
What is Aggression Replacement Training®?
Aggression Replacement Training® is a multimodal, psycho-educational intervention designed to alter the behavior of chronically aggressive adolescents 12-17 years of age. The program incorporates three specific interventions: Skill-streaming, Anger-Control Training, and Moral Reasoning Training .
Aggression Replacement Training® concentrates on development of individual competencies to address various emotional and social aspects that contribute to aggressive behavior in youth. Program techniques are designed to teach youth how to control their anger impulses and use positive alternatives. The main goal is to prevent and reduce aggression and violence among youth by providing them with opportunities to learn prosocial skills in place of aggressive behavior.
Objectives of Aggression Replacement Training®
1. To teach a curriculum of prosocial, interpersonal skills to adolescents, helping them replace antisocial behaviors with positive alternatives.
2. To teach youth how to recognize and control angry feelings, helping them respond to anger in a non aggressive manner.
3. To promote values that respect the rights of others, and help youth want to use the interpersonal and anger management skills taught.
Inclusionary Criteria/Target Population
The program is targeted at youth with a history of serious aggression and antisocial behavior, and can be applied across several different populations. Eligible populations include chronically aggressive children and adolescents ages 12-17. It is recommended that potential participants are screened for risk and severity of aggressive/antisocial behavior before implementation to assess eligibility for inclusion. This type of assessment often includes the use of clinical instruments to examine the degree of problematic behavior in youth.
Aggression Replacement Training® Recognition
Aggression Replacement Training® was first employed and evaluated in schools and delinquency centers in 1978. Since that time, an extended series of studies have demonstrated its skill learning, anger control, and recidivism reducing potency. It has found widespread use in schools, delinquency centers and other agencies concerned with the reduction of school violence and aggression by youths in the community and elsewhere.
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has recognized Aggression Replacement Training® as a Model Program.
The U. S. Department of Education’s Expert Panel on Safe, Disciplined & Drug Free Schools has recognized Aggression Replacement Training® as a Promising Program. To learn more visit the Dept. of Education site at www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/SDFS
Aggression Replacement Training® has also been designated as a Model Program by the U.S. Department of Justice, the American Correctional Association , and the Home Office, United Kingdom.
For more information
CALL 724-804-7000
EMAIL sarah.kasmarik@adelphoi.org
