Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders current issue

Introduction to This Special Issue: Implementing Evidence-Based Interventions in Elementary Schools for Students With and at Risk for Severe Behavior Disorders

Buckley, J. A. — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:31:41 PST

A Randomized Controlled Trial of the First Step to Success Early Intervention: Demonstration of Program Efficacy Outcomes in a Diverse, Urban School District

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:31:41 PST

This article reports on a randomized controlled trial of the First Step to Success early intervention that was conducted over a 4-year period in Albuquerque Public Schools. First Step is a selected intervention for students in Grades 1 through 3 with externalizing behavior problems, and it addresses secondary prevention goals and objectives. It consists of three modular components (screening, school intervention, parent training); lasts approximately 3 months; and is initially set up, delivered, and coordinated by a behavioral coach (e.g., school counselor, behavior specialist, social worker). Project Year 1 of this efficacy trial was devoted to gearing-up activities (e.g., hiring, training, planning, logistical arrangements); Years 2 and 3 each involved implementing First Step with approximately 100 behaviorally at-risk students. Students, teachers, and classrooms were randomly assigned to either intervention or usual care comparison conditions. Year 4 activities focused on conducting long-term, follow-up assessments and implementing sustainability procedures to preserve achieved gains. Pre-post teacher and parent ratings of student behavior and social skills showed moderately robust effect sizes, ranging from .54 to .87, that favored the intervention group. Direct measures of academic performance (oral reading fluency, letter—word identification) were not sensitive to the intervention. The implications and limitations of the study are discussed.

Randomized Controlled Trial of the Prevent-- Teach--Reinforce (PTR) Tertiary Intervention for Students With Problem Behaviors: Preliminary Outcomes

Iovannone, R., Greenbaum, P. E., Wang, W., Kincaid, D., Dunlap, G., Strain, P. — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:31:41 PST

Although there is literature supporting the effectiveness of tertiary behavioral supports, the majority of the studies have been conducted with single-subject designs. The Prevent—Teach—Reinforce (PTR) model is a standardized model of a school-based tertiary intervention. This study reports initial results from a randomized controlled trial to compare whether the PTR model, as implemented by typical school personnel, is more effective than interventions typically used (i.e., services as usual). To date, 245 students in Grades K-8 have been enrolled in the study, and preliminary results show that students who received the PTR intervention had significantly higher social skills and academic engaged time and significantly lower problem behavior when compared with students who received services as usual. Teachers gave high social validity ratings to the intervention. Implications for widescale school adoption are discussed.

A 2-Year Outcome Study of the Check, Connect, and Expect Intervention for Students At Risk for Severe Behavior Problems

Cheney, D. A., Stage, S. A., Hawken, L. S., Lynass, L., Mielenz, C., Waugh, M. — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:31:41 PST

Two hundred seven students in Grades 1 through 5 who were at risk for severe behavior problems participated in a 2-year study of the effects of the Check, Connect, and Expect (CCE) program. The CCE program combined the essential intervention procedures of the Check & Connect Program and the Behavior Education Program . A stratified random sample of students based on school assignment was used to compare the outcomes of 121 CCE program students with 86 comparison students. Sixty percent of the CCE students (n = 73) graduated from the program and 40% (n = 48) did not. Linear growth analyses of eight different outcome measures found that three standardized problem behavior measures significantly decreased to normative levels for CCE graduates. Social skills and academic measures did not significantly change over time. The discussion focuses on the comparative efficacy of CCE as a targeted intervention for students at risk for severe behavior problems.

The National Behavior Research Coordination Center: Coordinating Research and Implementation of Evidence-Based School Interventions for Children With Serious Behavior Problems

Wagner, M. M., Sumi, W. C., Woodbridge, M. W., Javitz, H. S., Thornton, S. P. — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:31:41 PST

In implementing its Behavior Research Initiative, the U.S. Department of Education funded four Behavior Research Centers, each to test the efficacy of a separate intervention to improve the behavior of elementary school students with or at risk for serious behavior problems. The initiative also established the National Behavior Research Coordination Center to conduct a cross-site evaluation of the four behavior interventions. The authors describe how the Department of Education’s structuring of the initiative helped avoid many of the shortcomings of earlier federal cross-site demonstration programs and highlight the contributions a research coordination center can make to the quality of research conducted and to the knowledge produced across individual demonstrations.