Interactive CDROM/ Video Program

PARENTING WISELY

Parenting Wisely (PW) was developed to teach parents of children and adolescents important parenting skills in an entertaining, efficient and inexpensive manner. These skills prevent or reverse the development of serious problems such as: delinquency, academic failure, truancy, substance abuse, violence, irresponsible and reckless behavior, chronic family conflict, and depression. The effective parenting skills in this program were chosen because experts have judged them to be critical not only in helping children and adolescents avoid delinquency and substance abuse, but also in improving common family problems. The program covers the following topics:

Communication skills Speaking respectfully

Assertive discipline Physical aggression

Problem solving skills Stepfamily problems

Monitoring and supervision Chore and homework compliance

Successful treatment of child and adolescent behavior problems often depends upon teaching parents these skills.

The program is based upon the Functional Family Therapy model. Problems depicted and explanations of effective solutions are presented within a family systems context, emphasizing the interrelatedness of family members’ thoughts and behaviors. Strategies for altering conduct are enriched by a cognitive-behavioral emphasis, ensuring that behavioral change is supported by changes in the meaning family members ascribe to each other’s actions.

Advantages of the program to the parent include:

The scenarios are highly relevant, promoting parental interest
No self-disclosure is required
Defensiveness is decreased because feedback is made by the computer
Effective and ineffective parenting methods are demonstrated
Tutoring in needed skills begins immediately, without the necessity of building a trusting relationship
The parent is in control and makes many choices so that parent involvement is intensive
The learner must think and respond to get the program to continue; thus it is self- taught and self-paced
The learner receives interesting, detailed feedback after each response.
Computer experience is NOT required

PW is geared to a fifth-grade reading level; however, literacy is not required, as all instructions and text can be read aloud by the computer. The entire program lasts 2 ½ hours but can be divided into two, three or more sessions. Some families have been court-ordered to use the program; it is a part of a social services case plan for others. For some families, incentives such as pizza or a small payment have encouraged use of the program; others respond when referred by someone they respect, such as a pastor. With parents requesting counseling services from an agency, a recommended use is during the time period between their first call and their first session.

The program is currently being used in 48 states, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, and France. Sites include residential centers for delinquents, children and family service agencies, mental health centers, libraries, schools, departments of Human Services, jails, prisons, Head Start and other childcare programs. Other uses are with teen parents, divorcing parents, high school family living classes (some schools call PW the “parent simulator”), families under reunification plans from child protective services, parents of ADHD children, and domestic violence and homeless shelters.

The efficacy of the program continues to be thoroughly evaluated by feedback from parents, teens, courts and social service agencies. User satisfaction is very high, as rated in eight controlled studies. Parents rated the program as a) easy to use, b) realistic and relevant to their concerns, c) helpful in dealing with problem behaviors in their children, d) effective in increasing their confidence in managing child behavior. Parents with pre-teens and teens showing significant behavior problems were evaluated before and after (one week to one year) using the program. They showed a) increases in knowledge of parenting principles and skills, b) increased use of parenting skills taught in the program and c) reductions in problem behaviors of their children. These reductions in child problem behaviors were often (in 50-60% of the children) clinically significant, and these children scored in the normal range of behavior one to twelve months after their parents used the program. Most of the parents reported at least moderate improvement in their child’s behavior. Control groups (both matched and randomly-assigned) either showed no improvement or a worsening of acting-out behavior (among the higher risk families). When parents and children used the program together, communication and problem solving improved compared to families receiving a different treatment. PW use reduces family conflict, clearly diminishing verbal and physical aggression between parents as well as between parents and children.. Maternal depression was reduced when mothers used the program with their children. These treatment effects are very robust and comparable to interventions taking many times longer and requiring the involvement of trained professionals. Visit the website, to download complete research articles.

Because of its effectiveness, PW has been awarded Exemplary or Model Program (CSAP, SAMHSA & OJJDP) for preventing delinquency and substance abuse in children and teens. It has also been listed as an effective program in the Child Welfare League of America’s (CWLA) Research to Practice initiative.

