Play therapy with children exhibiting symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Sixty elementary school age children qualified as symptomatic of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatment conditions: child-centered play therapy (CCPT) or reading mentoring (RM). All children participated in 16 individual 30-min sessions in the schools. Results indicated that children who participated in 16 sessions of CCPT and RM demonstrated statistically significant improvement on the ADHD and student characteristics domains, as well as the Anxiety/Withdrawal and Learning Disability subscales of the Index of Teaching Stress and the ADHD Index of the Conners Teacher Rating Scale--Revised: Short Form. Children who participated in CCPT demonstrated statistically significant improvement over RM children on the student characteristics domain and on the Emotional Lability and Anxiety/Withdrawal subscales of the Index of Teaching Stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

School-Based Child-Centered Play Therapy with Hispanic Children: Outcomes and Cultural Consideration.

Hispanic children are the fastest growing segment of the population. Numerous factors place them at-risk for school success. This study examined the effects of Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) compared to a curriculum-based small group intervention with 29 Hispanic children referred for school counseling due to behavior problems. Children were assigned to treatment groups by random drawing within grade levels. Treatment was provided by Hispanic bilingual counselors. Statistical analysis revealed that, according to parent report, children receiving CCPT showed statistically significant decreases in externalizing behavior problems, compared to the curriculum-based treatment group. Effect size calculations revealed that CCPT demonstrated a large treatment effect on externalizing behavior problems and a moderate treatment effect on internalizing behavior problems. Cultural considerations and recommendations for practice and future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Quantitative analysis of long-term child-centered play therapy.

This exploratory study measured the impact of long-term Child- Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) with 23 children identified by teachers as exhibiting behavioral and emotional difficulties. Through the use of a repeated measures design, researchers examined the use of CCPT from pre-intervention to mid-intervention (16 sessions) to post intervention (32 sessions). Results indicated that children who participated in 32 sessions of CCPT demonstrated statistically significant improvement on the Total Problems Scale as measured on the Teacher Report Form, Total Stress Scale of the Index of Teaching Stress (ITS), ADHD Domain of the ITS, and Student Characteristics of the ITS. Researchers reported improvement to be statistically steady over the full duration of therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reducing Playground Bullying and Supporting Beliefs: An Experimental Trial of the Steps to Respect Program.

Six schools were randomly assigned to a multilevel bullying intervention or a control condition. Children in Grades 3-6 (N=1,023) completed pre- and posttest surveys of behaviors and beliefs and were rated by teachers. Observers coded playground behavior of a random subsample (n=544). Hierarchical analyses of changes in playground behavior revealed declines in bullying and argumentative behavior among intervention-group children relative to control-group children, increases in agreeable interactions, and a trend toward reduced destructive bystander behavior. Those in the intervention group reported enhanced bystander responsibility, greater perceived adult responsiveness, and less acceptance of bullying/aggression than those in the control group. Self-reported aggression did not differ between the groups. Implications for future research on the development and prevention of bullying are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Child-centered play therapy.

Presents child centered play therapy (CCPT), including the rationale, basic tenets and effectiveness of the approach. The stages of CCPT are described. As the name suggests, CCPT focuses on the child and not on his or her problems. Most children not only thrive in the play environment, but with the therapeutic contributions of the therapist, go to reach higher levels of maturity and adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of child teacher relationship training on teachers’ and aides’ use of relationship-building skills and the effects on student classroom behavior.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 18(4) of International Journal of Play Therapy (see record 2009-18366-003). There was an error in the abstract. In the current abstract the fourth sentence reads: Using a repeated measures design, results revealed that children in the experimental group (n 19) demonstrated a significant decrease (p .04) in Externalizing Problems between measurements 1 and 3 compared to children in the active control group (n 13). However, the fourth sentence should have read “Results of ANCOVA revealed a statistically significant difference (p .04) with a large effect size in externalizing scores between the experimental (n 19) and active control groups (n 13) at the end of treatment but no difference at the 10-week non-intervention follow-up.”] This study examined the impact of Child Teacher Relationship Training on educators’ use of relationship-building skills in the classroom and the effect on student behavior. Preschool-age children (3–4 years old) who scored in the Borderline/Clinical range on at least one scale of the Child Behavior Checklist-Caregiver/Teacher Report Form (C-TRF) qualified for the study (N = 32). In this quasi-experimental design, 12 teacher aide dyads (N = 24) were assigned to the experimental (n = 12) or active control groups (n = 12). Using a repeated measures design, results revealed that children in the experimental group (n = 19) demonstrated a significant decrease (p = .04) in Externalizing Problems between measurements 1 and 3 compared with children in the active control group (n = 13). A statistically significant relationship was found between educators’ higher use of relationship-building skills and students’ decrease in externalizing behaviors (p     

