Language change in child psychotherapy: A meta-analytic review

Predictors of growth or attrition of the first language in Latino children with specific language impairment

We investigated the factors that may help understand the differential rates of language development in the home language (i.e., Spanish) of Latino preschoolers with specific language impairment (SLI). Children were randomly assigned to either bilingual or English-only small group interventions and followed from preschool to kindergarten. Predictors of Spanish growth included the language of intervention, the child's level of language development or severity, the child's socio-emotional skills, and the child's level of English use. Spanish performance outcomes were assessed over time using a series of longitudinal models with baseline and post-treatment measures nested within child. Children demonstrated growth on Spanish outcomes over time. The language of instruction and the child's level of vocabulary and socio-emotional development at baseline were significant predictors of differences in rates of growth in the home language. Clinicians may need to take into consideration these factors when making clinical recommendations.

Psychosocial group prevention and intervention programs for children and adolescents

Psychosocial group interventions provide a potent venue for promoting children's social competencies, self-regulation, and problem solving in a natural peer group context. Three exemplary prevention and intervention group programs were described that are empirically supported, theoretically rich, and flexible for application in residential care settings. Special considerations are offered for designing and implementing groups with this population.

Child and Adolescent Empirical Psychotherapy Research

This paper reviews child and adolescent psychotherapy research, with a focus on two major theoretical classes of psychotherapies: cognitive-behavior and psychoanalytic psychotherapies. Our interest is particularly drawn to different issues: definition of psychotherapy and research on outcome and process. Specific attention is given developmental issues. We identify the major results and problems and propose methodological strategies for improving psychotherapeutic treatment research for child and adolescent disorders. Some areas that need to be addressed in the future are also discussed, such as the effects of specific techniques, the intensity and duration of treatment outcome and process, the effect of comorbidity, and the relationship between research and clinical practice.

Finding, evaluating, refining, and applying empirically supported treatments for children and adolescents

Structured child and adolescent treatments, tested through controlled clinical trials, have produced beneficial effects in hundreds of studies. By contrast, the limited pool or research on traditional clinical treatments raises doubts about their effectiveness. Thus, identification of empirically supported treatments may contribute something of real value to clinical practice and training. The Child Task Force report represents an important initial step in this direction. Here we offer both praise and critique, suggesting a number of ways the task force process and product may be improved. In addition, we suggest several ways to strengthen and enrich the clinical trials research available to the Task Force, emphasizing the need to test empirically supported treatments with referred youth in practice settings.

Child and adolescent psychotherapy outcomes in experiments versus clinics: why the disparity?

In a recent article, Weisz, Weiss, and Donenberg (1992) compared the effects of child and adolescent psychotherapy in experimental studies and in studies of clinic practice. Here we update that report with new information and we explore 10 possible reasons why, to date, therapy in experiments appears to have shown larger effect sizes than therapy in clinics. We find that beneficial therapy effects are associated with three factors which are more common in research therapy than in clinic therapy: (a) the use of behavioral (including cognitive-behavioral) methods, (b) reliance on specific, focused therapy methods rather than mixed and eclectic approaches, and (c) provision of structure (e.g., through treatment manuals) and monitoring (e.g., through review of therapy tapes) to foster adherence to treatment plans. These three factors all involve dimensions along which clinic procedures could be altered.