emotional rooted issues when compared to non-disabled peers. Identifying positive social emotional interventions for students with disabilities ensures a positive expansion in self-determination, self- advocacy, and problem-solving skills. In this literature review, the articles assessed reflect the impact of specific evidence-based interventions on the social- emotional learning (SEL) of students with disabilities studied within the last few years (2018-2023). These articles represent common themes on interpersonal relationships and the key in structured routines for this population of students to improve in their social- emotional skills.
Abstract
Students with varying disabilities are at an increased chance of developing social-emotional rooted issues when compared to non-disabled peers. Identifying positive social emotional interventions for students with disabilities ensures a positive expansion in self-determination, self- advocacy, and problem-solving skills. In this literature review, the articles assessed reflect the impact of specific evidence-based interventions on the social- emotional learning (SEL) of students with disabilities studied within the last few years (2018-2023). These articles represent common themes on interpersonal relationships and the key in structured routines for this population of students to improve in their social- emotional skills.
Keywords: Disabilities, Interventions, Social-Emotional, SEL
Social-Emotional Learning and Interventions Among Students with Disabilities: Literature Review
The need for social-emotional learning (SEL) is vital to the development of any person. In particular, people with disabilities may benefit even more from SEL practices within the school and home environment. Currently, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004), Section 300.114, states that students are to be placed in a least restrictive environment to ensure that they are appropriately placed considering the nature of the person’s disability. This ensures that students are offered the opportunity to sit in classrooms with their nondisabled peers and/or placed in the special education classroom only by the considerations of their needs. Under this mandate, public agencies such as schools must adhere to providing students the resources and accommodations to actively acclimate to the inclusive classroom. In the inclusive classroom environment, students of varying disabilities are given the opportunity to participate in the general education environment alongside students without disabilities, but their social-emotional being compared to their peers may not always be taken into consideration. Students with disabilities in the inclusion classroom are at a lower disadvantage both academically and holistically when their disability affects their social-emotional development (Berry Kuchle, Zumeta Edmonds, Danielson, Peterson, & Riley-Tillman, 2015).
SEL works on improving a student’s emotional stability, developing personal goals, self-awareness, maintaining personal relationships, and effective decision-making skills. It is important to seek interventions in producing positive behavioral changes in students with disabilities as it impacts their present and future selves. Effective self-management skills are needed to promote positive behaviors and prevent unwanted behaviors from arising. Based on the National Center for Special Education Research, 61 percent of children with emotional behavioral disturbances (EBD) , 42 percent of students with learning disabilities (LD), and 40 percent with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are reported to argue in class (https://ies.ed.gov/ncser/pubs/nlts2200603/disability.asp). EBD, LD, and students with ASD demonstrate a high need in SEL and may have difficulty controlling their behaviors without. SEL and interventions are essential to the student in the classroom, at home, and for their future lives. These interventions when practiced early on can help promote employee skills an employer may want, improve academic scores, earn social-emotional skills, and gain a better attitude about themselves/others.
Common Themed Interventions
Intervention Types
The articles reviewed detailed two common interventions in SEL: the involvement of interpersonal relationships that students were engaged in and the level of structure in a student’s academic and personal life. The following articles capture interventions based on interpersonal relationships. Andrew Scheef and Beth Buyserie (2020) address the relationships between non-disabled peers and students with disabilities. Farmer et al. (2018) relates the impact of the teacher’s “invisible hand” in inter-peer relationships and establishing the ecology of the classroom. Sinclair et al. (2019) focuses on peer-assisted learning strategies to reduce disruptive behaviors. Similarly, Tammy Jeaneen Graham and Renee N. Jefferson (2019) and Chen et al. (2020) magnify the importance of person-oriented approaches directed towards SEL.
Furthermore, interventions based on organization and structured routines improve SEL of students with disabilities as determined in the following articles. Farmer et al. (2018) also relates the impact of the teacher’s “invisible hand” in the routine structure of the classroom. Notably, Alyssa J. Robert and Forrest R. Parker III (2020) studied compiled lessons on interventions to increase self-advocacy in students with disabilities and implemented organizational strategies into these lessons.
Interpersonal Relationships
Interpersonal relationships are based on the social interactions made with your loved ones, coworkers, classmates, teachers, etc. Building interpersonal relationships for the student with disabilities can be difficult but according to Tammy Jeaneen Graham and Renee N. Jefferson (2019) a constructive impact of mentorship between positive adult role models and this population of students helps increase SEL. Creating a positive rapport between the student who struggles with social- emotional skills and an adult helps reduce unwanted behaviors and improve academic success. To add on, another study researched and determined that students with disabilities tended to place less value in schoolwork, have a lower sense of school belonging, and exhibit greater emotional risk in academic engagement compared to students without disabilities (Chen et al. 2020). Graham and Jefferson (2019), illustrated personal growth of four students who were struggling in three specific skills: academic performance, social skills, and work completion rates. These four students were set to work with four college level students who were completing a degree in education. With the time and interventions targeting social skills, the mentees gained the feeling of having someone who understands them. Oftentimes, behaviors are based on different factors that can commonly lead back to attention seeking and the need for understanding. The teachers of these students reported an increase in self-advocacy, social skills, and reduced number of behavior infractions. One student significantly decreased his disciplinary referrals by 90 percent after a mentorship from sixth grade to eighth grade (Graham & Jefferson, 2019).
