Addressing challenging behaviors in challenging environments: Findings from Ohio's early childhood mental health consultation system

Reyes, Chin R.; Gilliam, Walter S.

doi:10.1017/s0954579420001790

Cited by 33Early Childhood Education and DevelopmentChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentBehavioral and Psychological Studies

Addressing challenging behaviors in challenging environments: Findings from Ohio's early childhood mental health consultation system

Reyes, Chin R., Gilliam, Walter S.·2021·Development and Psychopathology

DOI 10.1017/s0954579420001790

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Abstract

Early childhood mental health consultation (ECMHC) has been promoted by the federal government as a promising model for reducing early childhood expulsions and suspensions and is now implemented by numerous states. Despite growing ECMHC proliferation, this study is only the second randomized controlled trial of ECMHC, extending the methodologies of the first to include assessment of effects on random peers. Classrooms were assigned randomly to treatment or waitlist-control condition (n= 51 classrooms, 57 preschool teachers, and 190 preschoolers). Evaluation measures were collected at both pretreatment and posttreatment, following approximately six consultation visits. Classroom and teacher outcomes were evaluated with ordinary least squares regressions, while hierarchical linear modeling was used to evaluate child-level outcomes, accounting for the nested study design. Treatment children (both the target children who prompted the referral for ECMHC and random peers) evidenced significant improvements in social and emotional skills. Promising trend findings were noted for child behavior problem reduction and teacher pedagogical approach and locus of control. No significant effects were found on likelihood of expulsion and classroom mental health climate. This is the first ECMHC to demonstrate effects on nontarget peers in a rigorous randomized controlled trial. Programmatic and methodologic limitations and implications are discussed.

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ECMHC has significant positive effects on prosocial behaviors in children who were not the focus of the intervention.
“ECMHC has also been found to have significant positive impacts on prosocial behaviors in the bystander children who were not the focus of the intervention [47].”
From Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 among Children and College Students: A Systematic Review (2023) · cites this paper as [47]

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“More specifically, the average duration of social and emotional learning programs is 40 sessions (Durlak et al., 2011), and Connecticut’s ECMHC dosage is 14–16 weeks for a total of up to 64 hr of consultation (Caputo, 2016; Gilliam et al.”
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Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 among Children and College Students: A Systematic Review
Elharake, J. A., Akbar, F., Malik, A. A., Gilliam, W., & Omer, S. B. (2023) · Child Psychiatry & Human Development · doi:10.1007/s10578-021-01297-1 · Cited by 279 · see citing works
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Valdebenito, S., Gaffney, H., Arosemena‐Burbano, M. J., Hitchcock, S., Jolliffe, D., & Sutherland, A. (2025) · Campbell Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/cl2.70063 · Cited by 4 · see citing works

Authors: Reyes, C. R., & Gilliam, W. S.
Affiliations: Yale University (US)
Corresponding author: Reyes, Chin R.
ORCID: Reyes, Chin R.
Gilliam, Walter S.
Venue: Development and Psychopathology
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Published: 2021-03-25
Volume: 33
Issue: 2
Pages: 634-646
ISSN: 0954-5794 (ISSN-L)
1469-2198
DOI: 10.1017/s0954579420001790
OpenAlex: W3137566797
Cited by: 33
References: 64
Citations by year: 2026: 4 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 2
FWCI: 9.22
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified)
Locations: Development and Psychopathology (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Education › Early Childhood Education and Development
Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Behavioral and Psychological Studies
Keywords: behavioral problems, preschool children, socioemotional skills, child behavior problems, teacher pedagogical approaches, locus of control, early childhood education
MeSH terms: School Teachers, Child, Child Behavior, Child, Preschool, Humans, Mental Health, Ohio, Referral and Consultation

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Addressing challenging behaviors in challenging environments: Findings from Ohio's early childhood mental health consultation system

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