“Don’t Kick Me Out!”: Day Treatment for Two Preschool Children With Severe Behavior Problems

Abstract

Parents of young children with severe emotional and behavior problems have few services from which to choose if their child is expelled from preschool for aggressive and disruptive behavior. Two case studies provide an overview of a multicomponent, intensive, day-treatment program for children with moderate to severe behavior disorders. Proximal and distal program goals are to eliminate presenting problem behaviors and increase social competencies and to reintegrate children back to their school, preschool, or daycare, respectively. The cases presented in this study provide preliminary evidence that day treatment can be a viable option for young children with disruptive behavior disorders.