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The purposes of this article are to (a) describe the design features of two longitudinal studies, the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS) and the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) and (b) outline their potential implications for policy, practice, research, advocacy, and system development for children and youth with emotional disturbances (ED). We begin by reviewing the role of longitudinal research and its importance in building the knowledge base regarding these children and youth. A review of illustrative longitudinal studies conducted on children and youth with ED points to the potential of a longitudinal design for providing much needed information but also reveals the limitations and inconsistencies in both the samples and methods of existing studies that hamper development of policy and practice. SEELS and NLTS2 are offered as exemplars of the type of studies needed to supply critical information to the field. We describe key features of these studies and how they will extend the research knowledge base. We conclude by outlining the implications of the two studies for key issues in improving outcomes for children and youth with ED.
The landscape of the children's mental health service system has been transformed over the last 25 years by changes in public policy and practice. Research on the experiences and needs of children with emotional disturbances (ED) has added importantly to the empirical knowledge base about these children and has done much to inform policy change and practice improvements. Yet the knowledge base on which we draw continues to rely heavily on studies that often use convenience samples and limited methods to address a narrow range of questions. The need for more comprehensive and systematic information has long been recognized (Peacock Hill Working Group, 1991).
Two recently launched national longitudinal studies that include children and youth with ED, the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS) and the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2), have the potential to add significant information on the characteristics, experiences, and outcomes of children and youth with ED. The purpose of this article is to describe the design features of these two studies and to outline their possible implications for policy, practice, research, advocacy, and system development. We begin by reviewing the advantages of longitudinal research in building the knowledge base...