Proactive classroom management involves teacher use of a range of positive interaction and intervention strategies for managing student behaviour in the classroom. This approach to classroom management has been shown to positively influence student academic achievement, behaviour, and social-emotional well-being, as well as teacher job satisfaction, stress levels, and turnover rate. Unfortunately, teachers often receive minimal training in such strategies, leading them to use more reactive forms of classroom management as a means of controlling problematic student behaviour. Given that reactive procedures can have many unintended negative side effects, there is a need for in-service provision of additional teacher training in proactive approaches, especially in classrooms where student problem behaviours are rampant. The present study was designed to address this need by examining the effectiveness of Errorless Classroom Management (ECM), a proactive classroom management program that builds student tolerance to classroom challenges by teaching them four keystone skills: compliance, social skills, on-task behaviour, and communication. We provided ECM training to two staff members (one teacher and one educational assistant) who were working in a special education classroom for students demonstrating extremely high levels of severe antisocial behaviour. The goal of this in-service training program was to alter staff members’ classroom management practices in order to engender covariant improvements in student behaviour. Using time-series observations, we examined staff and student behaviour before and after ECM training. We also investigated the social validity of treatment effects through the use of staff-report questionnaires. Data revealed that staff members effectively reduced their use of reactive strategies following training but were inconsistent in their application of proactive strategies. In turn, student problem behaviour markedly declined following training; however, improvements on other student outcome measures were not consistently observed. Moreover, variability in staff members’ satisfaction ratings and stress scores suggest a modest overall level of social validity. These findings provide early support for the ECM training program as a socially acceptable form of intervention. These results also suggest that it is possible to effect change in student behaviour by training staff members in positive forms of classroom management.

Proactive classroom management involves teacher use of a range of positive interaction and intervention strategies for managing student behaviour in the classroom. This approach to classroom management has been shown to positively influence student academic achievement, behaviour, and social-emotional well-being, as well as teacher job satisfaction, stress levels, and turnover rate. Unfortunately, teachers often receive minimal training in such strategies, leading them to use more reactive forms of classroom management as a means of controlling problematic student behaviour. Given that reactive procedures can have many unintended negative side effects, there is a need for in-service provision of additional teacher training in proactive approaches, especially in classrooms where student problem behaviours are rampant. The present study was designed to address this need by examining the effectiveness of Errorless Classroom Management (ECM), a proactive classroom management program that builds student tolerance to classroom challenges by teaching them four keystone skills: compliance, social skills, on-task behaviour, and communication. We provided ECM training to two staff members (one teacher and one educational assistant) who were working in a special education classroom for students demonstrating extremely high levels of severe antisocial behaviour. The goal of this in-service training program was to alter staff members’ classroom management practices in order to engender covariant improvements in student behaviour. Using time-series observations, we examined staff and student behaviour before and after ECM training. We also investigated the social validity of treatment effects through the use of staff-report questionnaires. Data revealed that staff members effectively reduced their use of reactive strategies following training but were inconsistent in their application of proactive strategies. In turn, student problem behaviour markedly declined following training; however, improvements on other student outcome measures were not consistently observed. Moreover, variability in staff members’ satisfaction ratings and stress scores suggest a modest overall level of social validity. These findings provide early support for the ECM training program as a socially acceptable form of intervention. These results also suggest that it is possible to effect change in student behaviour by training staff members in positive forms of classroom management.

The purpose of this study was to pilot a cognitive behavioral treatment protocol for adolescents with co-occurring conduct problems and depression and to examine changes in diagnostic status, symptomatic improvement, and related areas of functioning associated with this treatment. Manualized treatment consisted of 11 to 16 sessions that targeted problem solving skills, cognitive restructuring, affect regulation skills, and parenting strategies. A non-concurrent multiple baseline design was used to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. A sample of five adolescents, aged 11 to 14 years, participated; all five families completed the protocol. Measures of diagnostic status, symptoms, and global impairment were administered at baseline, post-treatment, and 1-month post-treatment. Decreases in depression and conduct problem symptoms as well as changes in diagnostic status were evident for three of the five participants. Clinician severity ratings improved for all of the children at post-treatment. Preliminary results suggest that integrated cognitive behavioral treatment for adolescents with conduct problems and depression is associated with symptomatic improvement as well. Results of this study have implications for improving treatment outcomes for youth with these comorbid conditions and may also lead to increased conceptual understanding of the nature of these comorbid problems. Randomized clinical trials are required to assess the effectiveness of this combined treatment program. / Ph. D.

