Early Intervention with Children at Risk of Emotional/Behavioral Disorders: A Critical Examination of Research Methodology and Practices

Children's behavior problems pose challenges to families, schools, and society. The research literature argues that early detection/intervention is the most powerful course of action in ameliorating these problems in children at risk of emotional/behavioral disorders. However, specifying precis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Education & treatment of children 2003-11, Vol.26 (4), p.362-381
Main Authors: Hester, Peggy P., Baltodano, Heather M., Gable, Robert A., Tonelson, Stephen W., Hendrickson, Jo M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior Disorders
Behavior Problems
Behavioral disorders
Behaviour problems
Child behavior disorders
Child psychology
Children
Conduct disorder
Early Childhood Education
Early Intervention
Educational Practices
Elementary school teachers
Emotional Disturbances
Literature Reviews
Longitudinal Studies
Mood disorders
Outcomes of Treatment
Parents
Research Methodology
Research Needs
STUDIES
Young Children
Youths at risk
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Summary:Children's behavior problems pose challenges to families, schools, and society. The research literature argues that early detection/intervention is the most powerful course of action in ameliorating these problems in children at risk of emotional/behavioral disorders. However, specifying precisely what constitutes a quality program of early intervention is not a simple task. Current conceptualizations suggest that successful early intervention cannot be unidimensional in nature, but must consist of a complex series of interactions and transactions that synergistically serve to nurture and enhance both the development of the child and family. In this paper, we reviewed the accumulated research to learn more about the critical elements of early intervention. Specifically, we examined three major areas addressed in the literature. First, we describe literature search procedures and criteria for study inclusion, along with methods for analyzing these early intervention studies. Second, we examine the conduct of the intervention, including characteristics of study participants, types of interventions, types of measures, age of onset and length of intervention, treatment fidelity, and social validity measures. Finally, we draw upon that review to offer recommendations for future research.
ISSN:0748-8491
1934-8924