Symposium 141 - Novel Targets and Enhancements to Behavioral Parent Training for Young Children At-Risk

Chair(s)

• KH

  Katie Hart, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

  Associate Professor
  Florida International University
  Miami, Florida

Discussant(s)

• PG

  Paulo Graziano, Ph.D.

  Professor
  Florida International University
  Miami, Florida

Presenter(s)

• KH

  Katie Hart, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

  Associate Professor
  Florida International University
  Miami, Florida
• KP

  Katherine Pears, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

  Oregon Social Learning Center
  Eugene, Oregon
• 

  Andrea Chronis-Tuscano, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

  Professor
  University of Maryland- College Park
  College Park, Maryland

Behavioral parent training (BPT) is one of the most well-supported psychosocial treatments for young children with or at-risk for externalizing behavior problems (EBPs; Comer et al., 2013), including ADHD. However, studies approximate that 35-68% of parents who have children with EBP decline supported parent-training services (Barkley et al., 2000), and there is inequity in accessibility of services for racial and ethnic minority children (Alegria et al., 2010). As such, there is a need to develop innovative methods, considering modality, location, and developmental transitions, to expand the availability, accessibility, and acceptability of evidence-based psychosocial treatments for early externalizing behavior problems, while also addressing key factors (e.g., parental engagement in school readiness activities; parent self-regulation; parent mental health) that may play a role in children’s later outcomes.

This symposium will highlight efforts across the United States to intentionally enhance parent training programs to maximize early outcomes for young children utilizing a range of innovative settings (i.e., summer programs, pediatric primary care) and formats. First, Hart et al. will discuss how they have utilized an early intervention summer setting to increase engagement in behavioral parent training for families of young children living in urban poverty, and how this program has impacted caregiver use of positive parenting techniques, including those that support children’s school readiness. Next, Pears will discuss the effects of a two-generational program to promote school success in children and parental involvement in families from underresourced neighborhoods on parenting practices and children’s social-emotional adjustment at school might be mediated by changes in parental self-regulation. Finally, Chronis-Tuscano will describe their ongoing, two- site, collaborative, Type 1 Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation trial, in which their enhanced BPT approach integrates a focus on both behavioral parenting skills and parent mental health using cognitive-behavioral and organizational tools. Dr. Graziano will synthesize this work and discuss implications for further enhancements that could be made to parent training programs for young children.

Learning Objectives:

• This session aims to help professionals consider what enhancements to behavioral parent training might be most appropriate for young children, while also considering innovative settings/formats.


• Attendees will learn about current efforts to enhance parent training to maximize parent and child outcomes.


• This session will consider how enhancements can address racial/ethnic disparities in the accessibility of parent training programs.