Referral of an English Learner for Emotional Disturbance
Sofia is an 8-year-old second grader who moved from Honduras 14 months ago. She receives 45 minutes of English language development daily and is otherwise in general education. Her teacher reports that Sofia 'shuts down' during small-group reading, sometimes pushes classmates in line, and has made little academic progress. The school psychologist plans to administer an English-language behavior rating scale, complete one 20-minute classroom observation, review cumulative records, and bring results to the team as an emotional disturbance evaluation. Sofia's mother, who speaks Spanish, says Sofia is respectful and calm at home, helps care for younger siblings, and has never had behavior problems. The school has no interpreter available for the meeting, and the psychologist notes that Sofia's English is 'limited.'
1. Evaluate the sufficiency and fairness of the proposed assessment plan.
Read the worked answer
The plan is not sufficient for an emotional disturbance evaluation. One English-language rating scale completed by one teacher, one 20-minute observation, and a record review cannot establish a pattern of behavior across settings or rule out language and cultural factors. Sofia is an English learner who has been in the country 14 months; an English-only scale may confuse language difficulty with emotional symptoms. The mother's report is a critical source and is missing. The observation should sample multiple settings and times, not a single snapshot. The assessment must be nondiscriminatory, in the child's native language or mode of communication, and use multiple methods and informants. As proposed, the plan risks both overidentification and a denial of a free appropriate public education. The team should revise it before consent or evaluation.
2. What additional data are needed to distinguish a disability from limited English proficiency, acculturation stress, or other exclusionary factors?
Read the worked answer
The team needs a bilingual assessment or interpreter-supported interviews, a developmental and health history, attendance and mobility records, and information about schooling in Honduras. It should assess language proficiency in Spanish and English, observe Sofia in English language development, small-group reading, lunch, and recess, and compare her behavior with peers who share her language background. Academic data should show whether she is making progress with appropriate instruction. The team should ask about trauma, family separation, immigration stress, sleep, and caregiving responsibilities. A Spanish-language behavior rating scale, parent and teacher interviews, and a student interview would help. The key question is whether the behavior occurs across languages and settings and is not explained by limited English proficiency, lack of instruction, or cultural norms. If the data are inconclusive, the team should not identify; it should implement supports and monitor.
3. How should the team communicate with Sofia's mother and proceed if data remain inconclusive?
Read the worked answer
The school must provide an interpreter and written notice in Spanish, not rely on Sofia to translate or on the mother's limited English. The team should begin by asking what the mother sees at home, what has helped, and what worries her. If data remain inconclusive, the team should not force an emotional disturbance label. It can implement a Tier 2 plan: explicit English language support, social-emotional check-ins, a safe signal for help, and structured small-group entry, while progress monitoring. The team should reconvene in six to eight weeks with data from home and school. If concerns persist, a full bilingual evaluation may be warranted. Throughout, the team should document that exclusionary factors were considered and that the mother was a full participant.