Social Communication Assessment and Intervention for Children with Disruptive Behavior Problems

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the children who meet the criteria for diagnosis of Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) or conduct disorder (CD), two forms of disruptive behavioral disorder (DBD). Child or school psychologist with experience with children with DBD should conduct a functional behavior assessment, documenting the disruptive behaviors, when they occur, and how they are responded. Child and adolescent-centered interventions have been of two types, social skills training, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), both of which are typically done with small groups of students. The chapter discusses the strategy that requires a certain level of language and Theory of mind (ToM) skills to participate effectively. Although children with a range of maladaptive behavioral profiles are at risk for communication disorders, low language proficiency is often overlooked in children whose challenging behavior is highly salient to adults. This chapter describes the intervention programs that have employed a narrative-based intervention to address the language and problem-solving needs of youth offenders.