Topic: Behavioral Problems, Early Intervention, School Readiness, Emotional Competency, Social Competency
Target Population: Early Childhood, Middle Childhood
Sector: Community-Based, School-Based
These programs are for children who are 3 to 8 years old. One program is for children with behavioral concerns, and the other program is for all children.
The Incredible Years® Child Training Programs consist of a clinic-based, small-group treatment curriculum for students who are 4 to 8 years old and a classroom-based prevention curriculum for children who are 3 to 8 years old. These programs are designed to strengthen social, emotional, and academic competencies in young children.
The small-group treatment curriculum is placed as Promising based on results of randomized trials that indicated that children who received this intervention in a clinic setting experienced significant reductions in problem behaviors (e.g., aggression at school and home) and increases in problem-solving and conflict-management skills. These improvements were maintained 1-year post treatment. Results for the small-group treatment curriculum are less clear when the program is delivered in school settings. The classroom curriculum is placed as Unclear because no study was identified that evaluated this program independently of other programs.
The Child Training programs focus on helping children recognize and communicate feelings, use problem-solving skills, cope with anger, learn relationship skills, and act suitably in the classroom. The Classroom Dinosaur Curriculum, delivered by teachers, includes circle time lessons and small-group activities that reinforce newly learned skills. Throughout the school day, program skills are practiced. Teachers use puppets, DVDs, games, and books to engage children. In addition, parents receive letters that include home activities for parents and children to complete together. These activities reinforce concepts taught in the classroom and encourage parent involvement in child learning. Topics include the following:
The Small Group Dinosaur Curriculum is implemented by counselors, therapists, or special education teachers with groups of six children who have conduct problems, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or internalizing problems (e.g., anxiety, sadness). Topics addressed in the small-group curriculum are similar to those used in the classroom curriculum.
Incredible Years Child Training Programs are often implemented with Incredible Years Parent Training Programs and Incredible Years Teacher Training Programs. Separate Fact Sheets are available for these programs.
Since 1987, more than 30,000 professionals have been trained to deliver the Incredible Years programs, and they have been implemented at hundreds of sites across the United States and in Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, Sweden, Turkey, and Wales.
An optional 3-hour online training is available and costs $775 per person. Please visit https://incredibleyears.com/workshop-info/training-workshop-schedule/ to learn more.
Considerations for implementing these programs include obtaining buy-in from teachers, parents, and school administration for the classroom curriculum or recruiting therapists/counselors/special education teachers for the small-group curriculum; understanding the classroom program is designed to be sustained over several consecutive school years; and allocating funds for program and training costs.
The Clearinghouse can help address these considerations. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu
If you are interested in implementing The Incredible Years Child Training Programs, the Clearinghouse is interested in helping you! Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu
The Classroom Dinosaur Curriculum consists of over 60 lessons and is delivered two to three times a week in 20- to 30-minute circle time lessons. Practice activities follow, and time to complete these will vary. Time for supplementary activities at home varies. The Small Group Dinosaur Curriculum is delivered once a week for 18 to 22 weeks in 2-hour clinic sessions. Parents often attend concurrent parent training sessions.
The Classroom Dinosaur Curriculum costs $1,520 and includes lesson plans for three levels (i.e., age 3 to 4, 5 to 6, and 7 to 8). The Small Group Dinosaur Curriculum costs $1,445. For more information, please visit https://incredibleyears.com/order/
To move the Small Group Dinosaur Curriculum to the Effective category on the Clearinghouse Continuum of Evidence, research results should be replicated by an independent research team. To move the Classroom Dinosaur Curriculum to the Promising category, at least one evaluation should be performed demonstrating positive effects lasting at least six months from program completion. Such studies need to clearly demonstrate effects of the child-training programs that are independent of other Incredible Years programs (i.e., parent and teacher).
The Clearinghouse can help you to develop an evaluation plan to ensure the program components are meeting your goals. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu
Contact the Clearinghouse with any questions regarding this program.
Phone: 1-877-382-9185 Email: Clearinghouse@psu.edu
You may also contact The Incredible Years by mail 1411 8th Avenue West, Seattle, WA 98119, phone 1-206-285-7565, email incredibleyears@incredibleyears.com, or visit https://incredibleyears.com/about/contact/
Bayrak, H. U., & Akman, B. (2018). Adaptation of the “Incredible years child training program” and investigation of the effectiveness of the program. Kuram Ve Uygulamada Eğitim Bilimleri/Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 18(2), 397-425.
Herman, K. C., Borden, L. A., Reinke, W. M., & Webster-Stratton, C. (2011). The impact of the incredible years parent, child, and teacher training programs on children's co-occurring internalizing symptoms. School Psychology Quarterly, 26(3), 189-201. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025228
Murray, D. W., Kuhn, L. J., Willoughby, M. T., LaForett, D. R., & Cavanaugh, A. M. (2021). Outcomes of a small group program for early elementary students with self-regulation difficulties: Limitations of transportability from clinic to school. School Mental Health: A Multidisciplinary Research and Practice Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-021-09480-4
Reid, M. J., Webster-Stratton, C., & Hammond, M. (2003). Follow-up of children who received the incredible years intervention for oppositional-defiant disorder: Maintenance and prediction of 2-year outcome. Behavior Therapy, 34(4), 471-491. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7894(03)80031-X
Webster-Stratton, C., & Hammond, M. (1997). Treating children with early-onset conduct problems: A comparison of child and parent training interventions. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65(1), 93-109. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.65.1.93
Webster-Stratton, C., Reid, M. J., & Beauchaine, T. (2011). Combining parent and child training for young children with ADHD. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 40(2), 191-203. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2011.546044
Webster-Stratton, C., Reid, M. J., & Hammond, M. (2004). Treating children with early-onset conduct problems: Intervention outcomes for parent, child, and teacher training. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 33(1), 105-124. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15374424JCCP3301_11
