Multi-method psycho-educational intervention for preschool children with disruptive behavior: Preliminary results at post-treatment

Annual screenings of preschool children at kindergarten registration identi fied 158 children having high levels of aggressive, hyperactive, impulsive, and inattentive behavior. These "disruptive" children were randomly assign ed to four treatment conditions lasting the kindergarten school year: no tr eatment, parent training only, full-day treatment classroom only, and the c ombination of parent training with the classroom treatment. Results showed that parent training produced no significant treatment effects, probably ow ing largely to poor attendance. The classroom treatment produced improvemen t in multiple domains: parent ratings of adaptive behavior, teacher ratings of attention, aggression, self-control, and social skills, as well as dire ct observations of externalizing behavior in the classroom. Neither treatme nt improved academic achievement skills or parent ratings of home behavior problems, nor were effects evident on any lab measures of attention, impuls e control, or mother-child interactions. It is concluded that when parent t raining is offered at school registration to parents of disruptive children identified through a brief school registration screening, it may not be a useful approach to treating the home and community behavioral problems of s uch children. The kindergarten classroom intervention was far more effectiv e in reducing the perceived behavioral problems and impaired social skills of these children. Even so, most treatment effects were specific to the sch ool environment and did not affect achievement skills. These findings must be viewed as tentative until follow-up evaluations can be done to determine the long-term outcomes of these interventions.