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Policy BriePromoting Social, Emotional and

Behavioral Outcomes of Young

Children Served Under IDEALise Fox & Barbara J. Smith, January, 2007

Whyaresocial, emotionalandbehavioraloutcomesanessentialpriority?

A growing body o evidence conrms that serious and persistentchallenging behaviors in early childhood directly relate to laterproblems in school success, social relationships, educationaland vocational success, and social adjustment1. Conversely, keysocial skills associated with learning in group settings includebeing able to get along with others, ollow directions, identiyand regulate ones emotions and behavior, think o appropriatesolutions to conict, persist on tasks, engage in social conver-sation and cooperative play, and correctly interpret others

behavior and emotions2

.Challenging behavior is a substantive problem of concernbecause:

Te prevalence rates or young children with chal-lenging behavior ranges rom 10 to 30%3

Social and behavioral competence in young childrenpredicts their academic perormance in the rst grade overand above their cognitive skills and amily backgrounds4

Challenging behavior is a particular concern for students withdisabilities because:

Students with disabilities have more than three timesthe number o serious misconduct incidents per 1,000students than do typically developing students5

Over 1/3 o adolescents with disabilities have beensuspended or expelled6

Challenging behavior is evident in even the youngestchildren served by IDEA. Te NEILS study indicates

that 10-40 % o children served in Part C programshave behavioral concerns7

Te following facts show that when challenging behavior isnot resolved, outcomes are poor:

Young children with challenging behavior are morelikely to experience early and persistent peer rejection,mostly punitive contacts with teachers, amily interac-tion patterns that are unpleasant or all participants,and school ailure8

Over 65% o students identied with emotional and

behavioral disorders drop out o school leading topoor job outcomes, limited income and a pattern oailure that persists into adulthood9

Childhood ratings o behavior problems at age 3 and 5are the best predictors o later antisocial outcomes10

Around 48% o children with problem behaviors inkindergarten have been placed in special education bythe 4th grade11

Whatarethe osep, idea part c and b/619requirementsrelatedtosocial, emotionalandbehavioraloutcomes?

OSEP requires states to demonstrate that children served byIDEA are beneting rom those services. In doing so, OSEP

Technical Assistance CenteronSocial Emotional Intervention

for Young Childrenfor Young Children

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established a system o accountability and monitoring relatedto prescribed areas o child outcomes. For young children, birththrough ve, served under Part C and B/619 o IDEA, thosechild outcomes include:

positive social-emotional skills (including socialrelationships)

acquisition and use o knowledge and skills (includingearly language/communication [and early literacy or

preschool]), and

use o appropriate behavior to meet needs

Specically, states are required to report the percent o inants andtoddlers with IFSPs and preschool children with IEPs who demon-strate improvements in those three areas. Tus, two out o threechild outcomes to which states are accountable or child progressare related to social, emotional and behavioral development.

Whatdoestheresearchsayabouttheability

of ec personneltoimprovechildrenssocial, emotionalandbehavioraloutcomes?

Recent publications identiy critical preschool skills related to earlyschool success, many o which are social and behavioral skills12.

However, ndings rom surveys, ocus groups and interviewsindicate that most EC personnel do not have the skills theyneed to promote social and emotional development and preventand address challenging behavior. eachers, administrators andamily members identiy this lack o knowledge and skill as

the biggest challenge to eective practice more than nances,collaboration and attitudes13.

eachers report that challenging behavior is their number onetraining need and promoting social emotional developmentas the second. Eighty (80%) o teachers report that problembehavior negatively aects their job satisaction and directorsreport that teachers are not eective in implementing preven-tion/promotion practices14.

isthereaneffectivemodelforpromoting

social, emotionalandbehavioraloutcomes?

Te public health model o promotion, prevention and inter-vention is a widely reerenced useul ramework or addressingthe needs o children in the areas o social, emotional andbehavioral development and academic achievement. Te publichealth model considers interventions at three levels: proactivestrategies or the whole population, secondary strategies to beused with populations at risk, and tertiary interventions orthose individuals showing symptoms o a disorder15.

Tis promotion, prevention and intervention ramework hasbeen adapted or use in early childhood specically related tosocial, emotional and behavioral development and is reerred toas the Pyramid Model16 (see Figure 1).

Te Pyramid Model provides guidance or early interventionand education programs on the practices necessary to promoteyoung childrens healthy social and emotional developmentprevent problem behavior, and provide individualized intensive

interventions when necessary. Te model includes the universapromotion practices that are needed to support all children andpromote childrens healthy social, emotional and behavioradevelopment. Program practices that promote responsive rela-tionships and supportive environments should:

Provide amilies with inormation on how to developnurturing relationships with their inant and toddler

Provide inormation to amilies on practices thatmay be used to promote their childs healthy social-emotional development

Provide screening and reerral services or mothers

who may have maternal depression

Design quality early education and care environmentsthat prevent problem behavior and promote pro-sociallearning; and

Provide mental health or behavioral consultation toearly childhood and care programs

