Screening for emotional and behavioural disorders in school children

We have designed a system to help schools identify children with emotional and behavioural disorders (EBD). We are undertaking this study to determine if the system is acceptable to the school community and to collect information that will allow us to design a full evaluation of the effectiveness of screening. Schools face major dilemmas in serving students with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD). Children and youth with EBD are at higher risk of academic failure, impaired social relationships, escalating rates and forms of aggressive behaviour, substance abuse, and delinquent behaviour. Data are routinely collected by schools that reflect disciplinary referrals from school staff to the school office, suspensions and absenteeism. These might all be indicators for EBD. For the last five years, the investigators have been working with Nova Scotia elementary schools to describe the patterns of routinely-collected disciplinary referral data. In this study, we wish to collect information about the emotional health of students that will help us meet the following objectives: 1) To assess how routinely collected data (disciplinary referrals, suspensions, absenteeism) could help identify children with EBD. 2) To estimate the cost of screening for EBD in a school setting. 3) To describe the emotional health of students in the study schools. Information from this study will then be used to develop a full evaluation of our screening and treatment protocol.