Treating Conduct Problems and Strengthening Social and Emotional Competence in Young Children

Abstract

Young preschool and early-school-age children with early onset conduct problems are at high risk for school dropout, substance abuse, violence, and delinquency in later years. Consequently, developing treatment strategies for reducing conduct problems when aggression is in its more malleable form prior to age 8, and thus interrupting its progression, is of considerable benefit to families and society. This article describes a treatment program—the Dina Dinosaur Social, Emotional and Problem Solving Child Training Program—that was designed specifically with developmentally appropriate teaching methods for young children (ages 4 to 8 years) and based on theory related to the types of social, emotional, and cognitive deficits or excesses exhibited by children with conduct problems.The program emphasizes training children in skills such as emotional literacy, empathy or perspective taking, friendship and communication skills, anger management, interpersonal problem solving, school rules, and how to be successful at school. Emphasis is placed on ways to promote cross-setting generalization of the behaviors that are taught by involving parents and teachers in the treatment. A review of two randomized trials with this treatment approach and long-term results are provided.