More than 2 decades ago, Hallahan and Kauffman and others suggested a cross-categorical approach to teaching students identified with high-incidence disabilities (i.e., emotional— behavioral disabilities, learning disabilities, and mild intellectual disabilities) because their behavioral and academic characteristics were seen to be more similar than different. Since that time, more than 150 articles and other works have discussed and compared the characteristics of students across these high-incidence disability categories. This descriptive review examined 34 studies comparing various characteristics of students with high-incidence disabilities. The results indicate that students with emotional— behavioral disabilities, learning disabilities, and mild intellectual disabilities do not differ markedly in social adjustment, but do display considerably different cognitive and behavioral profiles. Implications for instruction and placement are discussed.

Implementation of universal design for learning (UDL) in undergraduate special education programs offers a valuable foundation for training preservice teachers to educate K-12 students in rural schools. In this article, we provide an overview of UDL and the integration of multiple means of representation, engagement, and expression in assessment, classroom management, and instructional planning courses. We share examples of faculty modeling, guided instruction, and preservice teacher application of UDL components with case studies and K-12 students in practicum experiences. We discuss challenges, implications, and next steps for integrating UDL in rural university and K-12 classrooms to meet the needs of diverse learners.

The present study examined problem characteristics of students with emotional disturbance in 3 educational environments, the behavior management and intervention strategies their teachers used, and what relation exists between problem characteristics and intervention strategies. Teachers completed a behavior problems rating scale and they indicated how frequently they used 15 strategies to address academic, externalizing, and internalizing problems. There were significant differences across environments for only 1 characteristic of emotional disturbance, physical symptoms or fears. Teachers in general education settings mainly addressed academic problems; resource/separate classroom educators used instructional, positive, and reductive strategies for academic and externalizing problems and verbal reinforcement for internalizing problems. Separate school educators used a variety of strategies consistently for all 3 problems. Implications for supporting students with emotional disturbance across educational environments are discussed.

The five characteristics of emotional disturbance (ED) as stated in the IDEA definition and a variable called socially maladjusted, were investigated. Participants were African American and European American elementary school boys and girls, 336 with ED and 548 without ED. Variables were measured with the Scale for Assessing Emotional Disturbance. Students with ED exceeded those without ED on all characteristics. Student category and race interacted for all characteristics in various ways. There were also interactions of category and gender. Among students with ED, one form of comorbidity was more prevalent among girls than boys, but there were no differences by race. Results clarify how students with ED exhibit the five characteristics associated with having ED and the socially maladjusted condition and show the need to consider all five characteristics in understanding the ED disability.

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