Laura Lee McIntyre

Parent Training for Young Children With Developmental Disabilities : Randomized Controlled Trial

A randomized controlled trial was used to evaluate a parent training intervention for caregivers with preschool-age children with developmental disabilities. The 21 families in the experimental group received usual care plus the 12-week Incredible Years Parent Training Program with developmental delay modifications. Families in the control group (n = 23) received usual care, including early childhood education and related services. Results suggest that this parent training intervention was superior to usual care for young children with developmental delays or disabilities in reducing negative parent-child interactions and child behavior problems. Participants in the experimental group indicated high satisfaction with treatment. Additional research is necessary to document maintenance and generalization of treatment outcomes.

Quality of Life for young adults with mental retardation during transition

The quality of life of 188 young adults with moderate or severe mental retardation was examined. Schalock and Keiths (1993) Quality of Life Questionnaire (QOL-Q) was used as the primary outcome measure. Young adults who had exited high school had significantly higher overall quality of life scores than did those who were still attending school. Individuals who had jobs in the community also had significantly higher levels of quality of life. Although young adult adaptive functioning was the single largest indicator of the QOL-Q index total score and three of the four subscales, it was not related to scores on the Satisfaction subscale. Here, family- and environment-related variables played a greater role. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Adapting Webster‐Stratton's incredible years parent training for children with developmental delay: findings from a treatment group only study

BACKGROUND Children with intellectual or developmental disabilities (ID/DD) are more likely than typically developing children to experience behaviour problems. Parent training, such as the Incredible Years Parent Training (IYPT) series, has been a widely used intervention to support families with children with or at-risk for behaviour problems; yet to date, this programme has not been used with parents with young children with developmental delay or disabilities. METHOD This preliminary treatment group only study assessed the feasibility of implementing a modified parent training programme (IYPT-DD) with 25 families with 2-5-year-old children with developmental delay. Intervention consisted of 12 weekly (2.5 h) sessions with topics covering developmentally appropriate play, praise, rewards, limit setting and handling challenging behaviour. RESULTS Results suggest preliminary evidence of efficacy in reducing negative parent and child behaviour and increasing parental perceptions of child positive impact. CONCLUSIONS This study provides evidence for the feasibility of the DD modifications applied to the IYPT. Although this approach is promising, additional evidence is needed to address the efficacy of IYPT-DD in children with developmental delay.

Sibling Adjustment and Maternal Well-Being: An Examination of Families With and Without a Child With an Autism Spectrum Disorder

Differences in sibling social, behavioral, and academic adjustment and maternal well-being in families with (n = 20) and without (n = 23) a preschooler with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were explored. Results are interpreted to suggest that mothers of children with autism report more daily hassles, life stress, and depression than mothers without a child with ASD. There were no significant differences in parent and teacher reports of older siblings’ social, behavioral, and academic adjustment in families with and without a child with ASD. Sibling behavioral adjustment was, however, significantly related to maternal well-being. Because families with children with ASD often experience more parenting stress and depression, siblings may be more vulnerable to the cumulative risks over time.

Preschool Children With and Without Developmental Delay: Risk, Parenting, and Child Demandingness

Although past literature has established relations between early child risk factors, negative parenting, and problematic child behavior, the nature of these interrelations and pathways of influence over time remains largely unknown, especially in children with developmental delays or disabilities. In the current study, data were drawn from the longitudinal Collaborative Family Study and included a sample of 260 families with preschool children with and without developmental delays. Child-related risk was assessed at child age 36 months, maternal intrusiveness and negative affect at 48 months, and child demandingness at 60 months. Results indicated significant relations between early risk, negative parenting, and subsequent child demandingness. Sickliness as an infant was the most salient predictive risk factor of later child demandingness. Developmental delay was the most significant predictor of subsequent negative parenting. Results are discussed as being more indicative of additive rather than mediational processes given that early child risk and negative maternal parenting both contributed uniquely to the subsequent development of child demandingness.

A Three-Tier Model of Parent Education in Early Childhood: Applying a Problem-Solving Model.

Young children with developmental disabilities may be at heightened risk for experiencing problem behavior. Evidence suggests that inappropriate behavior in young children may be related to negative parent–child interactions. Parent education and support programs have a long history of utility and effectiveness in reducing negative parent–child interactions and behavior problems. Although these programs may be effective in preventing and resolving childhood behavioral problems, not every family benefits uniformly. This article discusses how a three-tier model of intervention can be applied to parent education for young children with developmental disabilities in the context of early childhood education programs. Furthermore, the authors discuss how a problem-solving model can be used to make decisions regarding intervention provision.

The Application of a Three-Tier Model of Intervention to Parent Training.

A three-tier intervention system was designed for use with parents with preschool children with developmental disabilities to modify parent–child interactions. A single-subject changing-conditions design was used to examine the utility of a three-tier intervention system in reducing negative parenting strategies, increasing positive parenting strategies, and reducing child behavior problems in parent–child dyads (n = 8). The three intervention tiers consisted of (a) self-administered reading material, (b) group training, and (c) individualized video feedback sessions. Parental behavior was observed to determine continuation or termination of intervention. Results support the utility of a tiered model of intervention to maximize treatment outcomes and increase efficiency by minimizing the need for more costly time-intensive interventions for participants who may not require them.

Intellectual Disability and Developmental Risk: Promoting Intervention to Improve Child and Family Well‐Being

Initial intervention processes for children with intellectual disabilities (IDs) largely focused on direct efforts to impact core cognitive and academic deficits associated with the diagnosis. Recent research on risk processes in families of children with ID, however, has influenced new developmental system approaches to early intervention. Recent risk and resilience processes are reviewed that connect stress, family process, and the high rates of behavioral problems in children with ID that have substantial influence on child and family outcomes. These models are linked to emerging evidence-based intervention processes that focus on strategic parent skill training and mindfulness interventions that reduce parental stress and create indirect benefits for childrens behavioral competencies. A family-focused developmental systems approach (M. J. Guralnick, 2011) is emphasized.

The Transition to Kindergarten for Children With and Without Disabilities An Investigation of Parent and Teacher Concerns and Involvement

The transition to kindergarten is regarded as a critical early childhood developmental milestone with important implications for later school outcomes. Despite its importance, few empirical studies examine kindergarten transition and fewer examine transition from the perspective of multiple stakeholders. The goal of the current study was to explore family and teacher concerns and involvement in transition practices among both children who were typically developing (TD; n = 52) and children with developmental delays and disabilities (DD; n = 52). Data collection involved parent, preschool teacher, and kindergarten teacher reports of concerns and involvement in transition and parent and preschool teacher reports of child behavior. Results showed that involvement of families and preschool teachers, but not kindergarten teachers, was higher for children with DD than children who were TD. In addition, preschool teachers, but not kindergarten teachers or families, were found to have higher involvement for children with poorer socio-behavioral competencies.

Developing Emotional Competence in Preschoolers: A Review of Regulation Research and Recommendations for Practice

Regulation has been implicated in the development of emotional and behavioral disorders in childhood. Indeed, emotion dysregulation is one of the most common reasons families seek psychological services and behavioral supports. Interventions to support children with regulatory difficulties may be enhanced if they are informed by basic psychological research on the topic. This paper includes a review of basic regulation research conducted over the last 20 years. This research base about the positive development of regulatory skills is then related to the treatment of emotion regulation deficits, emphasizing the role that school psychologists and school-based interventions may play in supporting appropriate regulatory strategies for young children.