the approach and determine the parameters
of its effectiveness. As knowledge is gained,
it is likely that the development of increasing
numbers of young children affected by challenging
behavior can be rerouted toward a trajectory
of social-emotional competence and
readiness for school.
SUMMARY
The occurrence of challenging behaviors
presents serious and deleterious implications
for all aspects of young children’s development.
As awareness of these issues grows, it
will be increasingly urgent that a systematic,
evidence-based approach be promoted and
adopted by teachers, care givers, and parents.
In this article, we have described a framework
that is designed as a strategic template for
addressing challenging behaviors at primary,
secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention. It
is hoped that the framework serves as a functional
heuristic for the further development of
effective prevention and intervention strategies
to address the challenging behaviors of
young children.