Feasibility, Acceptability and Preliminary Outcomes of HOT DOCS Early Intervention for Disruptive Behavior

Many parents of young children are increasingly impacted by their children's display of early childhood disruptive behavior, and disruption to family dynamics caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may have further intensified such difficulties.

This study evaluates a new adaptation of the Helping Our Toddlers, Developing Our Children's Skills (HOT DOCS) parent training program that involved modifying the program for individual implementation with three caregiver-toddler Dyads. The study utilized a non-concurrent multiple baseline design to assess changes in child behavior and caregiver stress over time and overall program feasibility and acceptability. Visual analyses, effect sizes, and descriptive statistics were conducted for child disruptive behavior and parenting stress across each dyad.

Therapeutic treatment effects (i.e. changes observed from the beginning of the intervention to the end) were indicated given that both child disruptive behavior and parental stress decreased by the end of the program. Results also indicated that caregivers endorsed high satisfaction with the program. Replicated treatment effects (i.e. at least three demonstrations of an intervention effect) were not indicated across the three Dyads for the behavior and caregiver stress outcomes.

Overall, results from this study provide initial evidence regarding the feasibility and acceptability of the HOT DOCS Early Intervention program and these findings may be beneficial to providers working with toddlers and their families either in the home setting or via telehealth.