Parent Training

2013 UPDATE:

The following publication reports our results for our family training program.
Neville, H., Stevens, C., Pakulak, E., Bell, T.A., Fanning, J., Klein, S. and Isbell, E. (2013). Family-based training program improves brain function, cognition and behavior in lower socioeconomic status preschoolers.PNAS, Early Edition[pdf]
UK press feature on parenting classes research. Ask the Expert section, Parenting Column for the Press Association (UK national news agency) (pdf)

 

An update from 2009 is below:


Head Start Parent-Training Intervention
Thank you for your interest in our work. Our study is not yet written up (we are in the midst of a replication study). The parent training data is very new and so far has only been presented at conferences (Cognitive Neuroscience Society, New York 2007; American Academy for the Advancement of Science, Boston 2008; and American Speech-Language Hearing Association, Boston 2007). The data was also described in detail in Jessica Fanning’s dissertation (Knight Library, U of O, 2007). All of the work was carried out in the Brain Development Laboratory, directed by Helen Neville.
Is there any point going to parenting classes? Why should parents need to be taught how to raise kids when our ancestors coped perfectly well with child rearing on their own?

 

Jessica L. Fanning, PhD, CCC-SLP & Courtney Stevens, PhD

 

Any parent who has lived through a power struggle with their preschooler-perhaps bribing good behavior in the grocery store aisle-probably wondered whether there was a better way to handle the situation. Whilst parts of parenting may be instinctual, people also learn how to parent. Most of us rely on our own parental role models when it comes to establishing a stable, nurturing relationship with our children. Past research shows that this early relationship establishes the child’s foundation to confront future challenges and learn independently. But like individuals in any occupation, parents may question whether they have an optimal set of tools for the job. Many of the parents we meet say that they feel confused, challenged, and “on their own” to figure it out. Our preliminary research suggests that with training in the form of parenting classes, parents can shift their own behaviors, reduce their parenting stress, and consequently enhance their children’s cognitive development. If parents choose to refine their skills by attending such a class, the curriculum that uses evidence-based approaches will most likely offer the best return for their time investment. Regardless of how our ancestors handled childrearing, in the current age of information availability, parents can seek assistance whenever they feel overwhelmed or frustrated, and they can choose to develop their own parenting skills throughout the course of their child’s life.

 

UK press feature on parenting classes research. Ask the Expert section, Parenting Column for the Press Association (UK national news agency) (pdf)

 

PDFs available to view from this site:

  1. Non-technical summary, American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2008 (Courtney Stevens) (pdf)
  2. Presentation slides, American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2008 (Courtney Stevens) (pdf)
  3. Abstract, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), 2007 (Jessica Fanning) (pdf)
  4. Poster, Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS), 2007 (Jessica Fanning) (pdf)
  5. Poster, Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS), 2006 (Brittni Lauinger) (pdf)
  6. Publication, Brain Research, 2006, Neurophysiological evidence for selective auditory attention deficits in children with specific language impairment (Courtney Stevens, Lisa Sanders, Helen Neville) (pdf)
  7. Publication, Brain Research, in press, Changes in selective auditory attention following computerized language training: ERP evidence from typically-developing and language-impaired children (Courtney Stevens, Jessica Fanning, Donna Coch, Lisa Sanders, Helen Neville) (pdf)
  8. Tracking and tackling deprivation’s toll, Science 319 (Feb. 22), pp. 1028-1029.(pdf)
  9. Abstract, Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), 2009 (Jessica Fanning et al) (pdf)