Follow-up of maladjusted academically underachieving children treated in a therapeutic community

Follow-up studies present many difficulties and variables of which the researcher must be aware. They include finding the subjects--in this case children--who are being followed-up and seeking their cooperation in participating in a follow-up scheme. They also include considering the population that one is treating and most especially the duration and severity of the disturbance and how this could well affect the outcome of treatment in a therapeutic community and, eventually, the success or failure after such youngsters leave the therapeutic community. The skill and dedication of treatment being given in the therapeutic community and how this affects outcome once the child leaves the community is also important. The fact that some individuals who leave are withdrawn before it is felt they are ready may mean that incomplete treatment leads to poor outcomes anyway. Also the events that occur after leaving the treatment centre are of particular importance. These may be beneficial or harmful to the individual, increasing or decreasing the chances of rehabilitation. This is the most difficult aspect to control and hence the child who has done well during treatment in a therapeutic community may encounter extreme stresses after leaving. This may result in a poor outcome that is not attributable to what was done in the therapeutic community. This study showed that those children or adolescents with severe problems who were not rejected by the therapeutic community and who received the support of the Local Authority, parents etc. were likely to be more effective in adjusting to life outside the therapeutic community in due course. Those who were able to manipulate the system by turning one professional against another, however, were more likely to experience failure subsequently in late adolescence and as young adults.