Restrictive educational placements increase adolescent risks for students with early‐starting conduct problems

Abstract

Background Students with early-starting conduct problems often do poorly in school; they are disproportionately placed in restrictive educational placements outside of mainstream classrooms. Although intended to benefit students, research suggests that restrictive placements may exacerbate the maladjustment of youth with conduct problems. Mixed findings, small samples, and flawed designs limit the utility of existing research. Methods This study examined the impact of restrictive educational placements on three adolescent outcomes (high-school non-completion, conduct disorder, depressive symptoms) in a sample of 861 students with early-starting conduct problems followed longitudinally from kindergarten (age 5-6). Causal modeling with propensity scores was used to adjust for confounding factors associated with restrictive placements. Analyses explored the timing of placement (elementary vs. secondary school) and moderation of impact by initial problem severity. Results Restrictive educational placement in secondary school (but not in elementary school) was iatrogenic, increasing the risk of high-school non-completion and the severity of adolescent conduct disorder. Negative effects were amplified for students with conduct-problem behavior with less cognitive impairment. Conclusions To avoid harm to students and to society, schools must find alternatives to restrictive placements for students with conduct problems in secondary school, particularly when these students do not have cognitive impairments that might warrant specialized educational supports.

Massage and Storytelling Reduce Aggression and Improve Academic Performance in Children Attending Elementary School

“…Children who exhibit high rates of conduct problems at school often experience chronic difficulties in both academic and social domains. Many of these students come from a background of early adversity (poverty, family instability, parenting difficulties, and violence exposure) [ 1 , 6 , 23 ]. The high rate of school failure and dropout experienced by students with conduct problems, compared with other students with disabilities, underscores the difficulties schools face in serving these children effectively [ 6 ].…”

School‐based support for children with conduct disorders; a qualitative longitudinal study of high‐need families

“…Murray et al, 2014;Farrington, 2015). Another set of studies has debated inclusive education, the pros and cons of keeping children with difficult behaviour in mainstream schools, and the effectiveness of intervention with these children, although there is a lack of longitudinal evidence of effectiveness or the factors that moderate effectiveness (Lindsay, 2007;Powers et al, 2016). The current study took one approach to addressing this gap by examining in-depth experiences of support received over a number of years, and considering what approaches seem to have lasting benefit, or what stops school-based support being effective.…”

Behavior management training for teachers in the induction phase

“…Limited social and academic opportunities widen achievement gaps for students who engage in CB. For students in elementary school, gaps in academic, social-emotional, and behavioral performance begin early, and widen as they progress through school (Powers et al, 2016). Providing evidence-based behavioral interventions can prevent and manage CBs early to alleviate academic, social-emotional, and behavioral gaps for students later in school.…”