The Early Impact Program: Strengthening Child Competencies

Abstract

Challenging behaviours in young children impact upon schools and families and can lead to more serious challenges in adolescence and adulthood. In the last decade, there has been an increasing trend towards the development of early intervention and prevention programs that serve to draw on child competencies to ameliorate some of the factors that may increase a child's susceptibility to ongoing challenging behaviours. This article reports on a recently evaluated program titled the Early Impact (EI) Program. Some of the unique features of the program are examined, including the home and school components of the intervention that emphasise the strength-based philosophy that underpins the program. A summary of key findings of a recent evaluation of the EI program are also presented that highlight the program's effectiveness and utility for early childhood practitioners working with at-risk children in regular school communities. Finally, recommendations for specific practices in the implementation of intervention programs as well as areas for future research are identified that would serve to extend the current body of knowledge focussing on effective early intervention and prevention frameworks for young children and their families.