Secondaryprevention strategies are designed to prevent problembehaviors or children at-risko poor social emotional develop-ment and challenging behavior. An essential element needed atthis level is a programs ability to successully screen and iden-tiy children who need individualized and ocused strategies topromote social development. Once identied, the program usesthe ollowing strategies to address the individualized needs othe child and amily:

Figure 1. Te eaching Pyramid Model for Promoting Social Competence andAddressing Challenging Behavior

Preven

tion

Universal

Prom

otion

Trea

tment

IntensiveInterventions

argetedSocial Emotional Supports

High Quality Supportive Environments

Nurturing and Responsive Caregiving Relationships

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Provide amilies with inant mental health services,home visitation, or clinical; consultation to supportamilies while they implement strategies that teachtargeted social and emotional skills

Ensure that early care and education providersdevelop intentional strategies to teach critical socialand emotional skills to individual children at-risk opoor social development and challenging behavior

Te nal level o the Pyramid Model includes the tertiary inter-vention strategies to provide treatment to young children whohave mental health needs and/or persistent challengingbehavior17. Tese strategies include:

Te use o Positive Behavior Support, a team-basedprocess that results in an assessment-based, compre-hensive behavior support plan designed to be imple-mented by the childs natural caregivers in home andearly care and education environments

Specialized and intensive treatment that addresses

parent/child dyad concerns due to neglect, abuse, andtrauma

Multidisciplinary or transdisciplinary teaming amongproessionals to ensure that amilies receive access tocomprehensive services and supports

hoWareeffectivepracticesthatproducepositiveoutcomespromotedfromthestatelevel?

State Part C and 619 leaders can promote positive outcomes orchildren by providing an inrastructure where local programs canadopt and sustain eective practices. Evidence shows that stateleadership is needed and can 1) increase amilies and childrensaccess to eective services and programs; 2) provide leadershipand support or personnel development and nancing eectivepractice; and 3) engage in collaborative eorts across agencies andresources. Some strategies suggested in literature include:

Engage in collaborative system planning. Collaborativeplanning with all the systems amilies and childrencome into contact with: child care, mental health,

health, Head Start, public schools, etc., can bring tobear all the resources o each system to produce anefcient, collaborative and eective system o services.Collaborate with other initiatives such as system ocare, EC Councils etc.18

Develop a collaborative personnel development systemfor all personnel involved with young children. Suchsystem includes: awareness o the importance o theissues, awareness o evidence-based practices, training(pre- and in-service) and essential local, individual-ized, ollow-up and support (coaching, mentoring,

1 Campbell, S. B., (1995). Behavior problems in preschool children:

A review o recent research.Journal o Child Psychology andPsychiatry,36(1), 113-149.

1 Campbell, S. B. & Ewing L. J. (1990) Adjustment at age nine and predic-tors o continuing symptoms.Journal o Child Psychology,31,871-889.

1 Dodge, K. (1993). Te uture o research on conduct disorder. Develop-ment and Psychopathology,5, 311-320.

1 Egeland, B. Kalkoske M. Gottesman N. & Erickson M. F. (1990).Preschool behavior problems: Stability and actors accounting ochange.Journal o Psychology and Psychiatry,31, 891-909.

1 Kazdin, A. (1985). Treatment o antisocial behavior. Homewood, Ill:Dorsey.

1 Pierce, E. W. Ewing L. J. & Campbell S. B. (1999). Diagnostic status

and symptoms behavior o hard-to-manage preschool children inmiddle childhood and early adolescence,Journal o Clinical ChildPsychology,28, 44-57.

1 Reid, J. B. (1993). Prevention o conduct disorder beore and ater schoolentry: Relating interventions to developmental ndings. Devel-opment and Psychopathology, 5, 243-262.

1 Shaw, D., Gilliom, M., & Giovannelli, J. (2000). Aggressive behaviordisorders. In C. H. Zeanah (Ed.), Handbook o inant mentalhealth (pp. 397-411). New York: Guilord Press.

2 Smith, B. J. (n.d.). Linking Social Development and Behavior to SchoolReadiness. Retrieved March 1, 2007 rom www.challengingbe-havior.org

3 Campbell, S. B. (1995).

3 Lavigne, J.V., Gibbons, R.D., Christoel, K.K., Arend, R., Rosenbaum,D., Binns, H., Dawson , N., Sobel, H., and Isaacs, C. (1996).Prevalence rates and correlates o psychiatric disorders amongpreschool children.Journal o the American Academy o Child and

Adolescent Psychiatry,35, 204-214.3 West, J., Denton, K., and Germino Hausken, E. (2000).Americas

Kindergartners(NCES 2000070). Washington, DC: NationalCenter or Education Statistics.

3 Qi, C. H. & Kaiser A. P. (2003). Behavior problems o preschool chil-dren rom low-income amilies: Review o the literature. Topicsin Early Childhood Special Education,23, 188-216.

