Edward G Feil

Oregon Research Institute | ORI

The demand for preventive and easily implemented interventions to address the needs of children with significant behavioral challenges in general education settings is well-documented. First Step to Success is an evidenced-based program to address challenging behavior in preschool and elementary-school settings with a 20-year history of successful...

In preschool settings, ample evidence has long existed that some administrators and educators rely heavily on exclusionary practices to address unwanted behaviors despite evidence they are ineffective. There is a need for evidence-based interventions that provide teachers with skills to foster positive student–teacher relationships, teach students...

Purpose: Few cost-effectiveness studies have been conducted on social-emotional interventions for students in preschool settings. The current study is a cost-effectiveness analysis of the First Step Next (FSN) intervention for preschool students. Method: Our approach involved a secondary analysis of a randomized control trial that utilized the ingr...

Introduction Evidence-based mental health and parenting support services for mothers postpartum can reduce risk for child maltreatment. However, women suffering economic and cultural stressors disproportionately shoulder the burden of infant caregiving while experiencing profound barriers to accessing mental health and parenting services. This arti...

The Handbook of Classroom Management, Third Edition, is an authoritative treatment of the latest science and development in the study of classroom management in schools. Evidence-based classroom management practices and programs are essential to enhancing students’ academic, behavioral, social-emotional, and motivational outcomes across grade level...

La obesidad infantil constituye una enfermedad compleja y multifactorial, causada por la interrelación de factores biológicos, psicológicos y sociales. Aunque existe amplio conocimiento sobre sus causas y consecuencias, este padecimiento continúa en aumento mundialmente, y afecta casi a un tercio de la población infantil y adolescente de América La...

In this article, we describe the development and investigation of the social validity of Parents Plus, a parent-implemented intervention for preschool children with developmental language disorder. Parents Plus is a fully online intervention that is delivered through three components: (a) training delivered through an app that educates parents on h...

IntroductionImplicit bias can lead medical professionals in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) to disregard mothers who are Black and economically disadvantaged as they advocate for their infants’ health. Disregard can weaken underlying communication principles within the Family-Centered Care (FCC) model of pediatric health in NICUs and increase...

Early intervention efforts have been effective in reducing disruptive behaviors and the probability of poor developmental outcomes. Early interventions include common practice elements to improve social functioning and decrease problem behaviors that disrupt the teaching-learning process. The First Step Next intervention has been well validated acr...

This study examined the effects of the BEST in CLASS intervention professional development component when delivered online in comparison with in person and a control group. A total of 29 early childhood teachers serving young children demonstrating challenging behaviors were included as participants. Data were collected on teachers’ classroom quali...

Disruptive behavior disorders in childhood are increasingly pervasive and associated with numerous, negative long-term outcomes. The current study examined whether adding a brief, home-visitation intervention to an existing, multi-component (child and teacher) intervention, would improve social-emotional and behavioral outcomes for young children w...

Background Justice-involved youth are especially vulnerable to mental health distress, substance misuse, and risky sexual activity, amplifying the need for evidence-based programs (EBPs). Yet, uptake of EBPs in the justice system is challenging because staff training is costly in time and effort. Hence, justice-involved youth experience increasing...

Infants of low-income and depressed mothers are at high risk for poor developmental outcomes. Early parenting mediates infant experiences from birth, and early intervention can support sensitive and responsive parent practices that optimize infant outcomes via promoting developmental competencies. However, low-income and depressed mothers experienc...

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.719149/abstract

This replication study examined remote delivery of 2 evidence-based prekindergarten (pre-k) interventions to evaluate whether the combination of interventions, one in Head Start classrooms (online The Early Education Model, eTEEM) and one in the home (online Play and Learning Strategies, ePALS) resulted in enhanced effects on at-risk 3- to 5-year-o...

BACKGROUND Postpartum depression interferes with maternal engagement in interventions shown to be effective in improving infant social-emotional and communication outcomes. There is an absence of integrated interventions with demonstrated effectiveness in both reducing maternal depression and promoting parent-mediated practices that optimize infant...

