Juvenile Justice Bulletin -- June 2000 -- The Incredible Years Training Series


John J. Wilson, Acting Administrator	June 2000

The Incredible Years Training Series

Carolyn Webster-Stratton

Introduction

Overview

Incredible Years Parent and Teacher Training Programs

Incredible Years Child Training Program—Dina Dinosaur Social Skills and Problem-Solving Curriculum

Research Studies and Results

Summary of Incredible Years Training Series' Effectiveness

Implementing the Programs in Applied Settings

Program Diffusion

For Further Information

References

Related Readings

Children's Books in the Incredible Years Parents, Teachers, and Children Training Series

From the Administrator

A growing number of children are experiencing conduct problems—aggression, noncompliance, and defiance—and at earlier ages. Because these problems may be predictive of delinquency, violence, and other antisocial behavior, escalating aggression in preschool and elementary school children is a particular cause for concern.

The Incredible Years Parents, Teachers, and Children Training Series, described in this Bulletin, is designed to prevent, reduce, and treat conduct problems among children ages 2 to 10 and to increase their social competence.

OJJDP's Family Strengthening Project has designated the Incredible Years Training Series as an exemplary best practices program. As such, the series has been subject to a quality evaluation, evidenced excellent effectiveness, and attained high overall ratings.

The Bulletin provides an overview of the Incredible Years Training Series, describes its methodologies, and summarizes program effectiveness, noting pertinent evaluations.

The programs in the Incredible Years Training Series have been adopted by hundreds of youth-serving agencies in 43 States. The information that this Bulletin provides will assist you in assessing their potential for your community.

John J. Wilson
Acting Administrator

Points of view or opinions expressed in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of OJJDP or the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office for Victims of Crime.

Acknowledgments

This Bulletin was written by Carolyn Webster-Stratton, Ph.D., Director of the Parenting Clinic and Professor at the University of Washington, Seattle. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and nurse-practitioner and has published numerous scientific articles evaluating interventions for helping families and teachers with children who are highly aggressive, disobedient, hyperactive, and inattentive. In 1997, she was the recipient of the National Mental Health Association Award for Excellence in Prevention.
Currently, she is conducting a study evaluating a partnership that combines teacher training with parent and child treatment for young children who are highly aggressive and noncompliant. In addition, she has a second study evaluating a prevention program within Head Start which focuses on teacher-parent partnerships and training. She has written books for therapists and parents and recently published four books for children about problem solving and a book for teachers entitled How to Promote Children's Social and Emotional Competence. She is a recipient of the prestigious Research Scientist Award from the National Institute of Mental Health.
The studies reported in this Bulletin have been supported by several grants, including a grant from the Prevention Research Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (5R01MH/NR50516); a Research Scientist Award from NIMH (MH00988-05); a Head Start Partnership Grant from the Administration for Children and Families; and a grant from the National Center for Nursing Research (R01NR01075).

NCJ 173422