Sections
Early Intervention | School-Based Violence Prevention Programs | Preventive Parent Training
Excerpt
A number of programs have been developed to aid in the prevention
of aggression and conduct problems in at-risk children and families
(e.g., Fast Track Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group, First
Step, Incredible Years Teacher Training, Linking the Interests of
Family and Teacher, Montreal Program, Seattle Social Development
Project). Typically, prevention programs are implemented during
preschool or early elementary school, continuously over 2–5
years, with the goals of increasing social competence, social problem solving,
and resilience. Results point to long-term benefits in reducing
antisocial behavior and aggression for many programs (e.g., Chicago
Child Parent Center, High Scope Perry Preschool Project, Houston
Parent Child Developmental Center, Syracuse University Family Development
Project, Yale Child Welfare Research Program). Characteristics of
successful programs include: 1) multimodal intervention for children
and parents, parent support, teacher involvement, and early childhood
education; 2) delivery of interventions consistently on a daily
to weekly basis; 3) duration of 2 years or longer; 4) specific interventions
to remediate coercive family processes and harsh and inconsistent
parenting techniques through skill building and development of problem-solving and
coping skills; 5) interventions that begin in early childhood; 6)
application of individual management techniques; and 7) collaboration
among community, school, family, and mental health professionals.