Almost everyone has an opinion on how to stop children becoming delinquents as they grow up. From politicians to teachers to parents, views range from the iron rod to the helping hand. While such approaches have their advocates and detractors, few have any substantial evidence to back up their theories. This could be changing if a technique from the United States that has been adopted by schools in Wales continues to gain popularity.
The Incredible Years programme aims to reduce young children's aggression and behaviour problems while promoting their social, emotional and academic confidence. Programme followers claim that inter- vention with children as young as two can help prevent the onset of serious anti-social behaviour in later life.
The technique also aims to help teachers, childcarers and parents become better equipped at dealing with and teaching children who present challenging behaviour. And it focuses on helping children to be in touch with their feelings, respond appropriately to these emotions and be more considerate of others.
With a history dating back more than 25 years, the programme started life as a way of helping parents of children with behavioural and related problems. Founder Professor Carolyn Webster-Stratton of the University of Washington in Seattle went on to develop an advanced programme for parents struggling to maintain improved child behaviour, and eventually a programme for children themselves.
Her approach has proved successful in controlled studies across the US in both research and public service settings. The technique can reduce children's aggression with parents and with their peers while increasing co-operation in the classroom. Because Professor Webster-Stratton is keen to maintain a high standard of evidence for the programme, those using it must be certified as group leaders and are asked to submit video evidence of their work and share research results with her group in Washington.
Incredible Years received official backing in the UK in September 2003, when Welsh Assembly Government minister for health and social services Jane Hutt launched a new centre at the University of Wales in Bangor which will promote the initiative across the country.
There are already 30 centres throughout Wales, instructing parents, teachers and childcare practitioners, and the programme is also followed in Wales' Sure Start centres. Researchers have found that the techniques help identify and modify behaviour patterns in children that could grow into serious anti-social problems in later life.
Starting with the most basic emotions such as happy and sad, the Incredible Years approach often uses puppet characters to help children solve problems created by emotional conflict. The puppets encounter difficulties, such as missing out on a birthday party invitation, and encourage the children to suggest ways of solving the problem. The programme builds up over two or three years to introduce more complex emotions such as anger and frustration.
Dr Judith Hutchings, who has been researching the Incredible Years technique for more than three years, says, 'It takes a long time before children can analyse their feelings. A feeling is a clue that children need to do something about. They can look for physical signs, such as feeling hot when they are angry. It builds their confidence as they understand what's happing to them.'
She believes the intervention can help children as young as two. Behaviour difficulties at that age are similar to toddler tantrums, except they are severe, strike in a wider range of situations and occur more often. 'All children have tantrums. Before they acquire language skills this is how they express frustration,' she says. 'But the way that we see if there is a greater problem is by looking for more extreme and frequent aggression towards others.'
Teachers have heaped praise on the programme. In a recent survey conducted by Dr Hutchings, one commented, 'I do not raise my voice half as much as I used to, and give a lot more praise. I think before reacting, and it is good to focus on good behaviour in the classroom - something, I'm ashamed to say, that I ignored in the past. This has had such a positive effect on children's behaviour towards each other too.'
The parent programme is tactfully named 'How to help your child do best in school', to avoid the implication that the course is only there for bad parents. It helps parents work at home with children on a number of skills, such as concentration and problem-solving, that will benefit the child through their schooling. However, it has proved difficult to get some parents involved (see case study).
Pre-school workers and childminders are also encouraged to participate in the programme by attending the parents' course. Dr Hutchings says that skills in dealing with poor behaviour in children are vital to tackling many of society's problems and that all those who work with young children should be given more support and reward for the contribution they make.
She believes that by backing the programme, the Government could save money in the long term. 'Behavioural difficulties that go unchecked at an early age can cost the state 1m per child,' she says. 'Think of the cost of running services such as special education, the criminal justice system, and mental health. Also consider that these problems may prevent someone from working, which means they draw benefits and don't pay tax.
'We should be paying teachers and nursery practitioners more and recognise the great importance of early years. There has been a big change, but there is still a long way to go.' NW
CASE STUDY: EVERYONE INCLUDED
Coed Mawr school in Bangor has introduced the Incredible Years programme to all children, teachers, parents and pre-school workers. This helps avoid any stigma that may be associated with participating in the initiative.
Head teacher Rhiain Gwyn says, 'It is part of the classroom curriculum. we teach it to children as part of the school day. I think what's important is that the whole school does the programme and that those with behaviour difficulties don't feel excluded. That is crucial. It is key to the success of the whole school.
'Having worked with the programme for the past three years it does seem to have changed the school totally, especially with the children's attitude toward the staff.'
Ms Gwyn became interested in the programme after she became head teacher six years ago and noticed increasingly poor conduct in the school. 'I started coming across behaviour problems that I had not seen before. When you have children like this you can react positively or negatively,' she says. 'We reacted positively and it has benefited the whole school.'
Through the programme the school was able to help a four-year-old who had already been expelled from another primary school in the area. Ms Gwyn says, 'He has been through the programme and was with us for three years.
He's now moved up to junior school but he keeps in touch with the programme, so there is continuity.'
Ms Gwyn finds that it is often difficult to get some parents - usually those who most need help - involved in the programme. 'We have parents who are enthusiastic, but they do not have an obvious problem with their child.
We try to encourage others with incentives and argue it is for good for their child.'
Ms Gwyn is now on secondment two days a week to promote the programme to schools across the region. Although she admits the general thrust of it may seem like common sense to many nursery practitioners, teachers and parents, there is still much to be gained from working with it.
The programme encourages teachers to watch for and heap praise on good behaviours, while ignoring inappropriate behaviours. This means that it is not just children who behave badly who receive attention from the teacher.
Teachers are also taught ways of ensuring that all the children in their classes are included in the lessons.
'Some of the teachers are already using the techniques, but maybe not as precisely as they should be,' Ms Gwyn says. 'What the course makes them do is use it in a more structured way and provides a definite solution to follow. It becomes the foundation of the relationship with the children.'
