Approaches to the Management of Young Children’s Externalizing Behavior Problems in the Primary Care Setting

The current review summarizes the management of early-childhood externalizing behavior problems (ages 2–5) within the primary care setting. The review highlights factors pediatricians should consider when addressing externalizing behavior problems and summarizes general principles, opportunities for prevention and health promotion, parent-training interventions, integrated models, and therapies to consider when referring families to a specialty mental health provider. Pediatricians have an important role in addressing early-childhood externalizing behavior problems in the primary care setting, and practices can take a range of meaningful steps to address these issues both universally and for children with higher levels of impairment. In particular, integrated approaches offer the opportunity to increase access to behavioral health services while also providing the chance to build medical providers’ skills in managing early-childhood externalizing behavior problems in the primary care setting. Pediatricians have a range of options to consider and can use the literature regarding evidence-based programs to guide their decisions on the best interventions to implement in their settings. Further dissemination work is needed to better understand which programs are most effective when implemented in community settings.