Stopping Bedtime Crying: Treating the Child and the Parents

Abstract

The effect of extinction on bedtime crying and on a disruptive sleeping pattern was explored. The subject was a healthy 7-month-old female infant. Treatment was two-pronged. An extinction intervention employed by the parents involved not overtly responding to the infant's operant crying once she was placed in her crib for the night. An important yet often overlooked element of intervention with the parents involved the covert responses of the parents that were causing them distress and appeared to be mediating their overt responses. For this element, cognitive restructuring around concerns of being "bad parents" was implemented. The results of this study using a quasi-reversal design indicate that when extinction is supplemented by parental intervention, it is an effective tool in eliminating bedtime crying as well as the disruptive sleeping pattern of the infant. Implications of these findings for practice and for parent training are discussed.