Praxis Special Education: Teaching Students with Behavioral Disorders and Emotional Disturbances (5372) is a trademark of its owner, which is not affiliated with and does not endorse Test Treasure Publication or TTP Prep.
10 sample questions for the Praxis Special Education: Teaching Students with Behavioral Disorders and Emotional Disturbances (5372), with the correct answer and an explanation for each. No account needed. Try each one before you open the answer.
Sections covered on the exam: Human Development and Learning Characteristics, Classroom and Behavior Management, Instructional Planning and Learning Environments, Instructional Strategies and Interventions, Legal, Ethical, and Professional Responsibilities, Assessment and Evaluation, Transition Planning and Life Skills.
Question 1 · Human Development and Learning Characteristics
Case: Marcus, a fourth grader, became tearful, withdrawn, and unable to finish classwork in the three weeks after his grandfather died. His teacher reports that before the loss Marcus was socially engaged and performed at grade level. His mother asks whether he should be evaluated for special education under the emotional disturbance category.
Answer: A. His symptoms have not been present over a long period of time to a marked degree
IDEA requires that one or more of the five characteristics be exhibited over a long period of time and to a marked degree; a three-week grief reaction in a previously well-adjusted child does not yet meet that standard. The option about sadness rather than aggression is tempting but wrong, because a general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression is itself one of the five defining characteristics.
Question 2 · Classroom and Behavior Management
| Day | Antecedent (Before) | Behavior | Consequence (After) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Teacher gives worksheet | Student leaves seat | Sent to hallway |
| Tue | Teacher gives worksheet | Student shouts | Removed from class |
| Wed | Teacher gives worksheet | Student tears paper | Sent to hallway |
Answer: C. Raising behavior-specific praise to at least four statements for each correction
Research on classrooms for students with EBD supports a high ratio of behavior-specific praise to corrections, commonly at least four to one, because praise reinforces expected behavior while instruction continues. Private reprimands are better than public ones, but they still leave the teacher relying on corrections rather than building appropriate behavior through reinforcement.
Question 3 · Human Development and Learning Characteristics
A teacher establishes clear rules, posts them visibly, and reviews them daily. Students earn points for following rules and can exchange points for rewards at the end of the week.
Answer: A. Offering a calm choice, such as moving to a quieter work area
In the agitation phase, the goal is to reduce anxiety through supportive, low-demand strategies such as offering choices or space. Stating consequences can feel like a clear limit, but at this stage it often acts as a challenge that moves the student toward acceleration rather than calm.
Question 4 · Instructional Strategies and Interventions
A teacher participates in a meeting to develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for a student. The team includes parents, a general education teacher, a special education teacher, and a school administrator.
Answer: B. Goal setting, self-monitoring, self-instructions, and self-reinforcement for writing
Self-regulated strategy development pairs a writing strategy with explicit instruction in self-regulation procedures, including goal setting, self-monitoring, self-instructions, and self-reinforcement, which help students persist. Grammar and spelling rules are tempting because they improve writing quality, but they are not the self-regulation component that distinguishes the approach.
Question 5 · Assessment and Evaluation
Number of call-outs by Ben during a 30-minute lesson. A token economy began at session 6.
| Phase | Session | Call-outs |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline | 1 | 12 |
| Baseline | 2 | 14 |
| Baseline | 3 | 13 |
| Baseline | 4 | 12 |
| Baseline | 5 | 14 |
| Token economy | 6 | 13 |
| Token economy | 7 | 12 |
| Token economy | 8 | 14 |
| Token economy | 9 | 13 |
| Token economy | 10 | 13 |
Answer: D. The intervention has not changed the level or trend, so it should be modified.
Both phases have a mean of 13 call-outs, neither shows a trend, and every intervention point falls within the baseline range (100% overlap). So the token economy has had no effect and should be revised. Stable data across phases means nothing changed, not that the intervention worked, and the baseline (12 to 14) is stable.
Question 6 · Human Development and Learning Characteristics
Answer: B. Schizophrenia is explicitly included in the federal definition of emotional disturbance
The IDEA definition of emotional disturbance states that the term includes schizophrenia, so Elena may be eligible if her condition adversely affects educational performance. Other health impairment is a tempting alternative, but the federal regulation names schizophrenia directly within the emotional disturbance category.
Question 7 · Human Development and Learning Characteristics
| Time | Antecedent | Behavior | Consequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 | Writing task assigned | Student crumples paper | Task removed |
| 10:30 | Writing task assigned | Student leaves seat | Sent to hallway |
| 1:00 | Writing task assigned | Student shouts | Task removed |
Answer: A. Video self-modeling that shows Tomas successfully asking to join a game
Video self-modeling shows the student performing the target skill correctly, which teaches the specific behavior and builds his confidence in using it. Earning tablet time is tempting because it uses a preferred activity, but reinforcement alone does not teach a skill Tomas does not yet perform.
Question 8 · Classroom and Behavior Management
A teacher establishes daily routines, clearly teaches expectations, and reinforces positive behavior through praise and rewards. Problem behaviors decrease over time.
Answer: D. Having him clean the desk with the supplies provided
A logical consequence is directly connected to the behavior, so restoring the damaged property teaches responsibility for the specific action. An essay on respecting property is tempting because it relates to the topic, but it is a punitive assignment rather than a direct repair of the damage.
Question 9 · Assessment and Evaluation
| Exit ticket item | Skill | Percent of class correct |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Identifying the topic | 92% |
| 3-4 | Stating the main idea | 88% |
| 5-6 | Locating supporting details | 85% |
| 7-8 | Making an inference from the text | 38% |
Answer: A. Reteach making inferences with modeling and guided practice, then recheck that skill.
Exit-ticket data show strong performance on three skills and a clear weakness in making inferences, so instruction should target that skill and check again. Reteaching all four skills is tempting because the overall average is lower, but it spends time on skills most students have already mastered and may increase disengagement.
Question 10 · Assessment and Evaluation
A student nearing graduation participates in job shadowing, learns budgeting skills, and practices public transportation use as part of their IEP transition plan.
Answer: C. Consider language acquisition, acculturation, and cultural factors before attributing her behavior to ED
Silence and withdrawal are common during second-language acquisition and acculturation, and IDEA requires nondiscriminatory evaluation that rules out language and cultural factors. An English-normed scale was not normed on students like Nadia, so it raises the risk of misidentification. Postponing indefinitely could deny her needed services.
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