A program at Weber State University that helps difficult preschoolers adjust to the classroom could steer children away from violent gangs in the future.

TEACH helps children with behavioral or emotional problems learn healthier ways to interact, said James Bird, professor of child and family studies. TEACH stands for Therapeutic Environment for Assisting Children."Sometimes it's too late to alter a child's behavior in grade school," Bird said. "TEACH impacts children early so they won't experience destructive behavior later."

Excessive biting, kicking, hitting or self-isolation by a prekindergarten child might suggest future disruptive behavior, Bird said. TEACH therapists quickly intervene when such actions arise and offer children positive alternatives.

The Utah Department of Human Services or child protective services refer children to TEACH. The program has helped about 30 children in four years and accepts only eight at a time. Resources are needed to accommodate a long waiting list, Bird said.

Teaching preschoolers "pro-social" behaviors can help children perform better in school and curb society's rising number of troubled adolescents, Bird said.

"Money invested in programs like TEACH is better spent than money to build more jail cells for young offenders," he said.

TEACH is the only publicly funded program north of Salt Lake City offering therapy for preschoolers outside the public-school system, Bird said. The Utah Department of Human Services provides money to TEACH for a psychologist, therapist and assistant.

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Children attend daily four-hour sessions to work with a therapist and socialize with children in the Weber State University Children's School.

TEACH children can acquire alternative behaviors by observing and mimicking more typical children, Bird said. Involving TEACH children in the general classroom also helps other children learn how to interact with difficult classmates. The practice gives student teachers a realistic day-care experience, he said.

Parents of TEACH children take classes and work closely with a therapist to reinforce at home the positive changes their children learn in school.

"Not all problem kids have problem parents," Bird said. "Some parents simply need a new way to handle a difficult child."

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