New programs are the UK Teens, Young Children’s version (for parents of 3-9 year olds), Foster and Residential Care version (for training foster parents and residential staff, and for parents of very disruptive teens). Both PW (American Teen) and the Young Children’s’ version are in Spanish (the latter is available late fall, 04). We recommend that parents first use PW (American Teen) then return and use the UK teen program, which reinforces the same skills in different situations. Parents who are resistant to changing their parenting of teens may be more willing to use the Young Children’s program with their younger children.

PROGRAM FEATURES

The interactive CDROM Parenting Wisely has specially designed features which include:

1) Automatic tracking of the user’s progress. The CD writes to a floppy disk (inserted at the same time as the interactive CDROM) and records login time and date, all problems and solutions visited, and performance on the quiz questions.

2) Highlighting of all parenting skills throughout the program; the user can obtain additional information just by clicking on these underlined terms. This action leads the user to a glossary that provides both a more detailed explanation of the skill and appropriate audio examples of parents employing the skills.

3) A built in “notepad” which parents can use to jot down notes and then print.

4) Push-button control of the video with pause, fast forward and reply buttons similar to standard VCRs.

5) Audio narration that can be turned on or off at the user’s discretion.

FUNDING THE PARENTING WISELY PROGRAM

Most of our customers have written grants to purchase the PW program, computer and materials. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration offers funding help at:

State funds for programs affecting children are sometimes funneled through Family and Children First Councils. Often several agencies share the cost and use of the program. Juvenile courts have been the other main source of funds (note: courts often need advance notice for budgeting). Other sources of funds include the Children’s Trust Fund (for child abuse prevention) and technical assistance or formula grants from the Office of Criminal Justice Services (each state receives formula grants from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the U.S. Dept. of Justice and makes these funds available to counties for delinquency treatment and prevention). Grants are also available from your state’s drug and alcohol office, and from The Safe and Drug Free Schools program. Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) funds, available in every state of the US (usually through Departments of Human Services), can be used to purchase PW. Titles I and IV funds can be used to purchase the program. Rotary, Elks, Lions, Kiwanis and school parent-teacher organizations have funded the purchase of the program. Target, Costco and Wal Mart Department Stores have small grant programs, which have funded purchase of PW and computers. Ask the store managers.

Private providers have purchased the program, then contracted with social service agencies and courts to provide the program to referrals. Some charge user fees (ranging from $5 for indigent families to $80) and provide additional services to parents after they use the program (in family or marital settings, in group therapy or in parent education classes).

SUGGESTIONS FOR USING PARENTING WISELY WITH EXISTING PROGRAMS:

Juvenile and Drug Courts

Diversion: have parents and teen use the program as a condition for avoiding court processing.
Adjudicated cases: have parents and teen use program in addition to other services, such as therapy (individual, family, group), substance abuse counseling, parent education classes, etc.
Serious offenders: for youth committed to institutions, requiring parents to use PW prior to or after release may ease the transition and reduce the risk of re-commitment. Use of PW by parent(s) and youth together is more effective than use by parent alone.

Domestic Relations Courts

Divorcing parents: have parents use PW very soon after filing for divorce or dissolution, ideally in conjunction with a parenting class covering divorce issues (e.g. Children in the Middle—see Parenting skills usually decline post-divorce; strengthening parents’ skills improves the parent-child relationship. PW has been shown to reduce conflict between parents.
Re-litigating parents: when parents file motions for changes in child support, access or custody, they are probably in conflict, and the children’s risk for harm is increased. Referring both parents to use PW will improve parenting skills and the parent-child relationship, which is a protective factor for children.

Child protective Services

Parents found guilty of abuse or neglect can be required to use PW as a condition of reunification. Caseworkers can sit with parents to use the program (either at the agency or in the home with a laptop) and learn where the problem areas are; then caseworkers can focus on helping the family in these areas.
For parents suspected of abuse or neglect, PW can be an evaluative tool.
For parents required to attend parent education classes, PW is an excellent curriculum, either for individual or group (video series) use.
PW is an excellent skills training program for foster parents and can be used for continuing education.