The effects of child teacher relationship training on the children of focus: A pilot study.

Head Start teachers (n = 24) were assigned to either the experimental group or the active control group in this pilot study to determine the effects of child–teacher relationship training (CTRT) on 22 disadvantaged preschool children identified with behavioral problems. CTRT is based on the principles and procedures of child–parent relationship therapy (CPRT; Landreth & Bratton, 2006), a structured, time-limited approach that trains young children's caregivers to be active participants in an early mental health delivery system. Results indicate that children whose teachers participated in CTRT made statistically significant improvements in both externalizing behavior problems and total problems when compared with the active control group. Children in the CTRT group demonstrated a large treatment effect on their internalizing behavior problems compared with those in the active control group. The statistical, practical, and clinically significant results of this pilot study indicate that CTRT is a promising option for preschool children with clinically significant behavior problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Child-centered play therapy with a seven-year-old boy diagnosed with intermittent explosive disorder.

Child-centered play therapy (CCPT) has been supported as an effective method for working with children. A case study is presented that describes treatment using CCPT with a 7-year-old boy diagnosed with intermittent explosive disorder (IED). This case study delineates 16 sessions of play therapy with a registered play therapist. The behavioral problems the child exhibited at the onset of therapy were greatly improved at the conclusion of the sessions. The outcome of this case study supported the use of play therapy for children with IED. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Helker and Ray (2009).

Reports an error in "Impact of child teacher relationship training on teachers’ and aides’ use of relationship-building skills and the effects on student classroom behavior" by Wendy Pretz Helker and Dee C. Ray (International Journal of Play Therapy, 2009[Apr], Vol 18[2], 70-83). There was an error in the abstract. In the current abstract the fourth sentence reads: Using a repeated measures design, results revealed that children in the experimental group (n 19) demonstrated a significant decrease (p .04) in Externalizing Problems between measurements 1 and 3 compared to children in the active control group (n 13). However, the fourth sentence should have read “Results of ANCOVA revealed a statistically significant difference (p .04) with a large effect size in externalizing scores between the experimental (n 19) and active control groups (n 13) at the end of treatment but no difference at the 10-week non-intervention follow-up.” (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2009-05645-003.) This study examined the impact of Child Teacher Relationship Training on educators’ use of relationship-building skills in the classroom and the effect on student behavior. Preschool-age children (3–4 years old) who scored in the Borderline/Clinical range on at least one scale of the Child Behavior Checklist-Caregiver/Teacher Report Form (C-TRF) qualified for the study (N = 32). In this quasi-experimental design, 12 teacher aide dyads (N = 24) were assigned to the experimental (n = 12) or active control groups (n = 12). Using a repeated measures design, results revealed that children in the experimental group (n = 19) demonstrated a significant decrease (p = .04) in Externalizing Problems between measurements 1 and 3 compared with children in the active control group (n = 13). A statistically significant relationship was found between educators’ higher use of relationship-building skills and students’ decrease in externalizing behaviors (p     

Monitoring two boys' processes through the stages of child-centered play therapy.

