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034 <br /> SOME FACTS ABOUT TROUBLED PRESCHOOLERS IN ORANGE COUNTY <br /> How Big is the Problem? <br /> Estimates of the number of troubled preschoolers vary according to the definition used, <br /> and most estimates are for "children under 18", inclusively. However specific surveys <br /> of preschool populations have agreed generally with the figures for all children. • <br /> Frequently used estimates of the % of children who are emotionally disturbed and in need <br /> of mental health services include: <br /> Federal Joint Commission on Mental Health & Illness ( 1969) 13.6% <br /> President's Commission on Mental Health ( 1978) 5-15% <br /> (5% being the very severely disturbed group) <br /> Madelyn S. Gould (review of major U.S. <br /> prevalence studies, 1981) 11 .8% <br /> Commonly used figure of those children <br /> needing mental health services 12% <br /> What About Orange County? <br /> While no information is readily available at a state or county level regarding precise <br /> numbers of preschoolers in need of services, a rough extrapolation from nation figures <br /> would suggest: <br /> ( 1980) 3994 children in Orange County ages 4 and under <br /> 12% a 479 children age 4 and under in need of services <br /> Another way to develop a picture of the size of this group is to look at the K-3 grade <br /> population in the public schools. In the Spring of 1986, the Chapel Hill/Carrboro <br /> Schools had approximately 24 of 2,000 K-3 grade children in self-contained classrooms <br /> for the "Behaviorally/Emotionally Handicapped". An informal study of Orange County <br /> system KG teachers at that same time estimated that about 10-12% of children in their <br /> classrooms had behavioral or emotional problems. <br /> Why Focus on Children in Child Care Centers? <br /> Staff in child care centers, caring for children of preschool age from 4-10 hours a, <br /> day are in a unique situation to be aware of the needs of troubled children. In. the <br /> Spring of 1986, all licensed day care centers were surveyed (35 centers-preschools were <br /> not surveyed at that time) concerning the children in their programs who they considered <br /> to have problems using this definition: <br /> "For our purposes, a child with a significant behavioral or emotional problem is: a <br /> child. who is ( 1) so overly active or aggressive, (2) so quiet and withdrawn, or (3) <br /> so otherwise bizarre in their behavior that he or she is seriously disruptive to your <br /> program and other children, or is unable to participate in your program. : (Examples <br /> of troubling behavior were provided.) <br /> 1 <br />