Effects of Cognitive-Behavioral Training on Angry Behavior and Aggression of Three Elementary-Aged Students

Abstract

Inappropriate social behaviors of elementary-aged students may negatively affect their opportunity to be successful in school and contribute to adjustment problems as adolescents and adults. Specifically, anger and aggression in children have accounted for a high number of children being referred to special education programs. A multiple baseline design was used across students to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral training in reducing angry behavior and aggression of three elementary-aged special education students placed in a multi-categorical resource room. Results indicated that the students were able to learn the strategy and that the intervention produced a decreased level of undesired behavior. Maintenance data demonstrated that all three students were able to maintain decreased levels of anger and aggression over time. Recommendations are made for future studies.