Children with emotional and behavioral disabilities who would potentially benefit from Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI) with therapy dogs do not have consistent access to this type of intervention in school settings due to a lack of defined policies and processes at both individual school and district levels. The focus of this qualitative…

Neurodiverse children in day treatment programs often experience behavioral challenges that limit their opportunities to engage in recreational physical activities. These activities are important for physical health and aid in developing motor and socio-emotional skills. The present study used an explanatory sequential mixed methods design to…

Wraparound is a care coordination model that has shown effectiveness for serving children and youth with significant emotional and behavioral health needs and their families. The current study evaluates a statewide wraparound demonstration with the goals of reducing the use of residential care and increasing access to outpatient mental health…

The Department of Justice has a responsibility to ensure that all programs serving students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) abide by laws, as do state governments. This study took a close look at a Department of Justice's investigation of the appropriateness of a behavior intervention program (that is, the Georgia Network for…

The study investigated the efficacy of a dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) program with a general college counseling center population, not limited to students diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. A review of records of 64 students found that obsessive-compulsive symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, paranoia,…

Behavioral parent training (BPT) is an evidence-based intervention for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and related disruptive behavioral disorders of childhood. Despite convincing data on effectiveness, engagement to BPT, particularly for high-risk families, has been a long standing, yet understudied, issue. Data…

The Therapeutic Assessment (TA) model is a relatively new treatment approach that fuses assessment and psychotherapy. The study examines the efficacy of this model with preadolescent boys with oppositional defiant disorder and their families. A replicated single-case time-series design with daily measures is used to assess the effects of TA and to…

Children often have complex emotional and behavioral disorders (ADHD, ODD, Depression, PTSD, etc.). A large amount of research exists in the behavioral treatment of children with these disorders regarding specific behavioral problems. Much less research exists for the treatment of comprehensive problematic behaviors that these children experience…

This single-subject action research project examines the effects of animal-assisted therapy on the self-esteem and classroom behaviors of a student with an emotional/behavioral disorder. An 18- year-old male attending a special education school in northeastern St. Paul participated in animal-assisted therapy research for four weeks. Quantitative…

Recipients of treatment designed to change their behavior have the right to a therapeutic environment, services whose overriding goal is personal welfare, treatment by a competent behavior analyst, programs that teach functional skills, behavioral assessment and ongoing evaluation, and the most effective treatment procedures available. (Author/JDD)

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an empirically supported, parent-training program designed to teach parents specific techniques to manage the behavior of children between the ages of two and seven exhibiting extreme disruptive behavior. Over 30 published studies (see Herschell, Calzada, Eyberg, & McNeil, 2002b for a review) have lent…

This article highlights key features of Multisystemic Therapy (MST), a treatment designed to empower caregivers with the skills and resources needed to address behavioral problems and to teach coping skills to youth. The supervisory, consultation, and program practices that support therapist implementation of MST in community-based settings are…

Two studies with four adolescents with behavior disorders investigated the relationship between antecedent events and aggressive behavior in school and home settings. The use of videotape recordings and behavioral rehearsal of alternative responses resulted in decreases in the frequency of aggressive behavior and associated antecedent events. (DB)

Using urban schools to provide a pivotal platform from which to launch mental health services, the target population in this study was a group of students (n=41), ages 5-13, with serious emotional disturbances and their families at two elementary schools in Cleveland, Ohio. The children were referred for school-based mental health services by…

Over the last thirty years, children's behavioral health services in the school have witnessed drastic progress. Over this time, medications for mental health problems have improved. In addition, empirically validated treatments, most of which have come from behavioral psychology, have made their way into Best Practice guidelines for the treatment…