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Screening for SocialEmotional Concerns:
Considerations in theSelection of Instruments
Jasolyn Henderson and Phillip Strain January 2009
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www.challengingbehavior.org
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Te reproduction o this document is encouraged. Permission to copy is not required.Tis publication was produced by the echnical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention or YoungChildren unded by the Oce o Special Education Programs, U. S. Department o Education (H326B070002).Te views expressed in this document do not necessarily represent the positions or policies o the Department o Education. No ocial endorsement by the U.S. Department o Education o any product, commodity, service orenterprise mentioned in this publication is intended or should be inerred.Suggested Citation:Henderson, J., & Strain, P.S. (2009). Screening or delays and problem behavior (Roadmap to Eective InterventionPractices). ampa, Florida: University o South Florida, echnical Assistance Center on Social EmotionalIntervention or Young Children. www.challengingbehavior.org
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Roadmap to Eective Intervention Practices
Screening for Social Emotional Concerns:
Considerations in the Selection of Instruments
Jasolyn Henderson and Phillip Strain, January 2009
SOCIALEMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT INTHE EARLY CHILDHOOD POPULATION
Access to high quality early childhood services is undamentalto the long-term success o our nation’s children and theiramilies (NAEYC, 2000). For children, high quality early childhood services can increase the likelihood o academicsuccess by improving cognitive, social,behavioral, language, and motor skills(e.g. NAEYC, 2000; NASP, 2002). Foramilies, high quality early childhoodservices can provide the inormationand resources to help their children besuccessul in school. An overwhelmingbody o research indicates that the early years are very inuential on later develop-ment (NAEYC, 2000; National ResearchCouncil, 1998, 2000, 2001; Shonko &Phillips, 2000). For some young children,the presence o challenging behavior is amajor obstacle to their success in early childhood settings and even predictive o social and academic problems throughoutschool (Carter, Briggs-Gowan, & Davis,2004). Although exhibiting some challenging behavior duringearly childhood is typical and varies greatly across environ-ments, some children exhibit challenging behaviors that aremore chronic and result in signifcant diculties or the child,amily, and learning environment. In these cases, it is impor-tant to have specialized early intervention services available tothem and their amilies as soon as possible to help preventlong-term diculties (Gorey, 2001). Te initial step towardsdetection and amelioration o such problems and the preven-tion o more severe issues is to conduct screenings across devel-opmental areas to help identiy those children and amiliesthat would beneft rom early and targeted intervention strat-egies. Universal screening enables serviceproviders and amilies to quickly identiy diculties and implement strategies thatare likely to lessen the probability o long-term negative outcomes including severepersistent challenging behaviors. Te prac-tice o universal screening is in line withthe prevention approach that is the ounda-tion o the Pyramid Model ramework o the echnical Assistance Center on SocialEmotional Interventions (ACSEI) (www.challengingbehavior.org) and the Center onthe Social and Emotional Foundations orEarly Learning (CSEFEL) (www.vander-bilt.edu/cseel) as well as that embraced by many schools (Levitt et al, 2007). In addi-tion to implementing targeted strategiesor those children identifed as at-risk by screening, specialattention should be given to the quality o the environmentand relationships that the all children have with those around
Although exhibiting some challenging behavior during early childhood is typical and varies greatly across environments,some children exhibit challenging behaviors that are more chronic and result in signicant difculties or the child, amily, and learning environment.
Tis document is part o the
Roadmap to Eective Intervention Practices
series o syntheses, intendedto provide summaries o existing evidence related to assessment and intervention or social-emotionalchallenges o young children. Te purpose o the syntheses is to oer consumers (proessionals, otherpractitioners, administrators, amilies, etc.) practical inormation in a useul, concise ormat and toprovide reerences to more complete descriptions o validated assessment and intervention practices.Te syntheses are produced and disseminated by the Oce o Special Education Programs (OSEP)echnical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention or Young Children (ACSEI).
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