Addressing Social Behavior Needs of Students with Disabilities and Those at Risk

Large Group Panel Discussion OSEP Project Director’s Conference 2006 July 31, 2006 Matt Timm, Ph.D.

- Nicholas Hobbs

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In 2003, more than 60% of children below age 6 lived in a single parent family with the parent working or in a two parent family with both parents working. (U.S. Department of Labor, 2001)

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In 2000-01, 64% of mothers with children below age 6 and 55% of mothers with infants below age 1 were in the labor force. (Bachu & O’Connell, 2001)

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In 1999, 73% of children below age 5 with an employed parent or primary caregiver (8.7 million) were in an arrangement other than care by a parent: Center-based care: Care by relatives: Family child care homes: Nannies or babysitters: 28% 27% 14% 4% (The Urban Institute, 2002)

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During the 2000-01 school year, 599,678 children with disabilities or approximately 5% of the total population of preschool-age children received services under IDEA Part B.

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During the same period, 230,853 children or approximately 2% of the total population of infants and toddlers received early intervention services under IDEA Part C.

(U.S. Department of Education, 2001)

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In an analysis of data involving 2,585 caregivers from the national evaluation of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program, Brennan & Brannan (2005) found that higher levels of child symptoms were significant predictors of more frequent school absences, less adequate childcare, and greater caregiver strain related to missing work. In turn, less adequate childcare and greater caregiver strain from missed work were associated with lower likelihood of workforce participation.

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In a workplace experience survey involving 349 parents of children with emotional or behavioral challenges, 48% had quit work at some time to care for their child, 27% had employment terminated because of work disruptions due to care responsibilities, and 17% were currently unemployed (Rosenzweig & Huffstutter 2004).

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More than one out of every six American children were poor in 2004, representing a 12.4 % increase over the previous four year period. The number of children living in extreme poverty below half of the poverty line rose by 20% during that same period (Children’s Defense Fund, 2005)

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Young children from poor families are substantially more likely to develop social, emotional, behavioral, and school problems than the general population (Blanchard, Gurka & Blackman , 2006; Fantuzzo et. al., 2003; Qi & Kaiser, 2003; Raver & Knitzer, 2002)

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Those children who live in extreme poverty, remain below the poverty line for multiple years, or experience poverty during their preschool and early school years appear to suffer the worst outcomes (Brooks-Gunn & Duncan, 1997).

Campbell (1995) estimated that approximately 10-15% of all typically developing preschool children have chronic mild to moderate levels of behavior problems.

Children who are poor are much more likely to develop behavior problems with prevalence rates that approach 30% (Qi & Kaiser, 2003).

Center for Evidence Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior www.challengingbehavior.org

The proportion of preschool children meeting the criteria for the clinical diagnosis of ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) ranges from 7% to 25% of children in the United States, depending on the population surveyed ( Webster-Stratton, 1997) .

Center for Evidence Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior www.challengingbehavior.org

Children who are identified as hard to manage at ages 3 and 4 have a high probability (50:50) of continuing to have difficulties into adolescence

(Campbell & Ewing, 1990; Egeland et al., 1990; Fischer, Rolf, Hasazi, & Cummings, 1984).

Center for Evidence Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior www.challengingbehavior.org

The correlation between preschool-age aggression and aggression at age 10 is higher than that for IQ.

(Kazdin, 1995)

Center for Evidence Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior www.challengingbehavior.org

When aggressive and antisocial behavior has persisted to age 9, further intervention has a poor chance of success.

(Coie & Dodge, 1998)

Center for Evidence Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior www.challengingbehavior.org

In the absence of comprehensive, effective prevention and early intervention responses to their critical needs, many children with significant problem behaviors in early childhood face futures in which they are…

Center for Evidence Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior www.challengingbehavior.org

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rejected by peers and teachers

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abuse drugs

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engage in gang membership and violence

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drop out of school

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and continue into adulthood with long-term, chronic disabling conditions (Conroy & Brown, 2004; Reid, 1993; Shores & Wehby, 1999; Strain & Timm, 2001; Walker, Colvin & Ramsey, 1995; Webster-Stratton & Taylor, 2001 )

Of the young children who show early signs of problem behavior, it has been estimated that fewer than 10% receive services for these difficulties.

(Kazdin & Kendall, 1998)

Center for Evidence Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior www.challengingbehavior.org

An estimated 9 to 13% of American children and adolescents between ages nine to 17 have serious diagnosable emotional or behavioral health disorders resulting in substantial to extreme impairment.

(Friedman, 2002)

Center for Evidence Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior www.challengingbehavior.org

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Students with SED miss more days of school than do students in all other disability categories (U.S. Department of Education, 1994)

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More than half of students with SED drop out of grades 9-12, the highest rate for all disability categories. (U.S. Department of Education, 2002)

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Of those students with SED who drop out of school, 73% are arrested within five years of leaving school (Jay & Padilla, 1987)

Center for Evidence Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior www.challengingbehavior.org

There are evidence-based practices that are effective in changing this developmental trajectory… the problem is not lack of implements …

Center for Evidence Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior www.challengingbehavior.org

… but lack of their widespread, appropriate, sustained application.

Prekindergarteners Left Behind: Expulsion Rates in State Prekindergarten Systems Walter S. Gilliam, Ph.D. Yale University Child Study Center (May, 2005)

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National study of 3,898 prekindergarten classrooms (81% response rate), representing all the nation’s state-funded prekindergarten systems operating across 40 states during 2003 and 2004 academic years.

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Program settings (% of sample) (weighted for nation): Head Start (27.48) (17.05) School-Based For Profit Child Care (56.50) (63.67) ( 3.24) ( 4.11) Faith-Affiliated Program Other Community-Based ( 1.49) ( 1.70) (11.30) (13.47)

Prekindergartners Left Behind-2

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10.4% of Pre-K teachers reported expelling at least one preschooler in the past 12 months, of which 19.9% expelled more than one.

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Nationally, 6.67 preschoolers were expelled per 1,000 which is 3.2 times the rate for K-12 students. The ten states with the highest rates all exceeded 10 expulsions per 1,000 and the states with the lowest rates all exceeded 4 per 1,000.

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Four-yr olds were expelled at a rate about 50% greater than either 2 year olds or 3-yr olds. Children who were either 5 or 6 years old (kindergarten entry possibly delayed due to birth date or retention) were about twice as likely to be expelled, relative to 4-yr olds

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Boys were over 4.5 times more likely to be expelled than girls.

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African-American preschoolers were about twice as likely to be expelled as European-American children (both Latino and non Latino). The increased likelihood of boys to be expelled over girls was similar across all ethnicities, except for African-Americans where boys accounted for 91.4% of the expulsions.

Prekindergartners Left Behind-3

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Teachers in faith-affiliated (18.06%), for-profit child care (14.55%) and other community-based settings (13.24%) were significantly more likely to report expelling a preschooler, relative to teachers in either schools (9.19% or Head Start centers (11.71%). School-based pre-K teachers were less likely than Head Start teachers to expel.

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Although school-based pre-K teachers reported the lowest rate of expulsions (6.16 per 1,000), the rate of expulsion of preschoolers in schools is still nearly three times higher than the rate of expulsion of K-12 students in schools (2.09 per 1,000).

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Pre-K expulsion rates also related significantly to teacher access to classroom-based mental health consultation. Teachers were asked to rate their access from “none” to “on call” to “on-site or regular visits.” The percentage of pre-K teachers reported to have expelled at least one child in the past 12 months is significantly lower at each level of increased access to classroom-based mental health consultation.