Abstract
The Preschool Life Skills (PLS) program has a wealth of evidence demonstrating efficacy in remediating important social and learning-to-learn skill deficits in at-risk preschoolers. Those same skill deficits also are common in older children in foster or residential care, most of whom have experienced some sort of trauma or other adverse childhood events. This study sought to evaluate individualized PLS curricula for two boys with substantial trauma histories and demonstrate how the PLS program could be delivered within a trauma-informed framework. We delivered the program and evaluated skill acquisition in a one-to-one setting in a UK-based clinic, and asked caregivers to assess skills at home. Results showed that both boys acquired skills targeted in their individual curriculum, but maintenance was sometimes inconsistent. Social validity assessments suggested that both boys enjoyed the training but were less definitive about its overall benefits. Caregivers rated the program highly and reported skill improvements at home. We discuss the implications of these findings in terms of adapting the PLS program to children with trauma histories.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data Availability
All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.
References
Alan, Ü., & Kabasakal, K. A. (2020). Effect of number of response options on the psychometric properties of Likert-type scales used with children. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 66, 100895. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2020.100895
Barnett, E. R., Jankowski, M. K., Butcher, R. L., Meister, C., Parton, R. R., & Drake, R. E. (2018). Foster and adoptive parent perspectives on needs and services: A mixed methods study. Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 45(1), 74–89. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-017-9569-4
Carr, E. G., & Durand, V. M. (1985). Reducing behavior problems through functional communication training. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 18(2), 111–126. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1985.18-111
Criss, M. M., Pettit, G. S., Bates, J. E., Dodge, K. A., & Lapp, A. L. (2002). Family adversity, positive peer relationships, and children’s externalizing behavior: A longitudinal perspective on risk and resilience. Child Development, 73(4), 1220–1237. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00468
Engler, A. D., Sarpong, K. O., Van Horne, B. S., Greeley, C. S., & Keefe, R. J. (2022). A systematic review of mental health disorders of children in foster care. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 23(1), 255–264. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838020941197
Fahmie, T., & Luczynski, K. C. (2018). Preschool life skills: Recent advancements and future directions. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 51(1), 183–188. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.434
Falligant, J. M., & Pence, S. T. (2017). Preschool life skills training using the response to intervention model with preschoolers with developmental disabilities. Behavior Analysis: Research & Practice, 17(3), 217–236. https://doi.org/10.1037/bar0000056217
Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D. F., Spitz, A. M., Edwards, V., Koss, M. P., & Marks, J. S. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: The adverse childhood experiences (ACE) study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), 245–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(98)00017-8
Gunning, C., Holloway, J., & Healy, O. (2019). Evaluating the preschool life skills program to teach school readiness skills: An Irish pilot study. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 20(1), 48–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/15021149.2018.1531962
Gunning, C., Holloway, J., & Grealish, L. (2020). An evaluation of parents and behavior change agents in the Preschool Life Skills program. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 53(2), 889–917. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.660
Hálfdanardóttir, B. F., Ingvarsson, E. T., & Sveinbjörnsdóttir, B. (2022). Important skills for elementary school children: Implementing the preschool life skills program in Iceland. Behavioral Interventions, 37(2), 345–362. https://doi.org/10.1002/bin.1846
Hanley, G. P., Heal, N. A., Tiger, J. H., & Ingvarsson, E. T. (2007). Evaluation of a classwide teaching program for developing preschool life skills. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 40(2), 277–300. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.2007.57-06
Hanley, G. P., Jin, C. S., Vanselow, N. R., & Hanratty, L. A. (2014). Producing meaningful improvements in problem behavior of children with autism via synthesized analyses and treatments. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 47(1), 16–36. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.106
Ísfeld Víðisdóttir, S. L., & Sveinbjörnsdóttir, B. (2021). The effects of individualized teaching of school readiness skills to children in preschool with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms. Behavioral Interventions, 36(1), 315–326. https://doi.org/10.1002/bin.1756
Liming, K. W., Brook, J., & Akin, B. (2021). Cumulative adverse childhood experiences among children in foster care and the association with reunification: A survival analysis. Child Abuse & Neglect, 113, 104899. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104899
Luczynski, K. C., & Fahmie, T. A. (2017). Preschool life skills: Toward teaching prosocial skills and preventing aggression in young children. In P. Sturmey (Ed.), The Wiley handbook of violence and aggression (pp. 1–12). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119057574.whbva059
Luczynski, K. C., & Hanley, G. P. (2013). Prevention of problem behavior by teaching functional communication and self-control skills to preschoolers. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 46(2), 355–368. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.2012.45-281
Murray, L., Tarren-Sweeney, M., & France, K. (2011). Foster carer perceptions of support and training in the context of high burden of care. Child & Family Social Work, 16(2), 149–158. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2206.2010.00722.x
Oosterman, M., Schuengel, C., Slot, N. W., Bullens, R. A., & Doreleijers, T. A. (2007). Disruptions in foster care: A review and meta-analysis. Children & Youth Services Review, 29(1), 53–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2006.07.003
Palmieri, L. E., & La Salle, T. P. (2017). Supporting students in foster care. Psychology in the Schools, 54(2), 117–126. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.21990
Pollak, S. D., Cicchetti, D., Hornung, K., & Reed, A. (2000). Recognizing emotion in faces: Developmental effects of child abuse and neglect. Developmental Psychology, 36(5), 679–688. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.36.5.679
Rajaraman, A., Austin, J. L., Gover, H. C., Cammilleri, A. P., Donnelly, D. R., & Hanley, G. P. (2022). Toward trauma-informed applications of behavior analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 55(1), 40–61. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.881
Robison, M. A., Mann, T. B., & Ingvarsson, E. T. (2020). Life skills instruction for children with developmental disabilities. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 53(1), 431–448. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.602
Ruppel, K. W., Hanley, G. P., Landa, R. K., & Rajaraman, A. (2021). An evaluation of “Balance”: A home-based, parent-implemented program addressing emerging problem behavior. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 14, 324–341. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-020-00490-3
Simonsen, B., & Sugai, G. (2019). School-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports: A systems-level application of behavioral principles. In S. G. Little & A. Akin-Little (Eds.), Behavioral interventions in schools: Evidence-based positive strategies (pp. 35–60). American Psychological Association.
Turney, K., & Wildeman, C. (2016). Mental and physical health of children in foster care. Pediatrics, 138(5), e20161118. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-1118
Wolf, M. M. (1978). Social validity: The case for subjective measurement or how applied behavior analysis is finding its heart 1. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 11(2), 203–214. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1978.11-203
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing Interests
The authors have no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Rees, R.E., Seel, C.J., Huxtable, B.G. et al. Using the Preschool Life Skills Program to Support Skill Development for Children with Trauma Histories. Behav Analysis Practice (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-023-00892-z
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-023-00892-z