Background Postpartum depression interferes with maternal engagement in interventions that are effective in improving infant social-emotional and social-communication outcomes. There is an absence of integrated interventions with demonstrated effectiveness in both reducing maternal depression and promoting parent-mediated practices that optimize in...

BACKGROUND Justice-involved youth are especially vulnerable to mental health distress, substance misuse, and risky sexual activity, amplifying the need for evidence-based programs (EBPs). Yet, uptake of EBPs in the justice system is challenging because staff training is costly in time and effort. Hence, justice-involved youth experience increasing...

The purpose of this article is to describe the adaptation process of an evidence-based early childhood Tier-2 intervention program, BEST in CLASS-Prekindergarten, from a face-to-face format to a web-based delivery format called BEST in CLASS-Web. We describe the three-phase iterative development process used to adapt the parent program for delivery...

Mothers in the United States (U.S.) who are of non-dominant culture and socioeconomically disadvantaged experience depression during postpartum at a rate 3 to 4 times higher than mothers in the general population, but these mothers are least likely to receive services for improving mood. Little research has focused on recruiting these mothers into...

Disruptive behavior problems frequently emerge in the preschool years and are associated with numerous, long-term negative outcomes, including comorbid disorders. First Step is a psychosocial early intervention with substantial empirical evidence supporting its efficacy among young children. The present study reports on a validation study of the re...

Background: Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) history, combined with systemic inequities for mothers of nondominant cultures and mothers who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, places infants at an extraordinary risk for poor developmental outcomes throughout life. Although receipt of early intervention (EI) is the best single predictor of deve...

BACKGROUND Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) history, combined with systemic inequities for mothers of non-dominant culture and mothers who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, places infants at extraordinary risk for poor developmental outcomes throughout life. Although receipt of early intervention (EI) is the best single predictor of developme...

While the long-term societal costs for youth with disruptive behavior disorders are well documented, there is a dearth of information about the comprehensive costs of implementing even the most well-regarded early intervention programs, and the costs of scaling effective interventions are even less well understood. This study estimated the costs of...

This study evaluated the putative mediating mechanisms of an Internet-facilitated cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention for depression tailored to economically disadvantaged mothers of preschool-age children. The CBT mediators were tested across two previously published randomized controlled trials which included the same measures of beha...

Preschoolers with elevated anxiety symptoms are at high risk not only of developing more severe mental health disorders in later life but are also apt to respond more poorly to intervention if they present with comorbid disruptive behavior. Because early signs of anxiety disorders may not be recognized as such in preschool settings, many children s...

This manuscript describes a major revision and update of the First Step to Success Early Intervention Program, now called First Step Next. The original First Step Program was published in 1997 and the revised, updated version was published in 2015 (Walker et al.). First Step Next is a collaborative, Tier II school- and family-supported early interv...

A Mobile Intervention to Strengthen Parent Practices that Promote Social Communication

Materials and methods: This study includes the initial feasibility testing of a smartphone application "ParentNet" that attempts to deliver on the potential of empirically supported therapy by connecting family members with specific behavioral goals and outcomes in real time. Participation was solicited from community parenting support groups and...

Technology advances increasingly allow for access to remotely delivered interventions designed to promote early parenting practices that protect against child maltreatment. Among low-income families, at somewhat elevated risk for child maltreatment, there is some evidence that parents do engage in and benefit from remote-coaching interventions. How...

Objective: Evaluate an Internet-facilitated cognitive-behavioral treatment intervention for depression, tailored to economically disadvantaged mothers of young children. Method: Economically disadvantaged mothers (N = 266) of preschool aged children, who reported elevated levels of depressive symptoms, were randomized to either the 8-session, In...

Implementation of evidence-based parenting programs is critical for parents at-risk for child maltreatment perpetration; however, widespread use of effective programs is limited in both child welfare and prevention settings. This exploratory study sought to examine whether a technology-mediated approach to SafeCare® delivery can feasibly assist new...

This study evaluated the efficacy of the Preschool First Step (PFS) to Success early intervention for children at risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). PFS is a targeted intervention for children 3-5 years old with externalizing behavior problems and addresses secondary prevention goals and objectives. As part of a larger multis...

