Training Parents with Videotapes: Recognizing Limitations

ABSTRACT

Among the many methods of teaching skills to parents of disruptive children, videotape modeling of specific parent-child interaction sequences has been particularly effective. Given the likelihood of timeout resistance in defiant children, the authors tested the effectiveness of videotape parent training with a sample of clinic referred, disobedient preschool children in a protected clinic setting. Although parents gained knowledge and behavioral skills, substantive errors were observed and one-third of the sample required therapist assistance during the initial compliance training session. Unsupervised videotape training protocols appear to be a two-edged sword that should carry a warning label.

KEYWORDS:

• Parent training
• timeout
• videotape training
• child externalizing disorders