| Description |
The current study evaluated the effectiveness of a manualized social and emotional learning curriculum, Strong Start Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) in decreasing aggressive behaviors and increasing positive social behavior and emotional regulation in a group of 4 to 5 year-old preschool children with serious emotional disturbance and behavior disorders. Participants were children who were attending a therapeutic preschool who had significant elevations on the Externalizing Behavior scale of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Eleven children were randomly assigned to either a treatment group or a control group with 6 children in the treatment group and 5 in the control group. The Strong Start Pre-K program is intended to facilitate the development of positive social behaviors and emotional regulation among preschoolers. The preschool program consists of 10 lessons which were presented over the course of 10 weeks, and for 3 days each week. An A-B single subject design was used and included a follow-up over the course of three weeks after cessation of the Strong Start Pre-K program. Direct observations were made during the baseline, treatment, and follow-up to assess the effectiveness of the treatment program. In addition to the direct behavioral observations, pre-and posttreatment behavioral checklist data were collected from teacher and parent forms administered the first week of baseline and at follow-up. Although results did not show a substantial increase in positive nonverbal behaviors for participants of the Strong Start treatment group, there was a trend for improvement that was found during the treatment and at the time of the follow-up. Further, moderate effect sizes were found for the treatment group participants' engagement in positive nonverbal behaviors. No trend for improvement or significant improvement in social interaction was found for the control group. Both treatment and control groups participants, however, showed decreases in aggressive interactions during treatment and follow-up, albeit small decreases as shown by visual analysis of the results. High consumer satisfaction for the Strong Start program was found among participants and the participants' parents and preschool teachers. Results of the current study contribute to the literature; however, further research is needed to support the use of the Strong Start Pre-K program in a therapeutic preschool setting where the programing is based on methods to improve social-emotional growth and learning. |