Mental Health

Use PW prior to the first session of family therapy, especially if there is a waiting list/delay for services.
Use PW as an adjunct to traditional adult, child, adolescent, family or group therapy. PW makes an excellent “homework” assignment using local agency, library or laptop computer.
Use PW as a booster treatment/session after therapy termination.

Human Services

Use PW as an aid for parents trying to maintain work or school requirements to relieve home-life stresses.
Use PW as a component of client (and staff) training, education or volunteer requirements.
Use PW for life skills (i.e., communication) and adult literacy training

Schools

Use PW as a reentry requirement (in the school computer lab or with a laptop), with parents of teens/preteens facing suspension or expulsion.
Use PW (in school lab or at home with laptop) with parents of teens and preteens with behavior or substance abuse problems.
Use PW as a part of parent education curricula for health, life skills and home economics courses.
Use PW (school computer lab or as laptop loan) in alternative settings serving families with SBD students.

PW is often used as an icebreaker to get parents to commit to attending months of parenting classes. Agencies report that 30-40% of parents who use PW individually subsequently attend parenting classes.

RECOMMENDED PROGRAM PACKAGE

One CD-ROM for each location (multiple copy discounts and site licenses available); parent workbooks (one for each parent); video series for booster treatment (can be loaned for home use). Staff training is minimal, since PW itself teaches the user how to navigate through the program. However, training sessions individualized for agency needs are available upon request.

COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS: Interactive CD-ROM vs. Alternatives

Parent Training¹17 hours @ $100/hr. =$1,700

Family Therapy²18 hours @ $100/hr. =$1,800

Parent Education Classes³20 hours @ $100/hr. @ 8 parents =$250.00/ parent

Parenting Wisely*100 parents/yr. X 3 years @ $2,450=$9.75/ parent

300 parents/yr. X 3 years @ $3,750 =$ 6.75/ parent

Assumptions:

¹Parent training (individual therapist meets with parent) averages 17 hours in behavioral literature

²Family therapy averages twelve (12) 90-minute sessions

³Parent education classes showing treatment effects often require 10 two-hour classes

*Parenting Wisely program costs include the CDROM program and a workbook for each parent.

PARENTING WISELY DEMO CD-ROM

The demo CD-ROM contains the introduction, a sample problem scenario and the glossary for each of the available versions of PW (American Teens, Spanish language, Urban Teens (UK), Young Children, and Foster & Residential Care). The program is made for PCs using Windows 95 or higher. The PW Demo has an auto run feature and will begin playing automatically after you put the CD-ROM in your drive.

If the screen appears too large for your monitor (running off to the right or bottom), quit the PW program by simultaneously selecting “Alt+ F4” on your keyboard. Then go to the CONTROL PANEL, select “DISPLAY” and then “SETTINGS”. Move the bar to the right until it reads 800 x 600, then click APPLY, then OK.

MINIMUM HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

For desktop PC:

Pentium III 700MHz, high-end Pentium Celeron 1GHz or more,

or high end AMD processor 1GHz or more

128MB if Windows 98 SE, and 256MB if Windows 2000 / Windows XP

32MB video RAM, hard drive space:1GB free, 16X CD-ROM drive

Recommended Brands (in order): Dell, Gateway, IBM, Sony, Toshiba, HP, Compaq

For laptop PC:

Pentium III 700 MHz or higher (Celeron 900 MHz, or AMD 1Ghz or higher)

128 MB RAM, 32 MB Video RAM

Hard drive space: 1 GB free, Windows XP

Recommended Brands (in order): IBM, Dell, Toshiba, Sony, Compaq, HP

The best way to check if the program can be played on a certain computer is to test it with the PW demo CD. Family Works offers ongoing technical support at no charge for Parenting Wisely program purchasers.

