Ignoring the Odds: Hazards of Not Adding the New Medical Model to Special Education Decisions

Although the traditional medical model has been vilified by special educators, new evidence on treatment and comorbidity of psychiatric disorders suggests a more relevant and effective version of this model. This evidence is reviewed briefly with the purpose of suggesting odds that a child with behavioral disorders may indeed have a disorder that is responsive to psychopharmacologic treatment. Merging the medical and behavioral models is suggested as critical to certain special education decisions in functional behavioral analyses and positive behavioral intervention.