This article describes two boys' actions in child-centered play therapy (CCPT) through the lens of the typical stages in CCPT as described by Nordling and Guerney (1999). Both boys were referred for severe attention and aggression problems that had persisted for more than one school year at age six. While each boy engaged in CCPT in unique ways, the authors were able to clearly discern the stages in each boy's play. The authors assert for the value of play therapists' ability to discern stages in children's therapeutic play to monitor progress and determine readiness to end from an internal to the child gauge, as well as through the external gauges of behavior change reports from parents and teachers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A new time-kill method of assessing the relative efficacy of antimicrobial agents alone and in combination developed using a representative beta-lactam, aminoglycoside and fluoroquinolone

OBJECTIVE: Previous research has demonstrated the central role of early childhood concentration problems in the development of aggression and other maladaptive behaviors. The present study investigated the moderating effect of concentration problems on the impact of a classroom-based preventive intervention directed at aggressive and shy behaviors in an epidemiologically defined sample of 1,084 urban first-grade children. METHOD: Concentration problems, aggressive behavior, and shy behavior were assessed by a structured teacher interview (the Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation-Revised) in the fall and spring of first grade. RESULTS: Children with high ratings on concentration problems in the fall had higher levels of teacher-rated aggressive and shy behavior in the spring than did children without such problems. The intervention reduced aggressive and shy behavior in children regardless of fall concentration level. Boys, but not girls, in the intervention condition with high concentration problems had higher levels of spring aggression than those without such problems, but they also showed the greatest reductions in aggressive behavior from fall to spring. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that aggressive behavior is malleable in children with concentration problems, provide further evidence on the etiological significance of concentration problems for the development of maladaptive behavior, and highlight the importance of directly targeting concentration problems to maximize preventive intervention impact.     

Differential impact of play therapy on developmental levels of children.

The purpose of this preliminary study was to explore the impact of child-centered play therapy (CCPT) on children identified within J. Piaget's (1962) preoperational and concrete operations developmental stages. Using archival data, this study used a 3-wave repeated measures analysis of variance design to analyze the impact of CCPT on 24 children between the ages of 3 and 8 who received 19-23 individual CCPT sessions. On the basis of the child's age, children were evenly divided into 2 treatment groups of preoperational or operational developmental stage. A pretest, approximate midpoint, and posttest administration of the Parenting Stress Index (R. Abidin, 1995) was collected for use in the analysis. Preliminary results of this study revealed statistically significant differences in the impact of CCPT for children of different developmental stages. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mother-child play and emerging social behaviors among infants from maltreating families.

Mother-child play of 12-month-old infants (N = 130) from maltreating (N = 78) and nonmaltreating (N = 52) families was analyzed as a context that integrates infants' developing social and cognitive skills. Play was coded from semistructured and unstructured play paradigms. No group differences were found in infants' play maturity. Infants from abusing families demonstrated more imitative play than infants from nonmaltreating families, and engaged in less independent play than infants from both neglecting and nonmaltreating families, suggesting a delay in emerging social behaviors. Mothers from abusing and nonmaltreating families differed in attention directing behaviors. Maternal behaviors predicted child play style variables, but did not mediate the effects of maltreatment. Findings discuss the influence of an early maltreating environment upon the development of the emergent self. Implications for early intervention are underscored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Limits and relationship in child-centered play therapy: Two case studies.

This article presents case studies exploring two boys' uses of limit testing as a therapeutic tool in child-centered play therapy (CCPT). Both boys were referred for behavior that was abnormally disruptive for their age and setting, which was kindergarten in an elementary school that serves a very high poverty community and is accustomed to handling misbehavior. Data evidencing progress is provided as a reference point, while analysis is focused on conceptualization and mechanisms of change related to each child's use of limit testing in CCPT. The authors suggest that each boy used limit testing in CCPT to try out the therapeutic relationship as a stand-in for other relationships, to rethink relational expectations inside and outside of therapy, revisit unmet needs and meanings of early experiences, and change self-concept in ways that affected positive behavioral change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Two case studies of child-centered play therapy for children referred with highly disruptive behavior.

