Helping Our Toddlers, Developing Our Children's Skills (HOT DOCS): An investigation of a parenting program to address challenging behavior in young children

This study investigated outcomes of a parent training curriculum: Helping Our Toddlers, Developing Our Children's Skills (HOT DOCS), using secondary analyses of existing data collected between May 2007 and March 2009. The evaluation studied the impact of specific components of the parent training program on both participants' knowledge and attitudes and their perceptions of target children's behavior. Caregivers (n = 334) of children between the ages of 18 months and 5.11 years of age who were participants in the parent training program were included in the study. Measures included a pre/post knowledge test, pre/post rating scales of child problem behavior, and a program evaluation survey. Results indicated significant increases in caregiver knowledge following participation in the program, but non-significant differences between groups of participants based on various demographic variables. Prior to participation in the program, caregivers' perceptions of the severity of child problem behaviors were significantly different from that of the normative population. Following participation in the program, results showed a significant decrease in caregiver perceptions of the severity of child problem behaviors, regardless of caregiver/target child demographic variables. Caregiver feedback indicated high levels of satisfaction with the program.