This application focuses on the prevention of externalizing and academic problems in high-risk preschool children from low-income families. Academic difficulties and externalizing problems are thought to cause, exacerbate, and maintain one another in many children, and it is argued that addressing both domains before a negative cycle becomes established will greatly facilitate prevention efforts. An early academic intervention will be integrated with a program aimed at helping preschool teachers and parents effectively prevent externalizing behaviors, with a selective preventative approach that targets low-income children at risk for developing these problems. Preschools will be used as the delivery mechanism because of their potential for reaching large numbers of high risk children. In addition, standardized, portable videotape programs will be used that would allow for replication and wide usage of the prevention programs within the practical limitations of regular settings. It is predicted that such a combined program will be far more successful in preventing externalizing problems and academic difficulties than efforts that target just one of these areas. Four groups of 4-year-old preschool children will be compared and followed into grade school: 1) those who receive the combined prevention program, 2) those who receive only the externalizing program, 3) those who receive only the academic intervention, and 4) a control group that receives no intervention. It is predicted that the combined prevention program will lead to greater effects in both areas than either alone, and will also result in better maintenance of effects. In addition, it is hypothesized that the interventions in each of these areas will impact on the other area of functioning. Finally, child and family characteristics will be evaluated that are expected to influence outcomes for these children.
| Tichovolsky, Marianne H; Arnold, David H; Baker, Courtney N (2013) Parent Predictors of Changes in Child Behavior Problems. J Appl Dev Psychol 34: |
| Baker, Courtney N; Arnold, David H; Meagher, Susan (2011) Enrollment and attendance in a parent training prevention program for conduct problems. Prev Sci 12:126-38 |
| Dobbs, Jennifer; Arnold, David H (2009) The Relationship Between Preschool Teachers' Reports of Children's Behavior and Their Behavior Toward Those Children. Sch Psychol Q 24:95-105 |
| Doctoroff, Greta L; Arnold, David H (2004) Parent-rated externalizing behavior in preschoolers: the predictive utility of structured interviews, teacher reports, and classroom observations. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol 33:813-8 |