This article presents two cases with strong evidence measures in which child-centered play therapy (CCPT) was provided for children referred for highly disruptive behavior, including attention problems and aggression. Apparent progress was evidenced on the Teacher Report Form (TRF) of the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001). One client had a waiting period equal to his treatment period in which ratings were stable before change across his treatment period. The cases provide opportunities to consider how CCPT may work differently for similar behavioral difficulties in individual children. Researchers conceptualized each client's areas of difficulty and apparent treatment effects as an expert panel, aided by indications from the TRF. Individual discussions are provided regarding rationales for apparent progress and why CCPT seemed to have been effective. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Vicarious reinforcement and imitative learning.

The present experiment was designed to study the influence of response-consequences to the model on the imitative learning of aggression. Nursery school children were assigned randomly to 1 of the following groups: aggressive model-rewarded; aggressive model-punished; a control group shown highly expressive but nonaggressive models; and a 2nd control group which had no exposure to models. The children were then tested for the incidence of postexposure imitative and nonimitative aggressive responses. Children who witnessed the aggressive model rewarded showed more imitative aggression and preferred to emulate the successful aggressor than children in the aggressive model-punished group who both failed to reproduce his behavior and rejected him as a model for emulation. Control over aggression was vicariously transmitted to boys by the administration of aversive stimuli to the model, and to girls by the presentation of incompatible prosocial examples of behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

High school students as therapeutic agents with young children experiencing school adjustment difficulties: The effectiveness of a filial therapy training model.

Filial therapy has been used since the early 1960s to train parents as therapeutic agents for children experiencing a broad range of social, emotional and behavioral difficulties. Using a pretest-posttest control group design, this study examined the efficacy of a filial therapy model in training high school students to be effective helpers with young children experiencing school adjustment difficulties. 32 high school students enrolled in a Peer Assistance and Leadership course titled PALs were trained to become therapeutic change agents for identified prekindergarten and kindergarten students. The PALs students received training and supervision in child-centered play therapy skills that they practiced in weekly play sessions with their assigned child. Results from the statistical analyses reveal that the experimental group of high school students receiving filial therapy training demonstrated a significant increase in their empathic interactions with children and that the experimental group of children receiving the play therapy intervention experienced a significant reduction in problem behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Play therapy outcome prediction: An exploratory study at a university-based clinic.

In this study we investigated the prediction of child centered play therapy (CCPT)/nondirective play therapy on emotional and behavioral problems using archival data from 82 child clients at a university-based counseling clinic. Statistically significant predictions were found on the Internalizing and Externalizing Problems scales on the Child Behavior Checklist. Termination and family relationship concerns variables were found to be strong contributors to predicting greater improvement. Results are discussed concerning implications for clinical practice and further research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of discrete emotions on young children's ability to discern fantasy and reality.

This study examined 3- to 5-year-olds' (N = 128; 54% girls) ability to discriminate emotional fantasy and reality. Children viewed images depicting fantastic or real events that elicited several emotions, reported whether each event could occur, and rated their emotional reaction to the image. Children were also administered the Play Behavior Questionnaire and Pretend Action Tasks to assess play behaviors. Findings revealed age-related improvements in performance and biases in judgment based on the emotion depicted. Children reported that happy fantastic events could occur significantly more often than frightening and angry fantastic events and that happy real events could occur significantly more often than frightening and angry real events. Children's emotional reactions to the images but not play behaviors were significantly related to their fantasy-reality distinctions. Implications for the relation between emotions and children's fantasy-reality distinctions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of behaviors and play themes over a six-week period: Two case studies in play therapy.

As a method for counseling children, play therapy continues to demonstrate effectiveness through research and to be included in mental health training programs throughout the country. However, like other counseling interventions, capturing the essence of the therapeutic environment is complex and dependent on individual perspectives and experiences. In this article, two case studies are presented to demonstrate the use of quantitative and qualitative measures in comparing the behavioral changes as rated by caregivers on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and play themes observed by play therapists over a 6-week period. For both children in the study, behaviors and themes were related. As the children made changes in their play themes over the 6-week period, they also made changes in their behaviors at home. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)