Preschool children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may not always be recognized as such during their early years, but some of their behavioral problems may nonetheless prompt a referral for behavioral intervention. Whether such an intervention brings any benefit has not been well studied. We identified a subsample of 34 preschool children at ri...

The field of early intervention is currently faced with the challenge of reducing the prevalence of antisocial behavior in children. Longitudinal outcomes research indicates that increased antisocial behavior and impairments in social competence skills during the preschool years often serve as harbingers of future adjustment problems in a number of...

First Step to Success (First Step; Walker et al., 1997, 1998) is a secondary-level intervention for students with behavior problems in early elementary school. The purposes of this study were to assess whether effects in student behavior and academics at posttest shown in a recent efficacy trial (Walker et al., 2009) were maintained at follow-up an...

This chapter is concerned with adapting Motivational Interviewing to an early intervention addressing challenging behavior in classrooms. Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a powerful vehicle for increasing motivation and changing behavior in adults, and has been shown to increase participant time in treatment, effort, and adherence to intervention...

Early interventions that promote infant mental health are more promising and cost-effective than later efforts to treat entrenched child mental health problems. Promoting parent responsiveness and reducing parent insensitivity are crucial aims and outcomes of parenting interventions designed to foster the behavioral foundations of infant mental hea...

This presentation describes the results of an NICHD-funded grant to evaluate the efficacy of the preschool version of the First Step to Success early intervention. First Step is designed for at-risk, elementary school children who show signs of externalizing behavior patterns (Walker et al., 1997). The at-risk child is the primary focus of the Firs...

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the participation rates and factors associated with nonparticipation among mothers living in low-income households who were invited to join a parent-education and-support research program delivered via the Internet with professional support. Methods: Four hundred and seventy-seven mothers of in...

The primary purpose of this study was to examine feasibility of the preschool version of the First Step to Success (FSS) intervention. Toward this end, the following four research questions were addressed: (1) To what extent was the intervention implemented with integrity? (2) To what extent do teachers and parents perceive the intervention to be s...

There is a critical need to engage theory-driven research related to the deployment of mental health promotion initiatives and student outcomes. A growing body of research supporting the use of motivational interviewing and engagement strategies in education suggests that this approach may be promising to better understand mechanisms through which...

The majority of Tier 2 interventions are facilitated by specialized instructional support personnel, such as a school psychologists, school social workers, school counselors, or behavior consultants. Many professionals struggle to involve parents and teachers in Tier 2 behavior interventions. However, attention to the motivational issues for influe...

Background and Purpose: Many preschool and early childhood care settings are overwhelmed by increasing numbers of at risk children who are unresponsive to the minimal but necessary demands of schooling. The purpose of this study was to determine, via a randomized controlled trial, the efficacy of the Preschool Adaptation of the First Step to Succes...

The fields of mental health, child welfare, and juvenile justice are jointly faced with the challenge of reducing the prevalence of antisocial behavior among adolescents. In the last 20 years, conduct disorders have moved from being considered intractable difficulties to having complex but available solutions. The treatments for even long-standing...

Objective: Develop and pilot an Internet-facilitated cognitive-behavioral treatment intervention for depression, tailored to economically disadvantaged mothers of young children. Method: Mothers (N = 70) of children enrolled in Head Start, who reported elevated levels of depressive symptoms, were randomized to either the 8-session, Internet-faci...

This article reports on the effectiveness of First Step to Success, a secondary-level intervention appropriate for students in early elementary school who experience moderate to severe behavior problems and are at risk for academic failure. The authors demonstrate the intervention’s short-term effects on multiple behavioral and academic outcomes as...

Purpose & Background: The need for interventions that are effective with children who display severely challenging behavior is substantial. This presentation will focus on the results of an Institute of Education Sciences (IES) grant to bolster the First Step to Success program (Walker, et al. 1998). The program enhancements, designed to extend its...

In recent years, the science of developing and implementing interventions addressing school-related risk factors has produced many advances. This article addresses the promise of a cross-disciplinary practice approach known as motivational interviewing in school settings. Specifically, the supporting evidence as well as the process and principles o...

