This paper describes the implementation of a direct observation procedure with first grade children identified as at-risk for the development of conduct disorders Children were identified as high-risk or low-risk at kindergarten using a three-stage screening process. Stage one consisted of identifying kindergarten classrooms located in schools with reportedly high rates of behavior problems; stage two used kindergarten teachers' reports of school readiness; and stage three involved parents' ratings of their children's behavior at home. Subjects were assessed 15 months later in the first grade during both structured and unstructured activities using behavioral observation and observers' impressions. Results of this study suggest that children identified as high-risk at kindergarten demonstrate difficulties one year later in their interactions with teachers and peers when compared to a low-risk group. Interpretation of results and future research in this area are presented.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AchenbachT. M., & EdelbrockC. S. (1981). Behavioral problems and competencies reported by parents of normal and disturbed children aged four through sixteen.Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 51(1, Serial No. 188).
2.
AppelbaumM. I., & CramerF. M. (1974). Some problems in nonorthogonal analysis of variance.Psychological Bulletin, 81, 335–343.
3.
CoieJ. D., & KupersmidtJ. B. (1983). A behavioral analysis of emerging social status in boys' groups.Child Development, 54, 1400–1416.
4.
DodgeK. A. (1983). Behavioral antecedents of peer social status.Child Development, 54, 1386–1399.
5.
DodgeK. A., BatesJ. E., & PettitG. S. (1990). Mechanisms in the cycle of violence.Science, 250, 1678–1683.
6.
DodgeK. A., CoieJ. D., & BrakkeN. P. (1982). Behavior patterns of socially rejected and neglected preadolescents: The role of social approach and aggression.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 10, 389–410.
7.
DodgeK. A., PettitG. S., McClaskeyC. L., & BrownM. (1986). Social competence in children.Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 51(2, Serial No. 213).
8.
The Executive Committee of the Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders (1989). White paper on best assessment practices for students with behavioral disorders: Accommodation to cultural diversity and individual differences.Behavioral Disorders14, 263–278.
9.
KauffmanJ. M. (1989). Characteristics of behavior disorders of children and youth (4th ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill.
10.
KazdinA. E. (1985). Treatment of antisocial behavior in children and adolescents.Homewood, IL: Dorsey Press.
11.
KazdinA. E. (1987). Treatment of antisocial behavior in children: Current status and future directions.Psychological Bulletin, 102, 187–203.
12.
LoeberR., DishionT. J., & PattersonG. R. (1984). Mutiple-gating: A multi-stage assessment procedure for identifying youths at risk for delinquency.Journal of Research in Crime and Deliquency, 21, 7–32.
13.
MacLeanW. E., TappJ. T., & JohnsonW. L. (1985). Alternative methods and software for calculating interobserver agreement for continuous observation data.Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 7, 65–73.
14.
PattersonG. R., (1982). Coercive family process.Eugene, OR: Castalia.
15.
PattersonG. R., & BankL. (1986). Bootstrapping your way in the nomological thicket.Behavioral Assessment, 8, 49–73.
16.
PattersonG. R., CapaldiD., & BankL. (1991). An early starter model for predicting deliquency. In PeplerD. J., & RubinK. H. (Eds.) The development and treatment of childhood aggression (pp. 139–168). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
17.
ReidJ. B., BaldwinD. V., PattersonG. R., & DishionT. J. (1988). Some problems relating to the assessment of childhood disorders: A role for observational data. In RutterM., TumaA. H., & LannI. (Eds.), Assessment and diagnosis in child and adolescent psychopathology (pp. 156–195). New York: Guilford.
18.
ReidJ. B., & PattersonG. R. (1991). Early prevention and intervention with conduct problems: A social interactional model for the intergration of research and practice. In StonerG., ShinnM. R., & WalkerH. M. (Eds.), Interventions for achievement and behavior problems (pp. 715–739). Silver Springs, MD: NASP.
19.
RobinsL. N. (1966). Deviant children grown up.Baltimore, MD: Willians & Wilkins.
20.
RobinsL. N. (1979). Follow-up studies. In QuayH. C., & WerryJ. S. (Eds.), Psychopathological disorders of childhood (2nd ed; pp 483–573). New York: Wiley.
21.
RuhlK. L, & HughesC. A. (1985). The nature and extent of aggression in special education settings serving behaviorally disordered students.Behavioral Disorders, 10, 95–104.
22.
SearleS. R., SpeedF. M., & MillikenG. A. (1980). Populations marginal means in the linear model: An alternative to least square means.American Statistician, 34, 216–221.
23.
ShinnM. R., RamseyE., WalkerH. M., StieberS., & O'NeillR. E. (1987). Antisocial behavior in school settings: Initial differences in an at-risk and normal population.Journal of Special Education, 21(2), 69–84.
24.
StrainP. S., LambertD. L., KerrM. M., StaggV., & LenknerD. A. (1983). Naturalistic assessment of children's compliance to teacher's requests and consequences for compliance.Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 16, 243–249.
25.
TappJ. T., & FielD. (1991). ASKER: A computerized program for administering Likert-scale questions [Unpublished computer program]. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University.
26.
TappJ. T., WehbyJ. H., & EllisD. N. (1993). A multiple option observation system for experimental studies: MOOSES. Manuscript submitted for publication.
27.
ThompsonR. H., WhiteK. R., & MorganD. P. (1982). Teacher-student interaction patterns in classrooms with mainstreamed mildly handicapped students.American Educational Research Journal, 19, 220–236.
28.
WahlerR. G., & DumasJ. E. (1986). A chip off the old block: Some interpersonal characteristics of coercive children across generations. In StrainP. S., GuralnickM. J., & WalkerH. M. (Eds.), Children's social behavior: Development, assessment, and modification (pp. 49–91). Orlando, FL: Academic Press.
29.
WalkerH. M., McConnellS., & ClarkeJ. (1984). Social skills training in school settings: A model for the social integration of handicapped children into less restrictive settings. In McMahonR. J., & PetersR. D. (Eds.), Child disorders: Behavioral-developmental approaches (pp. 140–168). New York: Brunner/Mazel.
30.
WalkerH. M., SeversonH., StillerB., WilliamsG., HaringN., ShinnM., & ToddisB. (1988). Systematic screening of pupils in the elementary age range at risk for behavior disorders: Development and trial testing of a multiple gating model.Remedial and Special Education, 9(3), 8–14.
31.
WalkerH. M., ShinnM. R., O'NeillR. E., & RamseyE. (1987). A longitudinal assessment of the development of antisocial behavior in boys: Rationale methodology, and first year results.Remedial and Special Education, 8(4), 7–16.
32.
Werthamer-LarrsonL., & KellamS. G. (1989). Teacher observation of classroom adaption-revised (TOCA-R). In Prevention Center Training Manual.Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University.
33.
WestD. J., & FarringtonD. P. (1973). Who becomes delinquent?New York: Crane, Russak.
34.
WoodF. H. (1987). Issues in the education of behaviorally disordered students. In RutherfordR. B.Jr., NelsonC. M., & FornessS. R. (Eds.), Severe behavior disorders of children and youth (Vol. 9, pp. 15–26). Boston: College-Hill.
