There’s a lot about behavior that can feel really hard. It’s so individualized, and sometimes we just don’t know what to try next or where to go for help. As a special education teacher, we know that we’re not given a ton of tools in our teacher prep program for how to navigate emotional behavioral disorder or how to support behavioral problems in the classroom effectively. 

That’s why I’ve created this blog post to give you actionable accommodations you can use to target inappropriate behavior with tested, effective strategies that will help you feel empowered to address student behavior from a positive standpoint. 

The Why Behind Accommodations

Simply put, accommodations are the changes, or tweaks, we make to help a child succeed in the educational environment. 

With accommodations, we’re not modifying the curriculum, or drastically changing what we offer students as far as instruction, but we are making shifts in how we’re supporting the student to achieving the goals. Essentially, we’re making it more accessible for the student to learn and thrive in classroom on a level playing field as all students-not reducing expectations.

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders are up against unique challenges in the classroom setting. They may be dealing with a mood disorder, trauma histories, anxiety, depression, and more. They may require a mix of social, academic, and emotional supports throughout the day in order to succeed in the school environment and with the general education curriculum. 

The right accommodations will support access to learning, improve longterm outcomes, and reduce classroom disruptions. The list below will help give you a place to start with accommodating for your students with these difficulties. 

Think of accommodations like a bridge, not a shortcut, to getting our students where we want them to go to succeed. 

Understanding Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Emotional and behavioral disorders are conditions that affect a student’s ability to regulate emotions, behavior, or social interactions in a way that interferes with learning. Students with these conditions have special needs that have to be addressed in the learning environment. But please remember, these are just labels- and you should always be going deeper and beyond the label given.  Some of these diagnoses will not display significant behaviors.

Some common diagnoses that fall under this umbrella are:

• Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
• Anxiety Disorders
• Depression
• ADHD (when co-occurring with emotional regulation issues)
• Conduct Disorder
• Trauma-related disorders

Here are some examples of behaviors you may see in the classroom from a student with an emotional and behavioral difficulties:

• Frequent outbursts or defiance
• Avoidance of work
• Withdrawal or shutdowns
• Verbal or physical aggression
• Difficulty transitioning between tasks
• Anxiety-related perfectionism or refusal

Generally, you’ll see patterns to these behavioral and students will likely exhibit a mix of them. Of course, not every student who withdraws or exhibits verbal aggression with have an underlying disorder, but the following accommodations are still great to keep in your back pocket. 

Accommodations for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

When we’re attempting to remove an undesirable behavior, or minimize it, in the classroom, we have to zoom out a bit. It’s never really about the behavior itself. It’s about what that behavior is providing to the student.

Below you’ll find the 5 core areas where we use accommodations in the classroom environment.

Academic Accommodations

When we think about academics, we will likely see students refusing to do work, putting in minimum effort, ripping their papers, etc. Yes, these are negative behaviors that we don’t want to see, but if we zoom out a little, it’s likely that the student doesn’t have the tools to confidently complete the task. 

If we want students to learn, we have to find an effective way of making the learning more accessible and providing scaffolded success along the way. 

Some ways we can achieve this goal for an individual student:

• Shortened assignments or reduced workload without removing rigor
• Flexible deadlines or extended time
• Alternative ways to demonstrate understanding (e.g., oral responses, visuals)
• Clear written and verbal directions
• Seating near a supportive peer or adult

A huge strategy that is just good classroom management is looking at student engagement. If students are not engaged and interested in your lesson, they’re going to find something else to do- which is be off task.

So how do you really look at your student engagement? By using student engagement strategies like 

• think-pair-share
• embedding student interests
• using hands on materials

Just because you think a lesson is exciting, doesn’t mean your students will and if they’re not engaged with you- they will be engaged with problem behaviors.

Executive Functioning Supports

This area focuses on helping students succeed in the environment aside from academics. Executive functioning skills are often lacking for students with emotional and behavioral disorders, but are necessary for students to be successful in life. 