No description available.

The current study aims to examine whether the association between conduct problems and bullying are accounted for by different factors in those with and without callous-unemotional (CU) traits. Participants included 284 students in the 4th through 7th grades. Results indicated that conduct problems and bullying were significantly correlated, and that this association was not moderated by CU traits. Moreover, anger dysregulation, and to some extent, victimization, were more strongly associated with conduct problems in those with lower levels of CU traits. Furthermore, conduct problems were more strongly related to attitudes towards bullying for those lower on CU traits than for those higher on CU traits. Finally, anger dysregulation, victimization, perceived peer support, and attitudes towards bullying did not account for the association between conduct problems and bullying.

Children exhibiting conduct problems comprise the largest source of referrals to children's mental health services in this county. Significant research has been conducted in an attempt to identify specific risk factors that result in increased vulnerability of a child developing conduct problems. Knowledge of these factors increases our ability to identify young children who are at greater risk for developing conduct problems. The treatment for conduct problems that possesses the greatest amount of empirical support is behavioral parent training. Yet behavioral parent training fails to address behaviors and risk factors that are present during a child's early development. Preventative behavioral parent training is a very brief primary prevention strategy designed to prevent the development of chronic and age-inappropriate display of conduct problems. This project was an initial longitudinal assessment examining the merits of preventative behavioral parent training as a primary prevention strategy for young children at-risk of developing conduct problems. Results demonstrated that prevention participants were engaging in normative rates of noncompliance and tantruming at 6-month follow-up, whereas comparison children showed a general worsening in their disruptive behaviors over time.

The prevalence of conduct problems in children impacts upon families, educational settings, and broader society within Australia. Conduct problems develop early in an individual's life and can lead to more serious problems including substance abuse and delinquency in adolescence and adulthood. Given the high incidence of conduct problems in children, the need for prevention and early intervention strategies to target the onset and development of this phenomenon is paramount. This thesis focuses on early intervention strategies for reducing the incidence of conduct problems in children and explores a multi-modal early intervention and prevention program targeting children and families at-risk of the development of conduct problems. A randomised controlled trial involving 455 children was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of this program. Participants were drawn from ten Education Queensland primary schools in the Mount Gravatt district of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The 455 children were randomly assigned to either experimental or control conditions for the purposes of the program's evaluation. From this initial cohort, an indicated sample of 1 52 participants was identified through a universal screening process. This sample included children who were considered more at-risk of conduct problems. Participants designated to experimental conditions engaged in the school component of the program, with 66 of the experimental group receiving an additional indicated component facilitated in the school setting. Further, a selection of parents of children in the experimental group participated in the home component of the intervention. The retention rate for families engaged in the study was high with 96% of participants remaining engaged in the study throughout the evaluation process. The findings that emerged from the study revealed significant differences between participants who engaged in the intervention program compared with those designated to control conditions. Positive changes in the behaviour of students reported at the school level were statistically significant. However, while some changes were identified in the home setting, the treatment effects of the program were not significant. These findings were sustained at the six-month follow up period. Conclusions drawn from this study were conceptualised within the framework of current advances in the social science literature that focus on conduct problems and early intervention and prevention. The outcomes of the research emphasise the significance of comprehensive interventions programs for children and families at-risk that focus on both school and home settings and that are easily implemented in, and cost-effective to, community populations. Recommendations from this research serve to inform ftiture research agendas in early intervention and prevention and specialists in the fields of psychology and education.

