A Comprehensive Approach to Disruptive Behaviors in the Classroom and Home.

Deana M. Hollaway, PhD, NCC, LPC Center for Attachment and Family Development 1409 Kathy Lane SW Suite #10 Decatur, AL 35601 (256) 353-8528 dhollaway@pclnet.net The impact of the economic crisis in America is having significant consequences across all environments. Children in Alabama are being hit particularly hard, with budget constraints leading to greatly reduced services for marginalized children and families in rural and urban areas. According to the United States Census Bureau, 16.6% of the population in Alabama fell within the poverty level in 2007. Census data also reveals that only 75% of Alabamians have attained at least a high school education. For urban and rural children in Alabama who exist at or below the poverty line, their social, environmental, and educational difficulties are magnified by an overall lack of resources and opportunities and further reduced services. The profound level of deprivation that these children experience has been well documented through reduced graduation rates, higher incidents of incarceration, and a perpetuation of family legacies defined by impoverishment.