Outcomes of an early intervention program for children with disruptive behaviour

Objective : Outcomes are presented from a public mental health early intervention program for children aged 5 – 9 years with disruptive behaviours.

Method: This was a school-based intervention initiative, delivered within a psychiatric child and adolescent mental health service and includes child,

parent and teacher components. Participants were 235 children selected via school-based population assessments.

Results : A baseline period was used as a form of control that would demonstrate the stability of problem behaviours. Results showed that during a 26-week baseline period, teachers reported increasing levels of problem behaviour, and that the behaviour was creating increased difficulty in the classroom. The shorter 7-week baseline also showed the difficult behaviours were ongoing. Following the intervention, significant improvements in children’s behaviour were seen on the Strengths and Diffi culties Questionnaire reported by parents (eta squared= 0.30) and teachers (eta squared = 0.23), and on the parent Eyberg Child Behaviour Inventory (eta squared = 0.35), and teacher Sutter-Eyberg Student Behaviour Inventory (eta squared = 0.22).

Conclusion: The outcomes show promising results from an early intervention program delivered in schools by a public mental health service and are discussed within the context of dissemination of evidence-based programs though mental health services.