Emotional Support

To support this commitment, we offer Customized Professional Development and Technical Assistance specifically tailored for emotional support teachers and classroom teams supporting students with emotional behavioral needs. This project is designed to equip educators with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively support their students' emotional and educational needs. By focusing on practical, evidence-based strategies, we aim to enhance the capacity of our teachers to create a supportive, engaging, and inclusive learning environment. 
Our Emotional Support Project is comprised of educational consultants with experience in emotional support, autism support, elementary and secondary education.   The goal is to support Pennsylvania intermediate units and school districts by building local capacity to serve students with diverse learning and challenging behavioral needs.  In collaboration with our local intermediate unit TaC, we provide onsite support: technical assistance and consultation, resources, and interrelated evidence-based professional development to support the educational needs of the students with emotional behavior disorders.  Topics of technical assistance and support may include positive classroom behavior supports, classroom management, effective instruction in academic, behavior and social emotional skill development, function-based interventions and more. For more information about requesting customized technical assistance and professional development visit:  Apply Here
 

Our efforts in providing Customized Professional Development and Technical Assistance are in direct alignment with our broader goals to Attract, Prepare, and Retain high-quality Special educators in the field of emotional support. By offering targeted networking, support and resources, we aim to attract new talent to this vital area, prepare them with the skills they need to succeed, and retain them through ongoing professional development opportunities. This holistic approach ensures that both our veteran educators and our new educators are well-equipped to meet the diverse needs of their students, contributing to a more effective and supportive educational system for all.

In the 2023-2024 school year, 26, 375 students were identified in Pennsylvania schools as having a primary disability of emotional disturbance. Emotional Behavior Disorders is a high incidence disability which means it is common in public education. Social, emotional and behavior supports are an integral part of a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). Many students with emotional behavior disorders are served in a General Education classroom for some or all of the school day while some students may need more intensive supports. Students with emotional support needs may also be classified under other disability categories (ex. Other Health Impairment-OHI) or have not been formally identified.
Sec. 300.8 (c) (4) IDEA Federal Regulations 

(4)(i) Emotional disturbance means a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child’s educational performance:  
(A) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.  
(B) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.  
(C) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.  
(D) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.  
(E) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.  
(ii) Emotional disturbance includes schizophrenia. The term does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance under paragraph (c)(4)(i) of this section 
4 in 10 students report feeling sad or hopeless and nearly one third experienced poor mental health. (CDC, 2021) 
1 in 5 students seriously considered attempting suicide. (CDC, 2021) 

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study, 12.6% participants reported experiencing 4 or more ACES. Those who experience 4 or more ACES are at significantly greater risk for health problems, such as heart disease and Alzheimer’s. They are also 12x more likely to attempt suicide, 7x more likely to be an alchoholic, and 4x more likely to inject drugs.
Research suggests that approximately 25% of American children will experience at least one traumatic event by the age of 16.  A child’s reaction to trauma can interfere considerably with learning and/or behavior at school.  Schools serve as a critical system of support for children who have experienced trauma. NCTSN.org

We often identify mental health disorders under umbrella terms such emotional disturbance, behavioral disorder or mental illness which can include a wide range of specific conditions such as anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, conduct disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders and psychotic disorders. Since these are not educational disability categories, students with these medical diagnoses may fall under the educational disability category of Emotional Disturbance or Other Health Impairment. It’s important to note that students may have these medical diagnoses and may not require special education services, instead receive accommodations through Section 504 Service Agreements. 

