The Role of Target Behaviors in Enhancing the Efficacy of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation

Abstract

Conjoint Behavioral Consultation (CBC) is an evidence-based, indirect service delivery model that addresses children’s behavioral concerns across home and school. However, to date, researchers have not yet examined specific aspects of the intervention that maximize the effects of CBC. The current study examined whether a foundational aspect of consultation—the framing of target behaviors (i.e., positive behaviors to increase versus negative behaviors to decrease)—moderated the effects of CBC on children’s problem and adaptive behaviors. Participants were 267 children in Kindergarten through third grade (n_CBC = 159, n_Control = 108) and their parents and teachers. Results revealed positively framed target behaviors were associated with fewer behavior concerns at school for children who received CBC relative to other child participants. Children who received CBC and whose target behaviors were framed negatively showed more noncompliant behavior relative to all other participants. Implications of these findings for practice, study limitations, and areas for future research are discussed.

Impact Statement

In the absence of effective intervention, students with behavioral challenges face a lifetime of difficulty. Ample research documents the efficacy of conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC) for promoting prosocial behaviors and ameliorating school difficulties. This study demonstrates that the effects of CBC can be amplified by intentionally framing target behaviors in a positive (i.e., desirable behaviors to improve) versus negative (i.e., undesirable behaviors to decrease) manner, providing a simple but significant method for improving practice.

Keywords:

• conjoint behavioral consultation
• target behavior framing
• family–school partnership
• child behavior

Associate Editor:

• Prerna Arora

DISCLOSURE

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Notes

1 Although psychometric data on the reliability and validity of the screening instrument are not available, correlational analyses between the severity ratings and the BASC-2 Externalizing and Behavioral Symptoms Index scales yielded significant relationships (r = .31 and .36, respectively; p <.001).

Additional information

Funding

The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R324A100115 to the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute of Education Sciences or the U.S. Department of Education. We extend special appreciation to the participating families, teachers, and schools for their willingness to cooperate and learn with us throughout the project.

Notes on contributors

Rachel E. Schumacher

Rachel E. Schumacher, MA, is an advanced doctoral student in the School Psychology program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her clinical and research interests involve early identification and intervention, including behavioral parent training and consultation, for common childhood problems.

Henry P. Bass

Henry P. Bass, MA, is an advanced doctoral student in the School Psychology program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His clinical and research interests include child and adolescent development, particularly studying the role of environmental factors on development, altering developmental trajectories through intervention and behavior consultation, and assessment long-term treatment outcomes into adolescence and early adulthood.

Katherine C. Cheng

Katherine C. Cheng, PhD, is an Assistant Research Professor in the Educational Psychology Department at the University of Arizona. Her research interests involve youth and young adult well-being, particularly relating their emotional and motivational development with stress regulation (manifested in self-reported surveys and biomarkers such as salivary cortisol) in high-risk family and school contexts.

Lorey A. Wheeler

Lorey A. Wheeler, PhD, is an Associate Research Professor and the Codirector of the Nebraska Academy for Methodology, Analytics, and Psychometrics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her major research interests include the role of family and cultural contexts in development, including psychosocial adjustment, interpersonal relationships, and educational and occupational attainment among minoritized and understudied populations, particularly those of Mexican origin.

Susan M. Sheridan

Susan M. Sheridan, PhD, is the Director of the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools and the Associate Dean for Research and Creative Activity for the College of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research focuses on family–school partnerships, social–behavioral strategies, and early childhood interventions. She developed conjoint behavioral consultation and led several studies exploring its efficacy across samples and settings.

Amanda L. Witte

Amanda L. Witte, PhD, is an Assistant Research Professor in the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research is focused on family–school partnerships, early learning, and rural education. She also serves as a family–school consultant, training supervisor, and project manager for Teachers and Parents as Partners (TAPP).