In great demand are efficient mechanisms for delivery of evidence-based interventions for promoting social-emotional development and early positive behavior of all children, and especially for those with or at risk for disabilities. The rise of Internet use has created potentially new avenues for intervention delivery, which, when paired with the m...

This article reports on a randomized controlled trial of the First Step to Success early intervention that was conducted over a 4-year period in Albuquerque Public Schools. First Step is a selected intervention for students in Grades 1 through 3 with externalizing behavior problems, and it addresses secondary prevention goals and objectives. It con...

Social-emotional competence is an important determinant of school readiness. School readiness, in turn, sets the stage for school success. There is clear longitudinal evidence that school success, attachment and bonding to the schooling process, and full engagement of schooling can, in combination, operate as a protective factor against a host of l...

This study evaluated the efficacy of the First Step to Success early intervention for students meeting criteria for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). First Step is a targeted intervention for students in grades K-3 with externalizing behavior problems, and addresses secondary prevention goals and objectives. As part of a larger rando...

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0271121409354782

There are major obstacles to the effective delivery of mental health services to poor families, particularly for those families in rural areas. The rise of Internet use, however, has created potentially new avenues for service delivery, which, when paired with the many recent advances in computer networking and multimedia technology, is fueling a d...

Increases in personal computer ownership and Internet use patterns provide a potential avenue for dissemination of evidence-based prevention and treatment interventions. The authors describe the implementation of a psychoeducational intervention (the Incredible Years parenting program, which is designed to promote behavioral change in parents and c...

Maximizing the response rate to surveys involves thoughtful choices about survey design, sampling and collection methods. This paper describes an innovative survey method, to provide immediate reinforcement for responding and to minimize the response cost. This method involves using a questionnaire printed as checks on security (anti-fraud) paper w...

This article reports the results of a pilot intervention to improve the social skills and literacy preparation of behaviorally at-risk Head Start children. Teachers in eight Head Start classrooms in two Oregon communities participated during the 2002-03 school year. Children in eight classrooms were screened and identified for participation using t...

The early identification and remediation of emotional or behavior disorders are high priorities for early-childhood researchers and are based on the assumption that problems such as school failure can be averted with early screening, prevention, and intervention. Presently, prevalence, severity, and topography of mental health needs among low-incom...

The potential contribution of the Internet to smoking cessation seems huge, given that a majority of Americans now have both computers and telephones. Despite the proliferation of Web sites offering smoking cessation support, there is little empirical evidence regarding the efficacy of Internet-delivered cessation programs. We developed a cessation...

A prerequisite to translating research findings into practice is information on consistency of implementation, maintenance of results, and generalization of effects. This follow-up report is one of the few experimental studies to provide such information on Internet-based health education. We present follow-up data 10 months following randomization...

Internet-based support groups are a rapidly growing segment of mutual aid programs for individuals with chronic illnesses and other challenges. Previous studies have informed us about the content of online exchanges between support group members, but we know little about the ability of these interventions to change participants' perceptions of supp...

Internet‐based support groups are a rapidly growing segment of mutual aid programs for individuals with chronic illnesses and other challenges. Previous studies have informed us about the content of online exchanges between support group members, but we know little about the ability of these interventions to change participants' perceptions of supp...

Objective: The Diabetes Network (D-Net), a randomized trial of an Internet-based, diabetes self-management and peer support intervention, was evaluated after 3 months. Design: The study assessed separate and combined effects of diabetes self-management and peer support. Outcomes included physiologic, behavioral, mental health, and website usage. Re...

There is a growing need for cross-cultural research on screening instruments appropriate for use with young children from culturally diverse backgrounds who are at risk for emotional or behavioral problems. Head Start classrooms provide an ideal environment for (a) conducting applied research and (b) encouraging host practices in screening, assessm...

This article examines factors associated with the substantial underidentification, referral and service of the student population having emotional-behavioral adjustment problems in school. The identification of students as emotionally or behaviorally disturbed over the past decade is analyzed in terms of their absolute number and distribution acros...