The Challenge of School Completion Among Youths with Behavioral Disorders: Another Side of the Story

Youths with behavioral disorders (BD) are less likely to complete high school than are their peers with or without disabilities. This study used individual interviews with 33 students with BD to identify factors that may affect high school completion. Interview questions directed attention to what youths perceived as the best and worst part of school, advantages or disadvantages with staying in school, changes to help individual youths stay in school, general recommendations for helping more youths stay in school, examples of how a teacher had really helped them, and their views of a high school diploma. We categorized youths' responses for each of five questions, along with providing information on demographic and school history features. The responses, when combined with demographic and school history information, provide insight into changes that might help more youths to complete high school.