Likewise, in the investigation and understanding of the benefits of positive interpersonal relationships between students with disabilities and others, it can be noted that inter-peer relationships also increase the SEL of students with disabilities. This population of students tends to adjust based on social interventions that rely on interpersonal opportunities (Farmer et al. 2018). These opportunities are often presented in the classroom. Accordingly, the social dynamics of an environment can develop a student’s social understanding and interaction. Inter-peer relationships boost social dynamics of a classroom through the “invisible hand” provided by teachers (Farmer et al. 2018). The “invisible hand” refers to the guidance of the teacher in the building of the classroom ecology. It can shape how students interact to help in the development of student relationships. It would be the teacher’s guidance to use grouping strategies such as positive role models to be seated near specific students for peers to interact and promote imitation, reciprocation, and complementarity (Farmer et al. 2018). These three interactions guide children with disabilities to better understand social expectations. As mirrored in the following case, peer-assisted learning strategies (PALS) was implemented to reduce disruptive behavior among students with disabilities (Sinclair et al. 2019). PALS included peer tutoring as one of its organized instruction platforms and worked at decreasing behavior and increasing academic engagement (Sinclair et al. 2019). Students working with their non-disabled classmates has shown benefits for both sets of students. Students without disabilities who work with those with disabilities have shown increased comfortability and are able to reflect more personally (Scheef & Buyserie, 2020). Working with others who are positive role models greatly benefits both parties whether disabled or not. Social-emotional skills increase within further intervention of interpersonal relationships.
Organization
Another intervention commonly addressed in the development of social-emotional skills is structured instruction that teaches self-advocacy and organization. A study conducted on providing explicit self-advocacy skills showed an increasingly high difference when compared to students who did not receive the intervention (Robert & Parker, 2020). Interventions to increase self-advocacy as a part of SEL were arranged by organizational strategies such as learning and creating schedules/ routines, note-taking, agenda utilization, etc. (Robert & Parker, 2020). In this two-year study, the percentages of students who failed at least one course decreased from 30.4 percent to 21.6 percent after interventions (Robert & Parker, 2020). The effects of this study showed increased understanding of resources and strategies available for the student with disabilities to utilize to their advantage to promote SEL.
Comparably, the “invisible hand” mentioned previously can be used to engage the classroom environment into a preferred classroom ecology that is well managed (Farmer et al. 2018). The routine of the classroom can control the outcomes of SEL in the classroom. The maintenance of how a classroom is relationally organized is pertinent to the functions of the students in the classroom (Farmer et al. 2018). A teacher must be aware of the social dynamics of the classroom when organizing student interactions. An overtly passionate student with aggressive strategies may marginalize the student who is more reserved (Farmer et al. 2018). A teacher needs to provide the structure in the classroom for students to practice those interpersonal relationships because it is all interconnected.
Conclusion
Social emotional learning is described as the development of self-awareness, self- management, self-advocacy, making and attaining goals, establishing personal relationships, responsible decision making, and emotional awareness of others. It is crucial for teachers to implement strategies in the classroom that enforce interpersonal interactions and structured organization needs to the day of students with disabilities. Students with varying disabilities pose a risk of facing behavioral issues that can be addressed through SEL. The biggest indication of positive influence in the SEL of a child with a disability is the connections with the people around them. Social dynamics strongly influence everyone and greatly impact the child looking for acceptance and understanding. Through these interventions’ students can learn to interact with others to work on social skills and organize themselves to increase self-confidence in ways that boost self-worth. Through the help of the teacher and home environment, healthy interventions show students that it is much more than academics and that the general understanding is to help them as a whole person.
References
Berry Kuchle, L. B., Zumeta Edmonds, R., Danielson, L. C., Peterson, A., & Riley-Tillman, T. C. (2015). The next big idea: A framework for integrated academic and behavioral intensive intervention. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 30, 150–158. doi:10.1111/ldrp.12084
Bierman, K. L., & Sanders, M. T. (2021). Teaching Explicit Social-Emotional Skills with Contextual Supports for Students with Intensive Intervention Needs. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 29(1), 14–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/1063426620957623
Chen, C.-C., Farmer, T. W., Hamm, J. V., Brooks, D. S., Lee, D., Norwalk, K., Lambert, K., Dawes, M., Sterrett, B., & Rizzo, K. (2020). Emotional and Behavioral Risk Configurations, Students with Disabilities, and Perceptions of the Middle School Ecology. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 28(3), 180–192. https://doi.org/10.1177/1063426619866829
Farmer, T.W., Dawes, M., Hamm, J.V., Lee, D., Mehtaji, M., Hoffman, A.S., & Brooks, D.S. (2018). Classroom Social Dynamics Management: Why the Invisible Hand of the Teacher Matters for Special Education.Remedial and Special Education. 39 (3) 177–192. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932517718
Graham, T.J., & Jefferson, R.N. (2019) School Based Mentoring for Middle Schoolers: The impact on Mentees and Their Pre-Service Teacher Mentors. Educational Renaissance, 8, 48-59.https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1245799.pdf
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, H.R. 1350, 108th Congress (2004).
U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Special Education Research, National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2), Wave 1 parent interviews, 2001; Wave 1 teacher survey, 2002; and Wave 1 student’s school program survey, 2002. https://ies.ed.gov/ncser/pubs/nlts2200603/tables/table_01.asp
Robert, A.J., & Parker III, F.R. (2020). Effect of a Self-Advocacy Intervention on the GPA of Students with Disabilities. Journal of Research in Education, 29(2), 119-137. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1274024.pdf
Scheef, A., & Buyserie, B. (2020). Student Development Through Involvement: Benefits of Peer Support Arrangements. Journal of At-Risk Issues, 23 (2), 1-8. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1286546.pdf
Sinclair, A. C., Gesel, S. A., & Lemons, C. J. (2019). The Effects of Peer-Assisted Learning on Disruptive Behavior and Academic Engagement. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 21(4), 238–248. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098300719851227
