Early Childhood Intervention Study
Dr. Matt Timm - Program Coordinator

The Early Childhood Intervention Study is a collaborative effort sponsored by Tennessee Voices for Children; the Regional Intervention Program Advisory Committee, Inc.; and the University of Colorado at Denver, with funding provided by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Research to Practice and the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities. The initial three-year project (1997-2000) was designed to evaluate treatment outcomes for a selected sample of some 200 children and families who have participated in the Regional Intervention Program (RIP) network since 1969. The first set of findings from the Early Childhood Intervention Study have been reported in P.S. Strain and M.A. Timm (2001), Remediation and prevention of aggression: An evaluation of the Regional Intervention Program over a quarter century. Behavioral Disorders, 26, 297-313.

A second three-year phase (2000-2003), funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Research to Practice was designed to replicate the initial study with a selected sample of some 150 children and families who have participated in three selected Regional Intervention Program (RIP) sites in Tennessee (Columbia, Murfreesboro, Knoxville) since 1975.

A third three-year phase (2004-2007), also funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Research to Practice, addresses key environmental events and responses to these events that enabled RIP programs to sustain themselves for periods ranging from 7 to 34 years. Fifteen (15) programs that implemented RIP’s core innovative and research-based practices for remediating aggression in young children with Serious Emotional Disturbance are being examined in a multiple case study format.

Founded in 1969, RIP is an internationally recognized parent-implemented model for the treatment of families of young children with behavioral disorders and/or developmental delays. RIP has been featured in over 90 books, journal articles, and presentations to national and international conferences. Since 1974, 31 certified RIP programs have been established in 24 communities in Tennessee, Kentucky, Connecticut, Ohio, Washington, Canada, Brazil, and Venezuela. In October, 2001, RIP received the prestigious Innovative Program of the Year Award at the 13th International CHADD Conference (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder).