Study helps improve child behaviour

EARLY intervention by parents can drastically reduce behavioural problems in young children in just a few months, a new study shows.

Parents who took part in a three-month early intervention programme found emotional and behavioural problems were reduced by more than a third, while their children's ability to engage in a positive way with their peers improved by 25%.

It is the first time that the programme's effectiveness within a designated disadvantaged community has been assessed and underlines the need to deal with emotional and behavioural problems early in a child's life so as to avoid later anti-social problems.