Free Special Education: Teaching Students with Behavioral Disorders and Emotional Disturbances Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the Special Education: Teaching Students with Behavioral Disorders and Emotional Disturbances practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1Which feature most clearly distinguishes a child's emotional difficulty that warrants professional attention from an occasional developmental challenge?

   1. A.The behavior differs from a sibling's behavior during one activity.
   2. B.The difficulty persists for weeks and interferes with school or friendships.Correct answer: B
   3. C.The child becomes disappointed after losing a competitive game.
   4. D.The child occasionally needs an adult's help to settle a disagreement.

   Explanation: NIMH advises seeking help when difficulties "interfere with your child’s functioning at school, at home, or with friends." Persistence and functional interference distinguish this pattern from isolated, expected challenges; this does not itself establish a diagnosis.

   Reference: Children and Mental Health: Is This Just a Stage? — What are the signs of mental health conditions in children?

2. 2Two students have the same EBD classification but substantially different reading and communication skills. Which basis should guide their individualized instructional plans?

   1. A.The curriculum previously used for any student with the same classification.
   2. B.The average performance of students in their disability category.
   3. C.Each student's current evaluation results, strengths, and educational needs.Correct answer: C
   4. D.A shared sequence selected to keep both students on identical assignments.

   Explanation: Section 300.324 requires consideration of "The results of the initial or most recent evaluation of the child" and "The academic, developmental, and functional needs of the child." A shared label cannot substitute for information about individual performance.

   Reference: IDEA Regulations—Development, Review, and Revision of IEP — 34 CFR 300.324(a)(1)(i)–(iv)

3. 3A teacher wants students to retain vocabulary several months after instruction. The words are not otherwise revisited in the course. Which approach follows the IES spacing recommendation?

   1. A.Concentrate all practice into one long session immediately after introduction.
   2. B.Revisit the vocabulary after meaningful delays during later lessons.Correct answer: B
   3. C.End review once students recognize the words during the first lesson.
   4. D.Replace later review with rereading the list twice in the first lesson.

   Explanation: The guide recommends exposure on separate occasions "separated by a period of several weeks to several months." Delayed review supports longer-term retention when normal instruction does not already revisit the content. Massing all practice at introduction does not supply that spacing.

   Reference: Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning — Recommendation 1—Space learning over time, p. 5

4. 4A teacher needs to record how many times a student makes a brief, clearly defined callout during a 20-minute lesson. Which method directly measures this dimension?

   1. A.Duration recording
   2. B.Latency recording
   3. C.Frequency recordingCorrect answer: C
   4. D.Interval recording

   Explanation: IRIS defines frequency recording as "counting how many times the behavior happens in a given period". It counts discrete events. Duration measures elapsed behavior time, latency measures delay, and interval recording samples occurrence in intervals.

   Reference: IRIS—Functional Behavioral Assessment: Collecting Data — Collecting data—systematic direct observation definitions

5. 5For a school-age child covered by IDEA's ordinary LRE requirements, which finding supports removal from regular classes to a separate educational setting?

   1. A.The child's disability category is also served in a separate district program.
   2. B.The nature or severity of the disability prevents satisfactory education in regular classes even with supplementary aids and services.Correct answer: B
   3. C.The regular classroom teacher would prefer that all children learn without individualized supports.
   4. D.The child requires supplementary aids and services that could be delivered in the regular classroom.

   Explanation: Section 300.114 permits removal only when education in regular classes "with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily". A category, preference, or need for supports alone does not establish that condition.

   Reference: IDEA Regulations—Least Restrictive Environment Requirements — 34 CFR 300.114(a)(2)(i)–(ii)

6. 6Why are childhood anxiety and depression sometimes described as internalizing disorders?

   1. A.Their symptoms primarily involve thoughts and feelings.Correct answer: A
   2. B.Their defining symptoms are disruptive actions toward other people.
   3. C.Their defining symptoms are a loss of contact with reality.
   4. D.Their defining symptoms are deficits in intellectual functioning.

   Explanation: CDC explains, "Because the symptoms primarily involve thoughts and feelings, they are sometimes called internalizing disorders." Internalizing refers to the inward nature of the symptoms, rather than disruptive conduct, impaired reality testing, or intellectual deficits.

   Reference: Anxiety and Depression in Children — Overview

7. 7An elementary science unit requires partners to share equipment and discuss observations. Several students with EBD need instruction in taking turns. Which curriculum plan best integrates the social and academic objectives?

   1. A.Plan explicit turn-taking instruction and practice within the science activities.Correct answer: A
   2. B.Remove partner science tasks until every student's turn-taking is fully mastered.
   3. C.Teach turn-taking during a separate period without connecting it to science.
   4. D.Assign permanent equipment handlers so classmates never need to take turns.

   Explanation: The IES panel recommends that teachers "integrate behavioral and social skill-building into their curriculum." Planning instruction in the interaction skills needed by the science task connects social learning to academic access and practice.

   Reference: Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom — Recommendation 3—Potential roadblocks and solutions, Roadblock 3.1, pp. 35–36

8. 8A student is learning to solve a new type of mathematics problem. Which sequence implements the IES recommendation on worked examples?

   1. A.Assign a long set of unsolved problems before showing any solution paths.
   2. B.Have the student copy every example without attempting a similar problem.
   3. C.Present every worked example first and postpone all problem solving.
   4. D.Alternate a worked solution with a similar problem for the student to solve.Correct answer: D

   Explanation: The guide recommends "alternating between worked examples demonstrating one possible solution path and problems that the student is asked to solve". The alternating sequence connects a model to an immediate independent attempt.

   Reference: Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning — Recommendation 2—Interleave worked examples and problems, p. 9

9. 9An observer records 12 callouts during a 20-minute observation. What is the student's average callout rate per minute?

   1. A.0.30 callouts per minute
   2. B.0.60 callouts per minuteCorrect answer: B
   3. C.1.20 callouts per minute
   4. D.1.67 callouts per minute

   Explanation: IRIS gives the formula "Rate = frequency count ÷ length of observation". Dividing 12 by 20 yields 0.60 callouts per minute. Dividing by twice or half the observation time gives 0.30 or 1.20; reversing numerator and denominator gives approximately 1.67.

   Reference: Measuring Behavior — Systematic Direct Observation STAR Sheet—Frequency calculation

10. 10A parent consents to an initial IDEA evaluation. What does that consent establish about beginning special education and related services?

    1. A.It also authorizes the initial provision of all services identified later.
    2. B.It authorizes initial services only if the evaluation confirms a disability.
    3. C.It removes the need to seek consent after eligibility is determined.
    4. D.It does not itself constitute consent for the initial provision of services.Correct answer: D

    Explanation: Section 300.300 states, "Parental consent for initial evaluation must not be construed as consent for initial provision of special education and related services." The evaluation and initial service-consent decisions are separate.

    Reference: IDEA Regulations—Parental Consent — 34 CFR 300.300(a)(1)(ii) and (b)(1)