Teacher-Child Interaction Therapy (TCIT), which is an adaptation of the empirically-based treatment of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), addresses the needs of children and teachers through increasing positive teacher-child interactions while educating teachers on effective discipline techniques. The theoretical and empirical basis for PCIT provides the foundation for the appropriate and effective application of the adaptation of this treatment model for use with teachers.<br>The efficacy of Teacher-Child Interaction Therapy (TCIT) with a clinical preschool population was evaluated through a single subject A-B design conducted across subjects. The current study examined the impact of the intervention, TCIT, on child behavior, teacher skill development and use, as well as the quality of teacher-child relationships. Results suggest that the intervention positively impacted the behavior of preschool children diagnosed with a Disruptive Behavior Disorder, as indicated by a reduction of disruptive behaviors and increase of prosocial behaviors within a therapeutic classroom setting. Additionally, teacher skill use and the quality of teacher-child relationships were evaluated following implementation of the TCIT intervention. Findings indicate that the intervention positively impacted teachers use of the positive attention skills over the course of the intervention.<br>This study, which examined the efficacy of Teacher-Child Interaction Therapy with preschool-aged children diagnosed with a Disruptive Behavior Disorder, provides initial support for the implementation of a relationship-based technique to support teachers in addressing the disruptive behaviors of children within a classroom environment. / School of Education; / School Psychology / PhD; / Dissertation;

A model of Teacher Child Interaction Therapy (TCIT) was implemented in two kindergarten classrooms of students (n = 2) who successfully completed Parent Child Interaction Therapy, but continued to demonstrate disruptive behaviors in the classroom. The current study first indicated that TCIT was implemented with integrity by both the therapists and teacher participants. Next, the effects of this intervention on the teacher’s skills, students’ disruptive behaviors, teacher’s stress, and teacher-child relationships were investigated. The treatment acceptability was also examined. Both visual and statistical analyses found a treatment effect in both cases was seen for both teachers’ increased use of positive interaction skills and decrease of negative interaction skills during the intervention session. However, these skills generalized to the interactions between the teacher and student during classroom instruction. Mixed results were found related to teachers’ use of effective commands. Results from visual analysis indicated that one child participant demonstrated a decrease in disruptive behaviors according to both teacher rating scales and classroom behavior observations. Neither teacher indicated significantly reduced stress over the course of TCIT. Teacher-child relationships improved for both students; however, one teacher also reported increased conflict in the relationship. Both teachers expressed high levels of treatment acceptability for the intervention. Further research should investigate the underlying causes for the nuances in the findings of this study. Additional research is also warranted to determine whether these results can be generalized to other students as well as best practices for implementing this intervention in schools.