Related Experiment Videos
A day treatment program for severely disturbed young children
Insights
This study followed 67 children with severe emotional disturbances treated at a mental health center. Most children achieved positive outcomes, living at home and attending school two years post-discharge.
Area of Science:
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Developmental Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- A day treatment program serves young children with severe emotional disturbances and functional impairments.
- Treatment is primarily delivered by child-development specialists in a classroom, small-group setting.
Observation:
- The study tracked 67 children post-discharge from the program.
- Data included psychiatric diagnoses, psychological status, family characteristics, and long-term treatment outcomes.
Findings:
- An average of two years and seven months after discharge, 63 children (94%) were living at home.
- 52 children (78%) attended public school, with most in regular classes.
Implications:
- The findings suggest the effectiveness of early intervention and day treatment programs for children with severe emotional disturbances.
- Successful reintegration into home and school environments indicates positive long-term impacts of the program.
Abstract:
An Illinois mental health center operates a day treatment program for young children, who have severe emotional disturbances, often accompanied by profound functional retardation of neurological impairment or both. The primary therapists are child-development specialists; most of the treatment is provided in a classroom setting, through small groups. The author reports on a study of 67 young children who had been treated and discharged, including their psychiatric diagnoses and psychological status at intake and discharge, family characteristics, and treatment outcome an average of two years and seven months after discharge. At that time all but four of the children were living at home. Fifty-two of them attended public school, most in regular classes, and the rest were in therapeutic day schools.