Exploring the Psychological Foundations of Youth Behavioral Intervention

Mental health-related disorders are significantly more present in the youth population than many people at first assume.

Factoring in anxiety, depression, or mild behavioral disorders, this phenomenon impacts approximately 20% of children.

Not every example of psychologically driven youth behavior is extreme. It could involve situational anxiety or simple defiance.

Often, however, even relatively mild instances of youth behavioral issues can have a significant impact on school and home life.

In this article, we take a look at what the psychological foundations of behavioral intervention look like and how they can be used to improve academic and personal outcomes for children.

Understanding Youth Behavior

First, it’s important to understand why children are uniquely at risk for negative behavior-related academic or personal outcomes.

The chief reason is that their prefrontal cortex simply hasn’t adequately developed yet. This part of the brain contributes to impulse control and decision-making.

Coupled with their limbic system, which is also in development and relates to emotional regulation, youth simply don’t have all of the mental facilities required to consistently make choices that are in their best interest.

Any child can, in this context, display less-than-ideal behaviors, but the situation is exacerbated by certain factors:

• The individual’s brain chemistry
• Behaviors they observe at school or at home
• Family dynamics
• Ability to access food, shelter, and healthcare

Youth behavior essentially owes to a combination of nature and nurture. Understanding how these factors interact is key to providing impactful interventions.

Common Behavioral Challenges in Youth

Naturally, the exact number of behavioral challenges varies as greatly as the number of students within a school system.

Everyone has their own problems and their unique way of manifesting certain behaviors. That said, common behaviors that require organized intervention include:

• Aggression
• Extreme defiance
• Anxiety or social withdrawal that interferes with social encounters
• Risky behaviors, including but not limited to early sexual activity, substance abuse, or chronic truancy
• Any behavioral manifestation that interferes with the student’s ability to learn

Because these classifications are so broad, they might involve a wide range of students and scenarios.

Sometimes interventions are limited to a single visit with a school social worker. Other times, they require a layered clinical response.

Principles of Behavioral Intervention

Youth-oriented behavioral intervention is generally applied within evidence-based frameworks. In other words, interventions rely on historical data sets and proven techniques that are refined over time as new data emerges.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a common approach for developing coping strategies optimized toward improved self-regulation and problem solving.

Often, this involves leveraging behaviorally specific modifications and family involvement to develop the right set of skills.

Though instances of disruptive behavior are worrisome in youth populations, they are also ultimately the most treatable.

Children who are consistently exposed to cognitive behavioral therapy and other forms of intervention can, and often do, go on to achieve positive academic and personal outcomes.

Success is often dependent on the timeliness and extensiveness of the intervention. The more actively and robustly the student is treated, the more likely those treatments are to be effective in the long term. Though progress is not necessarily linear, it is possible with patience.

What Professionals are Involved in Youth Behavioral Interventions

The professionals involved in youth interventions will depend largely on the situation. Generally speaking, risky scenarios are often first identified by educators or healthcare professionals who have observed signs of risk or neglect.

Schools have internal support systems; for example, many school districts employ both psychologists and social workers.

In many cases, these professionals are able to design and implement the entire intervention. In other cases, additional support may be required.

In the school setting, behavioral intervention plans (BIPs), sometimes called 504 plans, are often a first response for targeted interventions.

BIPs are legally enforceable documents that provide students with resources and accommodations designed to help them navigate their behavioral difficulties and find success within the school environment.

They are often, but not always, incorporated as part of an individualized education plan (IEP). While many parents respond to the suggestion of a BIP with panic, they are actually tools that produce positive change.

Why Interventions are a Good Thing

BIPs are a positive thing for two basic reasons:

• They lay the foundation for a framework within which your child can succeed. The BIP outlines essential services and accommodations. While many parents worry that these modifications may interfere with long-term learning objectives, the reality is more nuanced. Many students find high levels of success within the BIP and are eventually able to transition out of it as they develop coping skills. The accommodations in a 504 plan are not necessarily permanent but help ensure a productive learning environment as the child works on life skills that will produce longer-term success.
• BIPs provide a legal mechanism for parents. Actively involved parents are deeply empowered by BIPs. They can use these documents to monitor their child’s progress and seek additional modifications and resources where necessary.

Though no parent wants to think that their child is being treated differently, psychological or behavioral interventions are ultimately a positive thing and a process through which parents can actively engage.

Conclusion

There’s an entire system within the public school environment designed to modify youth behavior in a way that avoids the need for official juvenile correctional intervention. It’s a wildly successful system.

Over the last 25 years, the rate of juvenile incarceration has gone down by 75%. For parents watching their children struggle with behavioral problems, the situation can still be alarming.

To that end, it’s important to trust in and engage as actively with the process as you can. There is hope. It may take time, but improvement is possible.