Inclusion of Socially Maladjusted Children and Youth in the Legal Definition of the Behaviorally Disordered Population: A Debate

Abstract

The third annual Midwest Symposium for Leadership in Behavior Disorders was held in Kansas City, Missouri in February 1985. The traditional opening of the Symposium is a formal debate. The purpose of the debate is to present and challenge the arguments on either side of a controversial issue. The content of the debate is presented here. It has been edited to reduce redundancy and to make the manuscript more suitable for a print format. The actual debate follows the traditional Oxford style with two teams of two individuals, one the affirmative supporting the proposition, and the other the negative refuting the proposition. The debate consists of four 10-minute constructive speeches. The affirmative team was Dr. Linda Edwards and Dr. David Benson, with Ms. Maureen White and Mr. Jon Rosell representing the negative team. It should be noted that the debaters were asked to present the best arguments to build their case; views expressed may not reflect the authors' opinions.