Parent Training to Promote Early Identification and Treatment of Childhood Behavioral Disorders

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) are
common childhood behavior disorders. Children with ADHD experience hyperactivity,
distractibility, poor concentration, and impulsivity. If left untreated, ADHD can continue
into adulthood, and can cause problems in family, social, and work environments. Children
with ODD exhibit an ongoing pattern of uncooperative, defiant, and hostile behavior toward
authority figures. Symptoms of ODD, including frequent temper tantrums, anger, resentment,
and vindictiveness, may interfere with a child's everyday functioning. The Incredible Years
parent training program has been shown to be effective in multiple settings at training
parents to manage their child's behavior. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of the
Incredible Years training program within a pediatric office setting at improving parenting
skills and reducing behavioral symptoms in young children who are at risk for developing
childhood behavior disorders.

Participants in this open-label study will be randomly assigned to the Incredible Years
training program or a waitlist condition, in which they will begin the program after a
1-year waiting period. Parent training sessions will take place once per week for 10 weeks,
and will last approximately 2 hours each. Sessions will focus on teaching positive parenting
skills, such as appropriate play and use of praise and rewards, as well as limit-setting
techniques, such as ignoring, allowing children to experience the natural consequences of
their actions, and assigning time-outs. Self-report assessments and phone interviews will be
used to assess outcomes. Additionally, follow-up visits will occur immediately
post-intervention and 6 and 12 months post-intervention. Children will attend one visit
before the program begins, as well as the follow-ups held immediately post-intervention and
12 months post-intervention. These visits will include videotaped observations of children
and their primary caregivers.

Inclusion Criteria:

Parent or primary caregiver of a child who fits the following criteria:

- Receives a positive result on behavioral screening

Exclusion Criteria:

Parent or primary caregiver of a child who fits the following criteria:

- Diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder or global developmental delay