Interventions Promoting Social-Behavioral Competence for Young Children with Disabilities in Rural Areas: A Meta-Analysis

Children with disabilities who reside in rural areas are at increased risk for social emotional difficulties and it is vital that the most effective interventions are provided in these areas given their needs and the fact that resources may be sparse. In this article, a meta-analysis of case study design studies targeting social emotional interventions for young children with disabilities in rural areas was conducted. In this research we specifically focused on studies with children with or at risk for disabilities that employed single-case design (SCD) methodology in rural settings to evaluate the effects of early childhood interventions on children's social-emotional and behavioral outcomes. A total of 1946 articles, and 9 studies met criteria for inclusion in the meta-analyses; these studies were analyzed for effects to estimate the overall effects of rural child-focused effects on preschool children's social-behavioral competence and pro-social skills. Interventions across both outcomes were significant with studies that included the parent or teachers in the intervention having more robust effects on outcomes. Additionally, according to moderation analyses, results were more pronounced if external researchers were the implementers of the interventions compared to natural implementers, if parents were involved in interventions, and for students with disabilities when compared to nondisabled peers. Practical implications, study limitations, and future directions are discussed.