Evaluating parent‐implemented behavioral skills training for teaching firearm safety skills

Novotny et al. (2023) tested if parents could teach firearm safety at home. They used a free web-based BST manual. Parents watched short videos and then coached their kids.

The study used a randomized design. Some families got the training. Others waited. All kids were neurotypical and aged 4-8.

Kids whose parents used the web-BST package learned the safety rules faster. They could say and show the right moves in real-world checks.

When a child still made errors, parents added brief in-situ practice. That extra step brought every child to mastery.

This study builds on Novotny et al. (2020). The earlier paper showed the same web package worked in a small test. The 2023 paper proves it with a larger, randomized trial.

Orner et al. (2021) looks like a contradiction. They found mixed results when teaching firearm safety to autistic preschoolers. The difference is the kids. Neurotypical children respond faster to BST. Autistic learners often need extra incentives or more IST.

Geurts et al. (2008) showed peer tutors can deliver BST for gun safety. Novotny moves the job to parents at home. Both get positive outcomes, so you can pick the agent that fits your setting.

You can hand families the web link and get solid safety skills without clinic time. If a child stalls, tell parents to add five-minute real-world rehearsals until the child passes the in-situ probe. This keeps your staff free for other cases while still protecting kids from firearms.