Early intervention, positive behavior support, and transition to school

Problem behaviors are addressed most effectively when children are young, through the avenues of family-centered early intervention services. These types of services have a great potential for reducing children's problem behaviors and increasing families' competencies and abilities to resolve future problems. As children age, however, the transitions from early intervention and family-centered services to school-based interventions are associated with a variety of challenges that can affect the quality and efficacy of behavior support. In this article, we describe positive behavior support as it is applied in the context of early intervention and as children progress through their preschool years into kindergarten and elementary school. Variables that contribute to effective interventions for young children and families are discussed, as are issues that must be considered in order to construct optimally beneficial transitions and subsequent positive school experiences for young children with behavioral challenges.