Carroll Izard, University of Delaware Distinguished Professor of Psychology, has received a $2.7 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health for work on an intervention program to help save children from lifelong emotional problems.
The project includes over 250 children in Head Start’s preschool program in Wilmington. Most of the children, ages 3 to 5, are minorities living in low-income households. Izard believes stresses associated with living in tough neighborhoods can lead children to become aggressive or depressed because they do not learn to read facial expressions.
“If they can’t read the angry face, they might get into a scrap,” Izard said. If aggression becomes a pattern, it can develop into a conduct disorder that is very difficult to cure.
Izard’s intervention program includes hand puppets and kid-friendly pictures that show what it looks like when someone is happy, sad, angry, and a range of other emotions. The next stage involves teaching parents how to reinforce the lessons at home.
Source: http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2009/dec/izard120908.html