Using Positive Reinforcement for High-Need Children: The Incredible Years Approach
Renda Dionne (certified group leader) and her colleagues have completed a randomized control group study using the home based Incredible Years (IY) parent program (Basic Preschool) with American Indian families with children (ages 3-10 years). Their approach involved a motivational phase, which set a historical context for parents’ current difficulties, and an intervention phase, which linked the IY principles and skills within cultural traditions, beliefs and values.
The program was delivered in 11 home visits, each lasting approximately 90 minutes. The home visiting coaches used the IY collaborative approach (without modification) including watching video vignettes, role play practices and homework assignments. With every skill taught, culturally based stories were offered to create a stronger connection to the skill.
The Incredible Years Parent Program being implemented as a Home Visit model
For example, child-directed play was linked to respect for others, praise was linked to honoring others, limit setting linked to historical trauma, and prevention to ceremony. Preliminary evidence looks promising with significant improvements in observations of parenting and child behavior in the intervention condition compared with the delayed-intervention group.
The majority of participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the program. Given that historically few American Indians have taken part in research studies, we are excited about these findings and the potential for implementing the program with the American Indian population. It is particularly innovative they way researchers integrated a cultural approach as an adjunct to the Incredible Years program.
Click here to read the article!
Dionne, R., Davis, B., Sheeber, L., and Madrigal, L. 2009. Initial Evaluation of a Cultural Approach to Implementation of Evidence-based Parenting Interventions in American Indian Communities Journal of Community Psychology, V.37.7. 911-921. DOI: 10.1002/jcop.20336
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