"Booster shots" following didactic parent training. Effects of follow-up using graphic feedback and instructions.
A single one-hour booster that shows parents their own graph can restore fading skills and child compliance for at least ten weeks.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Sobsey et al. (1983) tested a one-hour "booster shot" for parents. After first teaching parents how to give clear instructions and praise, the team waited until parent skills and child compliance started to slip.
Then they ran a single follow-up. Parents saw a graph of their own past performance and got brief spoken reminders. The researchers tracked what parents did and how kids responded for ten more weeks.
What they found
The quick booster turned the slide around. Parent instructions became clear again and child compliance rose. Gains stayed high for the full ten-week check period.
One short visit with a picture of their own data was enough to restore good teaching.
How this fits with other research
Greene et al. (1978) had already shown that posting client graphs where staff could see them lifted program results. R et al. moved the same idea into homes: give parents their own graphs and skills rebound.
Aznar et al. (2005) later used bi-weekly feedback with teachers and saw the same steady gains. The pattern is clear—regular visual feedback keeps adult behavior on track, whether you are a parent, teacher, or caregiver.
Lattal (2004) seems to disagree at first glance. That study found immediate spoken feedback worked best for staff. The key difference is timing: A gave feedback right after each error, while R gave one summary graph later. Both work, but spoken cues fix mistakes on the spot and graphs remind users of trends over time.
Why it matters
You do not need a full retrain when parent skills fade. Print the child’s compliance graph, hand it to the parent, point to the dip, and restate the original steps. One hour can save you weeks of re-teaching.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study analyzed the effectiveness of a simple "booster" training procedure for refining a parent's skills in child management following a clinical training package. A mother was trained to use behavior management to increase the compliant behavior of her mentally retarded son. Training resulted in moderate but unstable improvements in the parent's use of child management techniques and in her child's response to them, with gradual deterioration in parent and child performance over sessions. Booster training, consisting of a single one-hour session, was then introduced sequentially in a multiple-baseline design for two parent skills. Parent and child behaviors improved substantially as a result of training, and follow-up data collected up to ten weeks later indicated that the improvements were maintained.
Behavior modification, 1983 · doi:10.1177/01454455830072006