Topics in Early Childhood Special Education

Researchers have indicated that both teachers and parents report disciplinary problems as one of the leading chal-lenges facing schools (Elam, Rose, & Gallup, 1996; Luiselli, Putnam, Handler, & Feinberg, 2005). One factor that may contribute to this perception is the increasing num-ber of very young children with serious emotional and behavior challenges (Center for Mental Health Services, 2002; McDonnell & Glod, 2003). It is estimated that between 7 % and 25 % of preschoolers manifest challenging behaviors that may impair their functioning (Bamett et al., 2006; Perry, Dunne, McFadden, & Campbell, 2008). Effective early intervention for students with behavior problems is critical. However, many child care workers and preschool teachers are not equipped to effectively manage the many problem behaviors that students may exhibit (Buscemi, Bennett, & Thomas, 1996; Scott & Nelson, 1999). This mani-festation of challenging behaviors may contribute to young children being expelled from state-funded prekindergarten programs at 3 times the rate of their peers in K-12 (Gilliam, 2005). Established and disruptive behaviors become stable over time and are resistant to treatment (Hinshaw & Anderson, 1996). When not addressed, long-term outcomes for children with early-onset conduct problems include behavioral prob-lems during adolescence, juvenile delinquency, school drop-out, and adult criminality (Campbell, 1991; Egeland