The Early Screening Project for Young Children with Behavior Problems

Abstract

Behavioral problems among preschool-age children have become a priority for early childhood educators. Factors such as the exponential rise in childcare utilization and increasing poverty and incidences of child abuse have made the establishment of procedures for the early identification and remediation of problem behaviors among preschool children imperative. Screening is an initial step in identifying those who exhibit a certain disorder, problem, or disability. The goal of the current research was to study the effectiveness of a functional screening and identification system for behavior problems among preschool children ages 3 to 5 years. This research focused on the development of the Early Screening Project (ESP), a multiple-gated screening system adapted from the Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders. Data were collected over 32 months, from September 1991 through June 1994. Participants were 2,853 children, ages 3 to 6 years, enrolled in typical and special education preschool and kindergarten classrooms in Oregon, California, Texas, Utah, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Nebraska, and Louisiana. Concurrent validity was assessed by administering the Behar Preschool Behavior Questionnaire, the Conners' Teacher Rating Scale, and Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist measures. Results demonstrated significant reliability and validity coefficients. The ESP procedure provides reliable, cost-effective, and accurate screening of preschool-age children to facilitate early remediation of behavior problems.