NCJ Number
164173
Editor(s)
R D Peters,
R J McMahon
Date Published
1996
Length
400 pages
Annotation
This volume presents theories and practices of leading-edge prevention and early intervention programs with children from birth through adolescence.
Abstract
The chapters are the work of a collection of experienced scientist-practitioners in the fields of childhood disorders, substance abuse, and delinquency. Following an introductory overview chapter, the volume is organized in a developmental or chronological fashion, with the first chapters describing interventions with very young children and their families. Subsequent chapters address issues and interventions with elementary school children, "transition" or preadolescent children, and finally, adolescents. Although the volume is organized around the age of the focal children, there is also an emphasis on involving parents, schools, and the community in most of the intervention programs. This collection of current prevention and early intervention approaches was selected to be of interest to academics, other researchers, and students in the behavioral sciences, as well as to those involved in direct intervention with children and adults, such as social workers, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals. The innovative programs analyzed focus on social skills training for children with conduct disorders, anger-coping group work for aggressive children, parent training programs, life-skills training for substance abuse prevention, and programs for high-risk youth and rural populations. All of the programs are designed for intervention before the onset of disorders or to deal effectively with problems when they first appear. Many of the programs emphasize strengthening family, school, and community involvement for successful risk reduction. Chapter references and a subject index