Early Literacy Instruction for First-Grade Students At-Risk for Antisocial Behavior.

Abstract The intent of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a supplemental early literacy program for first-grade students identified by their teachers as at-risk for antisocial behavior who were unresponsive to a comprehensive school-wide intervention. Previous investigations have also attempted to prevent the development of antisocial behavior by improving early literacy skills. However, this study was unique in that district personnel implemented the intervention in the general education classroom over the course of the traditional school day. Results suggest that despite initial variability in decoding skills and problem behaviors, all students made growth in word attack skills and demonstrated lower levels of disruptive behavior in the classroom. These findings parallel the outcomes of previous investigations; namely, improved early literacy skills are associated with lasting decreases in disruptive classroom behavior. Limitations are discussed and suggestions for future research are provided. ********** Children with or at-risk for antisocial behavior tend to have deficient academic skills-particularly in reading, low rates of academic engaged time, and subaverage achievement (Coie & Jacobs, 1993; Hinshaw, 1992; Kolko, 1994). It is also well established that this population of students seem increasingly resistant to interventions over time (Kazdin, 1987; 1993; Walker & Severson, 2002). While these students' ongoing antisocial behaviors are problematic, the reported poor reading achievement is particularly troublesome because reading is an essential skill for success within and beyond the school setting (O'Shaughnessy, Lane, Gresham, & Beebe-Frankenberger, 2002). There is a strong relationship between deficits in reading achievement and externalizing behavior patterns; namely, students with externalizing behaviors experience difficulty in the areas of decoding and comprehension (Hinshaw 1992), which are key components of becoming an effective reader. However, the casual nature of the relationship between anti social behavior and reading achievement is unclear. Some research suggests that poor early literacy skills lead to the problem behaviors (Williams & McGee, 1994), whereas others propose that existing problems behaviors may lead to reading deficits (Cornwall & Bawden, 1992; Patterson, DeBaryshe, & Ramsey, 1989). Regardless of the directionality, it is evident that emotional and behavior problems frequently coexist with reading difficulities (Sampson, 1966). As a result, improving one aspect of this relationship (reading) may have some influence on the other aspect (problem behavior). Treatment-outcome studies conducted in the 1970's (Ayllon, Layman, & Kandel, 1975; Ayllon & Roberts, 1974) suggest that when a keystone behavior, academic performance, is targeted, collateral effects on other behaviors will occur. Coie and Krehbiel's (1984) conducted a study with 40 socially rejected, African American, fourth-grade students that explored the relation between academic achievement and antisocial behavior. The participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: academic skill training, social skills training, academic and social skills training combined, or control. Findings revealed that the academic skill intervention condition resulted in increased and maintained academic achievement in reading in addition to increased time on task, decreased disruptive behavior, and improved sociometric status. Lane (1999), in addition to academic growth, found modest improvement in the social behavior of first-grade students who received phonological awareness training. In a more recent study, La ne, O'Shaughnessey, Lambros, Gresham, and Beebe-Frankenberger (2001) used single case methodology to explore the impact of improved phonological awareness skills on seven first-grade students with hyperactive, externalizing problem behaviors coupled with low reading skills. …