FIRST STEP TO SUCCESS - INTERVENING AT THE POINT OF SCHOOL ENTRY TO PREVENT ANTISOCIAL-BEHAVIOR PATTERNS

This article provides a description of the First Step to Success early intervention program for preventing development of antisocial behavio r patterns among young, at-risk children. A brief review of the risk f actors and family conditions associated with antisocial behavior patte rns is provided as a context and rationale for early intervention appr oaches designed to divert at-risk children from this path. First Step to Success was developed as a response to the increasing numbers of at -risk children who begin school with the early signs of antisocial beh avior due to the risk factors to which they have been exposed. This in tervention program is coordinated and delivered by a school profession al who can serve teachers and parents in a consultant capacity (e.g., school psychologist, early interventionist, school counselor, behavior al specialist, and so forth). The program has three modular components : proactive, universal screening, school intervention, and parent trai ning. These components are applied in concert with each other to teach the at-risk target child an adaptive pattern of school-related behavi or. A description of these components: and guidelines for implementing them, are presented as well. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.