ES Intensive Skills Training for Students with Emotional Behavior Disorders (3 Day Training Series) 

Description: This series is designed to assist multi-disciplinary teams meet the needs of students with emotional behavior disorders in various settings. Teachers and administrators often struggle with offering a balance of high-quality and effective instructional practices while establishing behavior management systems that result in every student experiencing success. In this training, noting applicability to students of all instructional levels, a review of effective instructional strategies and procedures for delivering high-quality instruction will be covered. This will not only include direct instruction techniques but also establishing a cooperative learning environment, identifying different types of assessment, and data recording to inform instruction and intervention matching. This series includes addressing both academic and behavioral skills through implementation of evidence-based practices. A short preview of some behavior skills that will be reviewed include establishing instructional control and teaching self-advocacy skills. Additionally, Trauma informed practices along with tips to increasing family engagement will be included. An emphasis will be placed on effective instruction methodologies, standards aligned instruction, school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), advanced tier interventions such individual token economies, behavior contracts, self-monitoring checklists, and implementation of positive behavior support plans. Tips for training classroom team members to implement interventions with fidelity leading to increased positive outcomes for students will be covered.  

PaTTAN East	PaTTAN Central	PaTTAN West
Fall 9/23/25, 10/7/25 12/2/25 Winter 2/19/26, 3/19/26, 4/9/26      8:30-3:30  Face-to-Face	Summer 8/19/25, 9/16/25, 10/14/25   Fall 9/23/25, 10/21/25, 11/4/25 Winter 1/13/26, 2/10/26, 3/10/26    8:30-3:30   Face-to-Face	Fall 9/10/25, 10/8/25, 11/5/25 Winter 1/6/26 2/3/26 3/3/26      8:30-3:30   Face-to-Face

 

Attract Prepare Retain Networking and Learning Opportunities for Emotional Support Teachers (6 after hours sessions) 

Description: This professional learning community will provide emotional support teachers and classroom team members with research-based practices to support their implementation of academic, behavior and social-emotional learning for all students.  Each session will begin with a guest speaker who will introduce participants to resources that will enhance their understanding and use of proactive strategies to address student social emotional wellness.  Networking will take place after the presentation so teachers can dive deeper into each topic and discuss ways to apply the information presented.  

Topics: Trauma Informed Care, Supporting Students through Dysregulation, Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) in schools, Data Informed Instruction for Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors, Meet All students needs through Compassion 

APR ES Networking

Virtual 6:00p-8:00p

9/10/25,  11/5/25,  1/7/26,  3/4/26

 

Quality Indicators of Emotional Support Programs

PaTTAN East	PaTTAN Central	PaTTAN West	Schoology
3/26/26 9:00a-1:15p Face-to-Face	11/5/2025 9:00a-1:15p Face-to-Face	11/19/2025 9:00a-1:15p Face-to-Face	9/8/2025-11/3/2025 9/12/2025-2/23/2025

1. ABC of Behavior- An overview of how to analyze human behavior through an environmental lens of conditions preceding a behavioral response, defining the behavioral response, and the change in conditions following behavioral response. 
2. Reinforcement-A review of the definition and types for teams to understand the effects of reinforcement.
3. Helpful Terms for Effective Teaching- An overview of helpful acronyms and terminology for classroom teams to understand and teach prosocial behaviors to students.
4. Tips for Setting up your classroom- An overview of setting up your classroom environment to ensure the classroom is organized, structured, sanitized and free of clutter and furniture is arranged to meet the needs of your students. 
5. Tips for developing your classroom schedule- Step by step guide to developing a classroom schedule to meet the needs of all students including benefits of wall schedule, tips for developing and an example template for building.
6. Reinforcement Survey- Tool for surveying students to ensure the most effective use of reinforcers by routinely monitoring the effectiveness of reinforcers 
7. Tips for Developing your classroom store- Step by step guide for developing an effective class wide reward system including a classroom store to meet the needs of your students.
8. Safety Procedures- Tips for setting up schoolwide and classroom safety procedures to ensure a plan to keep all students and staff safe during an escalated situation or crisis event
9. De-Escalation Tips- Tips for classroom team members to help defuse an escalating student through effective de-escalation techniques.
10. Positive Classroom Behavior Supports Plan Template- Template for self-evaluation and developing all components of your classroom management system including classroom expectations, routines, procedures, classroom layout, attention signal, procedures for encouraging appropriate behavior including teaching procedures, reward systems and correction procedures.