ABOUT THE DEVELOPER

Dr. Donald A. Gordon is a clinical child and family psychologist and an Emeritus Professor of Psychology (Ohio University). For over 30-years he has conducted research on parent and family interventions, and trained graduate students, paraprofessionals and professionals to perform effective interventions. Dr. Gordon has published over 50 journal articles and chapters in edited books, and has received numerous state, federal, and private foundation grants. He has disseminated three interventions that he has developed: Home Based Behavioral Systems Family Therapy, the Children in the Middle program for divorcing parents, and Parenting Wisely.

RESEARCH SUMMARY

Some of the following studies were conducted as honors and masters theses and doctoral dissertations. Results were presented at national and international conferences and either have been published or are in preparation for publication in leading scientific journals. Most of these, articles as well as reports by several other independent research studies, can be read and downloaded in their entirety from the website:

Gordon, D.A. (2003) Intervening with troubled families: Functional family therapy and Parenting Wisely. In J. McGuire (Ed.) Treatment and Rehabilitation of Offenders. Sussex, England: John Wiley & Sons.
Gordon, D.A., & Rolland-Stanar, C. (2003). Lessons learned from the dissemination of Parenting Wisely, A Parent Training CD-ROM. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 10, 312-323.
Segal, D., Chen, P.Y., Gordon, D.A., Kacir, C.Y., & Gylys, J. (2003). Development and evaluation of a parenting intervention program: Integration of scientific and practical approaches. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 15, 453-468.
O’Neill, H., and Woodward, R. (2002) Evaluation of the Parenting Wisely CD-ROM parent training programme: An Irish replication. Irish Journal of Psychology, 23, No.1-2, 62-72.
Gordon, D. A. (2000). Parent training via CD-ROM. Using technology to disseminate effective prevention practice. Journal of Primary Prevention, 21(2), 227-251.
Kacir, C.D., and Gordon, D.A. (1999) Parenting Adolescents Wisely: The effects of an interactive video-based parent training program in Appalachia. Child and Family Behavior Therapy, 21(4), 1-22.
Lagges, A. and Gordon, D.A. (1997).Interactive videodisk parent training for teen mothers.Child and Family Behavior Therapy, 21 (1), 19-37.
Gordon, D.A., and Kacir, C. D. Effectiveness of an interactive parent training program for changing adolescent behavior for court-referred parents.
Woodruff, C.M., Gordon, D.A., & Lobo, T.R. Reaching High-risk Families Through Home-Based Parent Training. A Comparison of Interactive CD-ROM and Self-help Parenting Programs.
Rolland-Stanar, C., Gordon, D. A., & Carlston, D. Reducing family violence through school-based parent training.
Jenks, J. and Gordon, D.A. A comparison of two methods of parent education for high school students.
Lobo, T., Ponferrada,, E., & Gordon, D.A. Group vs. individual parent education by CD-ROM.

XIII Hupertz, M., and Gordon, D.A. (1995) Interactive video parent training for children with conduct problems.

The following National and International conferences have featured presentations about the PW program:

National Council on Family Relations (1998,1999,2000)
International Association of Applied Psychology (1998)
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (1998,1999,2000,2001)
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (2001)
International Congress on Parent Education (1996,1997, 2000, 2002)
What Works in Corrections (1996,1998)
Coalition for Marriages, Family and Couples Education (1997,1998, 1999,2000, 2002, 2003, 2004)
International Association for Research in Family Education (2001)
National Foster Parent Association (2001, 2002)
National Education Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (1998, 2000)
European Scientific Association for Residential and Foster Care (2002)
Association Internationale de Formation et de Recherche en Education Familiale (2001, 2003, 2005)
Foster Family Treatment Association (2001)
American School Counselor Association (2001)
Children, Youth and Families at Risk (2002, 2004)
Society of Prevention Research (2004)
National Conference on Juvenile Justice (2004)
National Middle School Association (2004)
Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (2002, 2003)
Child Welfare League of America (2004, 2005)
Community Anti Drug Coalitions of America (2005)

ORDERING INFORMATION