<p>This study re-examines whether a new instrument, Child Problematic Traits Inventory, can assess core traits of psychopathy in children. A sample of 309, 3-5 year olds, (mean age 4 ), were recruited from 3 medium sized Swedish communities. Results show that items from the test load in three dimensions: Grandiose/Deceitful, Callous/Unemotional and Impulsivity, Need for stimulation. They are related to symptoms of Conduct- and Oppositional Defiant Disorder, fearlessness, proactive- and relational aggression. The study presents evidence that psychopathic like traits can be meaningfully studied in young children and that the Child Problematic Traits Inventory is a valid instrument for assessing these traits. Future longitudinal research is needed to see whether this construct is stable and predictive for future psychopathic disorder.</p> / <p>Studien replikerar om ett nytt instrument, Child Problematic Traits Inventory, kan mäta grundläggande psykopatiska personlighetsdrag hos barn, 3-5 år. Försökspersonerna bestod av 309, 3-5 åringar (medelålder 4) från tre medelstora svenska kommuner. Resultat visar att frågor från Child Problematic Traits Inventory laddar och formar tre dimensioner, en Grandiose/Decieteful en Callous/Unemotional och en Impulsivity/Need for Stimulation. Dessa tre dimensioner är relaterade till symptom av trotssyndrom, uppförandestörning, oräddhet samt proaktiv och relationell aggression. Studien visar att psykopatiliknande drag kan bli meningsfullt studerande i barn och att Child Problematic Traits Inventory är ett bra instrument för att mäta detta. Framtida longitudinell forskning är nödvändig för att undersöka om psykopati liknande personlighetsdrag är stabila över tid samt predicerar psykopati.</p>

<p>Children that are expressing or are exposed to risk factors experience an elevated risk of developing later psychosocial maladjustment, such as conduct problems. However, all children exposed to risk do not express conduct problems, but develop normally. The aim of the present study was to examine potential protective factors among children exposed to risk, that separate children expressing conduct problem behavior from those who do not. In the study, preschool teachers and parents of 298 three- to five-year-old children participated. Risk factors of the individual, conduct problem behavior, and relationship oriented protective factors were examined. The results indicate that positive peer relationships are important for preschool children´s psychosocial development, while family factors, such as parent's disciplinary style, seem less important.</p>

This study re-examines whether a new instrument, Child Problematic Traits Inventory, can assess core traits of psychopathy in children. A sample of 309, 3-5 year olds, (mean age 4 ), were recruited from 3 medium sized Swedish communities. Results show that items from the test load in three dimensions: Grandiose/Deceitful, Callous/Unemotional and Impulsivity, Need for stimulation. They are related to symptoms of Conduct- and Oppositional Defiant Disorder, fearlessness, proactive- and relational aggression. The study presents evidence that psychopathic like traits can be meaningfully studied in young children and that the Child Problematic Traits Inventory is a valid instrument for assessing these traits. Future longitudinal research is needed to see whether this construct is stable and predictive for future psychopathic disorder. / Studien replikerar om ett nytt instrument, Child Problematic Traits Inventory, kan mäta grundläggande psykopatiska personlighetsdrag hos barn, 3-5 år. Försökspersonerna bestod av 309, 3-5 åringar (medelålder 4) från tre medelstora svenska kommuner. Resultat visar att frågor från Child Problematic Traits Inventory laddar och formar tre dimensioner, en Grandiose/Decieteful en Callous/Unemotional och en Impulsivity/Need for Stimulation. Dessa tre dimensioner är relaterade till symptom av trotssyndrom, uppförandestörning, oräddhet samt proaktiv och relationell aggression. Studien visar att psykopatiliknande drag kan bli meningsfullt studerande i barn och att Child Problematic Traits Inventory är ett bra instrument för att mäta detta. Framtida longitudinell forskning är nödvändig för att undersöka om psykopati liknande personlighetsdrag är stabila över tid samt predicerar psykopati.