Feasibility and Acceptability of a Compressed Caregiver Training Program to Treat Child Behavior Problems.
You can run a full function-based caregiver course in just two weeks and still see big behavior gains.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Howard et al. (2023) asked: can we squeeze a full caregiver-training package into two weeks? They built a 10-hour program that teaches parents to spot why problem behavior happens and how to handle it.
The team added a twist called wait-training. Parents practice letting the child wait a bit to build frustration tolerance. The whole course lasted five short days spread across two weeks.
What they found
Kids’ problem behavior dropped a lot after the short course. Parents said the plan was easy to follow and worth their time.
The gains showed up fast and held while the study tracked them.
How this fits with other research
Petrenko (2013) looked at 17 older trials and saw that most parent programs need many weeks. L et al. got the same big drop in only two weeks, so the new plan is a clear update.
Scheithauer et al. (2025) used 12 longer sessions to tame elopement. L et al. hit general behavior problems in half the time, showing speed can still work.
MSáez-Suanes et al. (2023) trimmed weeks by adding a phone app. L et al. did it with live coaching and wait-training instead of tech, giving you a second shortcut when phones are not an option.
Why it matters
If your wait-list is long, this two-week model gives families help before problems grow. You keep the parts that matter: function check, teach and practice, then add short wait-times to build tolerance. One long weekend plus a follow-up day can replace a whole month of sessions.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Pick one family on your wait-list, schedule five 2-hour meetings across two weeks, and add a 30-second wait-training trial to each session.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
In an effort to address some of the criticisms of Behavioral Parent Training programs (BPT; high attrition, reliance on caregiver report measures), the current study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and outcome of an intensive behavior treatment program (120-minute sessions for 5 days/week over the course of 2 weeks). Using a changing criterion single case experimental design, 12 children (M child age = 4.9 years) and their primary caregivers completed the 2-week function-based intervention procedure designed to increase children's frustration tolerance via a wait training procedure based on the principles of applied behavior analysis. Using both direct observation and standardized measures, results indicated that the treatment was effective in reducing childhood behavior problems, both within and between appointments (Cohen's ds = 3.2 and 1.37, respectively). Preliminary evidence suggests that a compressed treatment package designed to train caregivers in function-based intervention strategies is feasible and acceptable.
Behavior modification, 2023 · doi:10.1177/01454455221137329