Secondary Prevention of Self-Regulatory Deficits of Middle School Students with EBD: Preliminary Results of I Control

Introduction:

It is well established that students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are at risk for poor school and lifelong outcomes because they lack skills necessary for positive social functioning. Deficits include inability to understand complex social interactions, maintain motivation, and recognize and manage emotional reactions to stressful and anger-provoking situations. Such problems have been linked to failure of emotional and behavioral self-regulation and associated deficits in executive function (EF).

Recent efforts to develop school-based curricula that strengthen self-regulation and EF have provided promising results for preventing the escalation of EBD. As such, I Control is an integrated, intensive, preventive intervention for adolescents with EBD, based on a theoretical framework developed from empirical literature related to self-regulation and EF. Delivered by the classroom teacher, the 46-lesson curriculum is comprised of a conceptual introduction to EF and units on goal setting, emotion regulation, and problem solving. Units are integrated with computer games to train EF skills (working memory, impulse control, cognitive flexibility) associated with these topics. This paper will present research procedures, findings, and implementation issues from a pilot study conducted in 14 middle schools (15 classrooms).

Methods:

Data were collected on students with EBD in schools randomly assigned to treatment (N = 43) or control (N = 53). EF, self-regulation, and behavior were assessed using multiple self- and teacher-report measures. Data were subjected to regression analyses using FIML in Mplus, with corrections to standard errors for nesting within classes.

Results:

Preliminary analyses of pilot study data indicate positive treatment effects on the Emotion Control subscale of the ERICA (z = -2.28, p = .006, d = -.40) and pretest by condition interaction effects on the Behavior Regulation Index of the BRIEF (z =  -3.15, p = .002), including on Shift (z = -2.95, p = .003) and Emotional Control (z = -2.93, p = .003) subscales. We found positive main effects on the BRIEF Metacognition Index (z = -1.86, p = .031), including on Initiate (z = -2.09, p = .019), Working Memory (z = -1.66, p = .049), and Plan/Organize (z = -1.77, p = .039) subscales. Effect sizes ranged from -.33 to -.53 (lower scores are more positive).

Conclusions:

I Control resulted in promising improvements in the regulation of emotions, behavior, and cognition for middle school students with EBD. As such, these findings have significance for programming that serves the needs of this population. We will address implications for prevention practices and policies at the school and district levels.