Did you know that children with disabilities are reported at nearly 2 times greater risk of child maltreatment than typically developing children? Some studies indicate that children with emotional or behavior problems are at elevated risk. Estimates of the prevalence of children 0-5 years with serious emotional/ behavioral disorders in the U.S. range from 9% to 14%. Challenging behaviors that can have negative ripple effects on the child, family and community by disrupting parent-child relationships, increasing parental stress, isolating families and sometimes triggering child maltreatment. Unfortunately, government -sponsored early intervention programs often don’t use evidence-based intervention programs to prevent or address these challenging behaviors. Although research on several family-centered behavioral intervention modelshas shown positive impacts on young children with challenging behaviors and their parents, there’s a gap between research and practice in most communities.
