This paper presents perspectives from early childhood practitioners of pre-school children's (n = 100) social and emotional competencies upon entering pre-school and again after term three of the pre-school year. This research reports findings from five pre-school settings within rural and urban locations. A quantitative approach is used with…

The current study investigated the effects of an integrative exercise intervention on the behaviours in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and if they were influenced by ASD symptom severity. Sixty-six children (7.56 ± 2.03 yrs.) with ASD were enrolled and categorised as having mild (n = 22), moderate (n = 18) or severe (n = 26)…

Although there is a wealth of research addressing the association between mental health and school absenteeism, there are calls for a better understanding of how mental health difficulties might predict SAPs (Egger et al., 2003; Finning et al., 2022; Ingul et al., 2019; Wood et al., 2012). The aim of this paper was to create a more nuanced…

This intervention case study is written by an Educational and Child Psychologist in the Republic of Ireland, which took place with Leah, a 15-year-old adolescent with a diagnosis of autism attending a post-primary school. Pre- and post-intervention assessment measures included the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Rosenberg…

Children's early problematic behaviour correlates with later deviant behaviour. The Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management (IY TCM) programme trains teachers in proactive strategies to disrupt patterns of negative child behaviour. This mixed methods systematic review applies multilevel meta-analysis and qualitative meta-synthesis to answer:…

The current study investigates how internalizing and externalizing problems develop reciprocally across infancy to middle childhood, in relation to children's gender, cognitive functioning, socioeconomic status, and parental stress. The study also examines the impact of the developmental cascade of internalizing and externalizing problems on…

Research in the area of social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, and teacher's struggle to respond to challenging behaviour in mainstream classrooms, has consistently highlighted the need for proventative and responsive approaches within a continuum of support. This study aims to, firstly, investigate what proactive and reactive strategies…

Internationally and in Ireland, the adoption of inclusive education frameworks have been broadly welcomed, particularly by parents of children with special educational needs (SEN). Mainstreaming these children is generally viewed as positive primarily because of the social factors associated with attending mainstream schools for children with SEN.…

Socio-emotional development is increasingly recognised as playing a central role in children's academic achievement. However, little is known about the socio-emotional development of language-minority children on entry to school and how these children fare in comparison to their language-majority peers. To address this gap, longitudinal data on…

Teachers frequently struggle to cope with conduct problems in the classroom. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management Training Programme for improving teacher competencies and child adjustment. The study involved a group randomised controlled trial which included 22 teachers and 217…

Inappropriate, aggressive and disruptive behaviour in the classroom can be detrimental to child and teacher well-being. This study involved a longer-term evaluation of the "Incredible Years Teacher [Classroom Management]" programme (IYTP) undertaken mainly within disadvantaged schools in south-west Ireland. The IYTP is designed to…

Objective: A community-based randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted in urban areas characterized by high levels of disadvantage to test the effectiveness of the Incredible Years BASIC parent training program (IYBP) for children with behavioral problems. Potential moderators of intervention effects on child behavioral outcomes were also…

Background: Research suggests that children's reactions to peers with mental health problems are related to the maintenance and outcomes of these problems. However, children's perceptions of such peers, particularly those with internalising problems, are neither well researched nor understood. The present study aimed to test a series of models…

The current study evaluated risk factors for the occurrence, frequency and severity of challenging behavior among a sample of individuals with a diagnosis of autism, under the age of eighteen, in Ireland. Age, gender, hours of intervention received, age at diagnosis, presence of challenging behavior at diagnosis and treatment type at diagnosis…

This study is about examining beginning teachers' needs in relation to helping primary school children with mild learning difficulties. Both pre-service and in-service teachers were approached to assess their experience and needs in this area. In common with previous work in Ireland and internationally, beginning teachers were found to have…