ABSTRACT
Rates of clinically significant behavioral and emotional problems are as high as 6-15% in children aged 3-12 years (Egger & Angold, 2006; Sawyer et al., 2000). These numbers are even higher for children from economically disadvantaged families (Webster-Stratton & Hammond, 1998). Young children with early-onset behavioral and emotional difficulties are at increased risk of developing severe adjustment difficulties, conduct disorders, school drop-out, violence, and substance abuse in adolescence and adulthood (Costello, Foley, & Angold, 2006; Egger & Angold, 2006). However, the good news is that research has consistently indicated that early intervention with evidence-based parent, teacher, and child programs can prevent and reduce the development of conduct problems, strengthen social and emotional competence and school readiness, and, in turn, prevent later development of secondary risk factors such as school underachievement and deviant peer groups (Kazdin & Weisz, 2010; Snyder, 2001).
