Sometimes typical methods of discipline and parenting just don't work. Children who are oppositional, have a conduct disorder or other neurological disorder where difficult behaviors, such as anger and aggression, persist often need discipline that takes a different approach. Parent management training teaches the skills needed to improve a child's behavior.
Definition
Dr. Alan Kazdin developed the parent management training (PMT) program in the 1980s at the Yale Parenting Center and Child Conduct Clinic. PMT focuses on the parents rather than the child, teaching new techniques for managing their child's difficult behaviors.
Program
PMT is based on learning theory and behavior management. With learning theory, behaviors increase or decrease in response to consequences. Behavior modification is a specific method of defining the behavior and implementing the consequences. In a PMT program, therapists work together with parents, first teaching the concepts and techniques, then modeling how to do them and having parents practice the skills before using them at home. Parents begin by dealing with the least disruptive behaviors so they can begin to break the negative patterns and to experience success. Therapists maintain regular contact with the parents to answer questions and provide ongoing support. Therapists also help parents understand how they might inadvertently reinforce defiant behaviors in the way they choose to react to their child's behavior.
Behavior Modification
Behavior modification uses positive and negative consequences to change behavior. The emphasis is on the positive, which means providing rewards for desired behaviors. However, negative consequences are used when necessary. Behavior management begins by prioritizing the problem behaviors. Working with one behavior at a time, parents first evaluate the problem before deciding on a plan. The evaluation---observing what happens before the undesired behavior, the behavior itself, and its result---is a critical step, because behaviors serve a purpose and parents can unknowingly reinforce negative behavior if they don't understand its purpose. The plan states the desired behavior, defines the smaller steps necessary to reach the goal, and describes the reward system to be used. Parents then talk to their child to clearly define expectations and consequences.
Positive Reinforcement
Parents should provide abundant verbal praise, but children also benefit from a system that shows progress. The system should be age appropriate, but it must also provide visual reinforcement, such as a chart with a specific number of spaces (representing the number of times the desired behavior must be achieved) where a sticker can be placed for each success. Once the spaces have been filled, the goal has been reached and a larger reward can be given. Rewards should be provided consistently and immediately. They can range from a favorite meal to going to the park together or more time allowed for playing video games.
Punishment
First, parents learn not to punish every behavior. When the often long list of difficult behaviors is prioritized, parents can identify those that can temporarily be overlooked so that there can be more emphasis on the positive. In a PMT program, the type of punishment is defined as part of the pla, so parents have a clear path to follow. Punishment must be consistently implemented without emotion from the parent. The goal is to use punishment that fits the issue and child's age and to enforce it without engaging in arguments or discussion.