Endnotes

etc.). Local programs need access to coaches that knowevidence-based practices. Local demonstration sitescan demonstrate what eective promotion, preventionand intervention strategies look like and can be used tocollect eectiveness data19

Engage in on-going collection of evaluation data tomeasure impact, sustain the systems and approach, aswell as build support to ensure that childrens social and

emotional development continues to be a priority. Datacan include: eects on sta well-being and eective-ness, sta turn-over (and related program and budgetimpact), number o children identied as having chal-lenging behavior, overall quality o programs, amilysatisaction; and childrens outcomes20

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4 Raver, C. C. & Knitzer J. (2002). Ready to enter: What research tellspolicymakers about strategies to promote social and emotional schoolreadiness among three-and our-year-old children. Promoting theemotional well-being o children and amilies, policy paper #3. New

York: National Center or Children in Poverty, Mailman Schoolo Public Health, Columbia University.

5 U.S. General Accounting Ofce. (2001).Student discipline: Individualswith disabilities education act(GAO Report No.GAO-01-210).

Washington, DC: Author.

6 U.S. Department o Education (2005). Twenty-th annual (2003)

report to Congress on the implementation o the Individuals withDisabilities Education Act, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Departmento Education.

7 U.S. Department o Education (2001). Twenty-third annual report toCongress on the implementation o the Individuals with DisabilitiesEducation Act. Washington, DC: Author.

8 Dunlap, G., Strain, P. S., Fox, L., Carta, J., Conroy, M., Smith, B., etal. (in press). Prevention and intervention with young childrenschallenging behavior: A Summary o current knowledge. Behav-ioral Disorders.

9 USDOE, (2001).

9 USDOE, (2005).

10 Campbell, S. B., (1995).

11 Department o Health and Human Services (2000). Report o the SurgeonGenerals Conerence on Childrens Mental Health: A National

Action Agenda. Washington, DC: Department o Health andHuman Services.

12 Hemmeter, M. L., Santos. R., & Ostrosky, M. M. (2006). A nationalsurvey o higher education programs: Preparing early child-hood educators to address social emotional development andchallenging behavior. Manuscript submitted toJournal o EarlyIntervention.

13 Smith, B. J. (2006). Policies and procedures: Issues or implementation,policy and scaling up. Presentation, Annual Policy MakersSummit, Center on Evidence-based Practices: Young Children

with Challenging Behavior, Washington, DC, November, 2006.www.challengingbehavior.org

14 Hemmeter, M.L. (2006). Research Findings and Issues or Implementa-tion, Policy and Scaling Up: Training & Supporting Personneland Program Wide Implementation, presentation, AnnualPolicy Makers Summit, Center on Evidence-based Practices:

Young Children with Chal lenging Behavior, Washington, DC,November, 2006. www.challengingbehavior.org

15 Gordon, R. (1983). An operational classication o disease prevention.Public Health Reports, 98, 107-109.

15 Gordon, R. (1987). An operational classication o disease prevention.In J. A. Steinberg and M. M. Silverman, (Eds.) Preventing MentalDisorders. (pp. 20-26). Rockville, MD: Department o Healthand Human Services.

15 Simeonnson, R. J. (1991). Primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention inearly intervention.Journal o Early Intervention, 15, 124-134.

16 Fox, L. Dunlap G. Hemmeter M. L. Joseph G. E. & Strain P. S. (2003).Te teaching pyramid: A model or supporting social compe-tence and preventing challenging behavior in young children.Young Children58, 48-52.

17 Fox, L. et. al., (2003).

18 Hayden, P., Frederick, L., & Smith, B. J. (2003).A roadmap or acili-tating collaborative teams. Longmont, CO: Sopris West.

18 Pires, S. A. (2002). Building systems o care: a primer. National echnicalAssistance Center or Childrens Mental Health, Center or ChildHealth and Mental Health Policy, Georgetown University ChildDevelopment Center.

19 Caarella, R. S. (1994). Planning programs or adult learners: A practicalguide or educators, trainers and staf developers. San Francisco:Josey-Bass.

19 Garet, M. S., Porter, A. C., Desimone, L., Birman, B. F., & Yoon, K. S.(2001). What makes proessional development eective? Resultsrom a national sample o teachers.American Educational Research

Journal.38(4), 915-946.19 Joyce, B. R., & Showers, B (1995). Student achievement through staf

development(2nd ed.). White Plains, NY: Longman.19 Wole, B. L., & Snyder, P. (1997). Follow-up strategies: Ensuring that

instruction makes a dierence. In P. J Winton, J. A. McCollum& C Catlett (Eds.) Reorming personnel preparation in early inter-vention (pp. 173-190). Baltimore: Brookes.

20 Fixsen, D. L., Naoom, S. F., Blase, K. A., Friedman, R. M. & Wallace,F. (2005). Implementation research: A synthesis o the literature.ampa, FL: University o South Florida, Louis de la Parte FloridaMental Health Institute, Te National Implementation ResearchNetwork.

20 Fox, L., Jack, S., Broyles, L. (2005). Program-wide positive behaviorsupport: supporting young childrens social-emotional developmentand addressing challenging behavior. ampa Florida: University oSouth Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute.

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