Book Description
Sheila leapt to her feet and tore her sheets from her bed. "Why can't anyone leave me alone?" she screamed. Her lamp crashed to the ground, shards of brown pottery smashing in every direction. She kicked the broken pieces, sending them spinning, then grabbed the nightstand and heaved it onto the remains of the lamp. her screams continued as she grabbed three jars of paint from her dresser. "I HATE YOU " The jars exploded against the door like punctuation marks for her words. Black, red, and blue paint oozed down the wood, a grand finale to Sheila's performance. Panting, Sheila stared at the broken glass and pottery littering her bedroom floor. As the tears finally bubbled up, Sheila felt a strange sense of awe descending upon her. "What is wrong with me?" she whispered as she sank down on her bed. The tumultuous emotions of youth can be challenging to anyone, but for young people with emotional disturbance, the trials of growing up can be devastating. Young people with emotional disturbance can face many roadblocks in the quest to understand themselves and to gain understanding from others. In Runaway Train: Youth with Emotional Disturbance, you will learn about different causes of emotional disturbance, the special needs of youth who have them, and what can be done to help young people overcome emotional difficulties. Through the story of Sheila, you will learn what it is like to have an emotional disturbance, the dangers these conditions can pose, and the successes as well as the failures of systems currently available to assist youth with emotional disturbance.