Early intervention program opens for children with behavioral issues

STEPHANIE BERTHOLDO/Acorn Newspapers CHILD ADVOCATES—Sharon Glickman, coordinator of the new Early Prevention Intervention Collaboration program at the Stirling Behavioral Health Institute, sits in her favorite, kid-friendly rocking chair, with Caroline and Iraj Broomand, owners of the institute, at her side. Young children with emotional and behavioral problems and their families will benefit from Early Prevention Intervention Collaboration (EPIC), a new, early intervention program offered through Stirling Behavioral Health Institute in Westlake Village.

EPIC is designed for 3to 8year-old children with impulse control, anxiety, phobias, attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, depression, and bi-polar disorder. Children with difficulty in sensory motor skills are also welcome in the program.

“If you start early with children, you can overcome years of problems,” said Dr. Caroline Broomand, co-owner of Stirling Behavioral Institute along with Dr. Iraj Broomand, former mayor of Westlake Village.

The program is “one of the most significant attempts at preventing any kind of future problems kids may have behaviorally or emotionally,” said Iraj Broomand.

Sharon Glickman, a special education teacher in the Las Virgenes Unified School District, was hand-picked by the institute’s owners to coordinate the program. Glickman was named Teacher of the Year for her work at Buttercup Preschool in Westlake Village.

Glickman noted that many children are expelled from preschool programs because teachers don’t know how to manage their behavior, emotional and socialization needs.

“Some children have been kicked out of schools three or four times,” Glickman said. Many of these children, she added, have not been diagnosed with any specific disorder but have difficulty interacting with their families and other children.

EPIC will help children gain skills to control their emotions and behavior, and develop competence in language and basic communication.

Children will be grouped according to age—3and 4-yearold children will be placed together, with 5 and 6-year-olds in a separate group. Children ages 7 and 8 will have their own separate program.

Glickman said the program is set in a typical preschool environment. The children will participate in various centers, including art, music, library, sensory, housekeeping, and blocks, while learning to control their emotions and building empathy, friendships and self-control.

Children are also taught to recognize social cues and how to respect personal space while communicating and playing with other children, which helps them initiate and sustain friendships.

Like typical preschools, EPIC uses fun monthly themes that reinforce the goals of each session. In September, for example, the theme will be “All About Me.”

Even sign language will be used to help children handle their emotions. “A lot of 3-year-olds can’t express themselves so well,” said Caroline Broomand. But when children are taught to express themselves both verbally and through signs, the children’s skills improve dramatically.

Children will sing songs that address difficult emotions and art projects will reinforce the theme of the month.

As for discipline, Glickman said she believes in rewarding children for being good rather than punishing them with “time outs” when they misbehave.

To reinforce proper behavior, the children will participate in the “kind hearts” plan. Every time a child is “caught” being kind, helpful, or embracing a particular social skill, a heart with their name will be placed in a jar. After accumulating a certain number of hearts, the children earn a special treat.

Even children who are not special education students may benefit from the program, said Caroline Broomand. “Sometimes kids learned bad habits,” she said, such as a child who is allowed to throw a tantrum at a grocery store. Other children may be victims of fetal alcohol syndrome. There are 13 different categories of children who would benefit from early intervention, Broomand added.

“Parents must be involved,” Caroline Broomand said. Parent education classes will be an integral part of the program.

“The purpose of these programs is to provide parents with the specific skills in behavioral methods, which complement those used in the child’s treatment sessions,” the EPIC brochure states.

Glickman said that the program’s ultimate goal is to help children learn appropriate skills so they can return to a typical school environment.

“The biggest find in the research is that early intervention makes a difference if it’s systematic and the whole group is involved,” said Caroline Broomand. The “whole group” includes parents, teachers, school administrators and therapists.

The social skills sessions will begin the week of Mon., Aug. 29. The cost varies according to the child’s needs.

For further information, call the Stirling Behavioral Health Institute at (818) 991-1063.