Executive functioning skills refers to things such as time management, organization, memory, and even emotional regulation. Obviously, this is a very important area of focus to promote healthy skills into adulthood. Students with emotional disorders may struggle with keeping their materials organized, getting tasks done in a timely manner, and controlling their emotions. 

Here are some accommodations we can provide students to address these needs in our special education inclusive classrooms:

• Visual schedules and checklists
• Task breakdown with step-by-step instructions
• Frequent check-ins or chunking of tasks
• Graphic organizers or digital planning tools
• Previewing new content/routines ahead of time

Behavioral Accommodations

We can’t talk about behavioral and emotional problems without giving you target behavioral accommodations . We know that being able to follow classroom rules and behavioral expectations is critical to succeeding in private or public schools. 

The accommodations below will help you provide students with the needed support to meet school-wide expectations and remain safe in the classroom:

• Pre-planned break opportunities (calm corner, running errands, sensory tools)
• Behavior intervention plans (BIPs) and positive behavior supports (You can get help from a BCBA – like me!, social worker, or school psychologist to create a BIP)
• Nonverbal cues to redirect behavior
• Alternative response options during high stress/ dysregulation (written instead of verbal)
• Check-in/check-out systems (like this)

Did you know that if you need behavioral help for a student, I can support you in your school? Check it out here!

Emotional Regulation Supports

Kids can’t learn when they’re in fight, flight, fawn, or freeze. It’s important for us to provide an environment, material, language, and personal support that help children learn how to manage their emotions more easily.

These accommodations help them recognize and manage emotions before they boil over:

• Access to counseling or social-emotional learning groups
• Coping strategy tools (fidgets, breathing visuals, emotional thermometer)
• Quiet space for self-regulation
• Allowing movement or sensory breaks
• Scheduled time with a preferred adult (relationship anchor)

Honestly though, there is SO much to know about trauma. If you want to dive in, you can read one of these amazing books or grab this masterclass all on Trauma in the Classroom.

Social Supports

Behavior and emotion often go hand in hand with social challenges. Lots of children naturally learn how to interact in socially appropriate ways with peers. For students with emotional and behavioral challenges, this isn’t always the case. For these students, direct instruction on building and maintaining friendships is important. 

Students may need help understanding boundaries, expectations, and peer interactions.

• Structured peer interaction opportunities (in a small group)
• Explicit instruction in social skills
• Role-playing or scripting challenging situations
• Social stories or video modeling
• Visual cues for expected behaviors during group work

Tips for Successful Implementation

Having accommodations written into a plan is one thing, but implementing them effectively throughout the day is another. 

Consistency matters a lot here; when expectations and supports are predictable, students feel safer and more confident in the classroom. Previewing upcoming tasks, routines, or changes can also reduce anxiety and shutdowns by helping students know what to expect. 

Giving students some choice and ownership over their accommodations increases buy-in and engagement, which is always what we’re aiming for. This hopefully leads to making the strategies more effective long-term.

Collaboration is also a key piece. Leverage your team. Working with therapists, families, paras, and other specialists ensures that everyone is on the same page and providing cohesive support. 

It’s also helpful to track and tweak accommodations as you go. Simple notes on what’s working (or not) can guide future adjustments. Above all, prioritize the relationship. A strong student-teacher connection is often the most powerful tool for reducing behavioral challenges. And whenever possible, tap into what they love—interests can be a powerful bridge to learning and growth.

Something to remember is that accommodations aren’t reactive, they’re proactive. They’re not about making things easier, they’re about making learning possible. When a student has behavioral challenges, it’s not necessarily a sign of poor parenting or a bad kid. It’s really a call for support and understanding. 

When you first start utilizing accommodations, take small steps. Pick one accommodation, implement it consistently, reflect on what is and isn’t working, and refine it. Academic achievement, emotional regulation, and good behavior, aren’t going to come up overnight. You’ll need to check in on your accommodations on a weekly basis and monthly, to ensure things are working. 

If the exceptional children in our classrooms are provided the support they desperately need, we’ll see them make tons of progress. Students with emotional and behavioral disorders don’t need to be “fixed.” They need a learning environment that believes in their ability to succeed and one that gives them the tools to get there.