Interventions must be developmentally appropriate . A violence prevention program will be less effective and may actually exacerbate the problem if it fails to take into account the developmental appropriateness of program components to the target behaviors. Reduced gang involvement may be a laudable long-term goal, but impossible to demonstrate in the short term as an example of the outcome efficacy of a program for young children. A focus on knowledge and attitudes may be one aspect of the program's target goals, but funders are increasingly looking for behavior change as an indication of a program's impact. Program developers, therefore, need to know which behaviors are developmentally appropriate to target for change, and the intervention strategy should be appropriate to a child's existing competencies, cognitive abilities, social skills, and behavior.
Effective prevention is systematic and long term .
Prevention and intervention strategies must be systematic and long term, not time or subject limited. This is directly related to the stability and chronicity of aggressive behavior and the challenges related to changing a youth's environment. Significant change cannot be accomplished with short-term, limited, and rigid approaches. Increasing social competence should be one program focus . It is easy and natural to pay attention to a child's negative behaviors.