Teaching a parent to train a spouse in child management techniques

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Behavioral Therapy
• Parent Training

Background:

• This study investigated parent training in child management techniques for a child with severe developmental delays.
• The research focused on a mother's training and her subsequent independent instruction of her husband.

Observation:

• A multiple baseline design was used to assess parent training effectiveness.
• The study examined the mother's skill acquisition, her ability to train her husband, skill generalization, and the child's behavioral changes.
• Parental understanding of procedures was evaluated through written feedback.

Findings:

• The mother successfully acquired and transferred child management skills to her husband.
• Both parents demonstrated skill generalization to untrained activities like eating and toy use.
• The child exhibited significant improvements in attending and independent performance of self-help skills.

Implications:

• Parent training programs can effectively equip parents with skills to manage developmental delays.
• Inter-parental skill transfer is feasible and beneficial for consistent child management.
• Long-term retention and positive impact on child's self-help skills highlight the value of such interventions.