Bibliotherapy and Its Effectiveness in an Elementary School Setting with Special Needs Students who have Emotional Disturbance Disorders

Educators and mental health professionals often look for intervention plans to help young students cope with psychological issues that arise from having an emotional disturbance disability (EDD). Anxiety disorder, conduct disorder, and bipolar disorder are a few examples of EDD. A review of the literature revealed that some type of early intervention is essential for students with EDD. Bibliotherapy is an intervention that has the potential to help students and families improve their quality of life. The purpose of this study is to obtain information on the effects of bibliotherapy on the social and emotional development of special needs students. For this study, the researcher received permission to gather information through interviews with educational professionals experienced in working with children with special needs. Their narrative discussions formed the data collection section of this study. Preliminary findings indicated that bibliotherapy is a positive intervention in helping students with an array of emotional and behavioral needs in learning coping strategies. Keywords: Bibliotherapy, Special Needs Students, Social/Emotional Development, Emotional Disturbance Disability (EDD