%0 Journal Article
%T A Longitudinal Intervention Study To Reduce Aggression By Children Ages 4-11 - A Longitudinal Intervention Study To Reduce Aggression By Children Ages 4-11 - Open Access Pub
%A John W. Graham
%A Robert V.J. Basso
%J OAP | Home | Journal of Behavior Therapy And Mental Health | Open Access Pub
%D 2018
%X Our objective was the early identification, assessment and treatment of aggression by primary school children four to eleven years old, with the goal of preventing school expulsion. The children were identified by teachers and other professionals for their aggressive behavior. Children were assessed for five symptoms which are linked to the development and persistence of social and/or physical aggressive behaviors: inattention, hyperactivity, anxiety, poor social functioning, and oppositional behavior. Long term follow-up continued for up to 9 years. ConnersĄ¯ Scales for parents and teachers were used to assess the severity of predisposing symptoms and emotional lability. The children were treated with psychosocial and pharmacological interventions by social workers and a physician, in addition to utilizing community and school resources. Teachers reported a reduction in some of the predisposing symptoms: hyperactivity, emotional lability, oppositionality, and improved social functioning. Parents reported improvements in all five of the childrenĄ¯s physically aggressive behaviors. Early intervention for childrenĄ¯s aggressive behaviors was found to be effective. None of the children in the study were expelled from school. DOI10.14302/issn.2474-9273.jbtm-16-1202 Contemporary tragic events reported in the news over the past few years involving adolescentsĄ¯ aggression have spawned public interest into these individualsĄ¯ childhood histories of aggression. Recently reported cases demonstrate histories of overtly aggressive children. The Oxford Dictionary (Online version, 2016) defines aggression as "a hostile violent behavior or attitude towards another, or readiness to attack or confront". This study was devised in 2001 after an educational edict from the Government of Ontario that prohibited student aggression with a mandatory removal of students from schools. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the authors intended to study the situation and recommend early identification and proactive response to childhood aggression. Children were identified for the study based on their overt verbal or physical aggression. The children received professional medical and social work assessments and recommendations for interventions from resources available in our community. The goal was to treat the children and prevent their aggressive behavior from resulting in expulsion from school. A selection of works that were integral to the design rationale and implementation of the study are discussed here. Valla and Bergeron 2 assessed a number of four and five year-olds concluding
%U https://www.openaccesspub.org/jbtm/article/342