Addressing Challenging Behavior and Social–Emotional Skills in Home-Based Services: A Systematic Review

Children with developmental delays are more likely to experience difficulties in social-emotional skills and challenging behavior, which can lead to poor long-term outcomes if left untreated. The purpose of this literature review was to synthesize the literature related to home-based interventions to address social–emotional skills and challenging behavior. A systematic review of the literature resulted in the identification of 26 single-case design studies and 31 group design studies that evaluated a home-based intervention to improve social–emotional skills or challenging behavior for young children with a disability or delay. The most common interventions implemented were differential reinforcement, functional communication training, and antecedent-based interventions. Data based on the quality of experiment, characteristics of participants, and characteristics of interventions were analyzed. Fewer than half of the studies (41%) met design standards with or without reservations. However, the majority of studies that met design standards demonstrated strong or moderate evidence for the efficacy of the intervention (67%). Overall, the literature indicates caregivers can accurately implement established evidence-based practices with their young children to improve social–emotional skills and challenging behavior. Implications for practice and future research directions are discussed.