Behavioral and emotional disorders in school beginners. Pilot study with case-control design

Abstract

Background. As behavioral problems are known to affect children’s school performance they are therefore being increasingly included in German health examinations for school entry. Despite this change in the examination process there is still a lack of empirical monitoring of this form of early recognition within the framework of the health examinations for school entry.

Aim. The question is raised whether the standard of the health examinations for school entry as the current form of early recognition is sufficient to increase the equal opportunities for school beginners by early encouragement at the beginning of the school career.

Material and methods. In this study for the first time behavioral and development profiles of children with behavioral problems (with and without encouragement measures) identified by the health examinations for school entry were compared with children without behavioral problems during and after the first year of school.

Results. Behavior, cognition and motor development were tested before school entry and after the first year of primary school and the results revealed no differences in the development over the first year of primary school.

Conclusion. The current state of the health examinations for school entry for early recognition of behavioral problems should be empirically checked and restructuring should be justified scientifically. The results of this study seem to suggest the necessity to conduct behavioral screening at an earlier age.