An Evaluation of the Behavior Disorders Classroom Program of the Wabash and Ohio Valley Special Education District

The purpose of this study was to determine the relative effectiveness and desirability of identified key components of the behavior disorders program delivered by the Wabash and Ohio Valley Special Education District in southeastern Illinois. Sixty-one school superintendents, building principals, and local coordinators of special education responded to a survey addressing key components of the behavior disorders program: technical assistance, timeliness of the Individualized Education Program process, thoroughness of the Individualized Education Program process, academic remediation, behavioral remediation, transition coordination, and followup services. The results revealed very little discrepancy between each of the groups of administrators according to their responses to each survey question. Consequently, the results were reported according to the group as an aggregate. The data indicate overall agreement that the current behavior disorders program provides effective services in the key component areas and strong agreement that each of the key component areas is a desirable service. Specific recommendations included development of innovative methods removing acting out children from regular education during crisis situations and returning the child to the regular program as quickly as possible, improved support and transition services for maintaining behavior disordered students in the regular program, immediate crisis intervention contingencies for inclusion in the Individualized Education Program with a thorough examination of the presenting problems, and improved curriculum addressing academic and behavioral deficits for behavior disordered students