Yes, if you have purchased the full program materials set. We provide you with a starter set of 25 copies in the form of colored-paper tear-off pads. After your first group, leaders may use the masters provided in the leader’s guide to make copies for subsequent groups. 

Each curriculum comes with one leader’s manual. You may purchase additional copies of the leader’s manual if you have already purchased a full set of the program. To purchase extra leader’s manuals, please either write it in on the order form or send us an e-mail with your request. Cost is between $80-$225, depending on the program. Contact us for the specific price you need.

We typically do not sell the DVD sets separately from the full program. This is to help maintain program fidelity, to ensure the leaders have all the tools needed to deliver successfully. Please keep in mind the DVDs are considered “the program” so the purchase of an additional set expands your capacity to deliver the program. We do have a courtesy replacement disc price. Please contact us if you lose one of your discs or if it is scratched/broken.

Providing childcare during parent groups is fundamental to assuring parental attendance and the success of parents in completing the program. It is important to offer high quality childcare and for your childcare providers to model the skills leaders are teaching the parents during groups. We recommend training your childcare providers with the same DVDs that group leaders show during the parent sessions. If the group is for parents of children ages 4-8 years old, we suggest combining those age groups for childcare. If there will be siblings attending as well, especially if they include infants, you will need a much higher ratio of supervision. Often in schools, teachers will agree to provide childcare. In some schools we have had parents who participated in our parent training groups during a previous year help with the child care in a subsequent year.

It is recommended that the Dinosaur Curriculum eventually be integrated into the childcare provided during parent groups, especially if this is a treatment model. IY research has shown that the addition of the Dina Dinosaur Small Group Therapy Treatment program alongside an IY Parent Program contributes to enhanced outcomes for children, including improved peer social skills, problem-solving and classroom behavior. It is therefore advisable to simultaneously offer the Dina Small Group Therapy Intervention program if the children of the attending parents are experiencing difficulties at school as well as a home. Ideally teachers of such children will also receive the IY Teacher Classroom Management program.

There are two models and delivery protocols for parent programs: indicated and selective prevention and treatment. Generally the prevention model is shorter than the treatment model. The prevention model for the Preschool Basic parent program recommends a minimum duration of 14 weeks and has been researched with high risk, socioeconomically disadvantaged families. It is not recommended that the Preschool Basic or School Age Basic prevention programs be offered in less than 14 sessions for the prevention model. Groups with translators usually require at least 18 sessions to complete the prevention version.

The Attentive Parenting Program was designed as a universal intervention for non-high risk populations, or as a supplement to the Preschool Basic program. It takes 6-8 weeks to complete the program.

The School Readiness program was designed as a universal intervention for non high risk populations. It takes 4-6 weeks to complete and can be offered by teachers to parents in schools.

The treatment models of the Preschool and School Age Basic programs vary from 18-24 sessions and often include the Advanced Program giving attention to family interpersonal issues, anger and depression management, communication skills, adult problem solving (between parents and with teachers), and family meetings. Additionally, there are protocols for recommended DVD vignettes for children diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder or ADHD.

There is a universal classroom prevention model which includes teacher classroom management training as well as delivery of the Classroom Dinosaur Curriculum. It is recommended that preschool and Head Start teachers complete the teacher classroom management program before doing the Classroom Dinosaur Curriculum.

For the treatment model, it is recommended that the child small group model and the teacher classroom management programs are combined along side the parent program for the most sustainable outcomes.

If you are offering the program as a prevention program in a school setting, we recommend that you develop a brochure newsletter and/or a poster that explains the objectives of the programs, who can participate and how families can sign up for it. In a clinic setting a brochure explaining the programs, cost, and admission criteria will be helpful. If you would like to include any of our graphics please contact us for approval. We do not recommend listing our website on parent recruitment materials (to reduce confusion of who should be contacted so parents can join the group).

We do not disqualify parents with mental health problems. In fact many parents with children with behavior problems are experiencing depression, stress, isolation and marital conflict. Research on this program indicates that treatment outcomes show reduced stress levels and depression and improved confidence and marital satisfaction. For families with drug abuse problems or severe depression it is recommended they also receive treatment for this problem in addition to their parenting intervention.

We select families for specific groups primarily on the age of the target child. This means that all families have a child in the age range that is appropriate for the program being shown, i.e., those with toddlers are in the toddler group, or those with 9-12 year olds are in the preadolescent group. Children in the treatment programs may have a variety of problems including depression, anxiety, aggression, phobias, and developmental delays. Research with this program has shown significant improvements in internalizing problems as well as externalizing problems.

Children with both externalizing and internalizing problems are included in these small groups together. In fact, most children with behavior problems are comorbid for several disorders. About 50% of children with conduct problems will also have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), 30% will have depression symptoms and many will have Attachment Disorder. About 1/3 of children with ADHD will also have language and developmental delays. When comprising a group try to do the following:

1. Keep your group to no more than 6 children.

2. Have at least 2 girls in every group. There are usually 3-4 boys for every girl in the 3-8 year age range.

3. Mix children with different ages; remember it is not chronological age that is important but developmental level. It is a good idea to try to have 2-3 children with developmental ages of 6-8 years and 2-3 children with developmental ages of 4-5 years. Children with more language skills will help model for younger children or children with language delays.

4. Mix children with different diagnoses. It is prudent not to have a group of 6 children with ADHD together if possible. It is helpful to have some less active children who can serve as models for waiting and listening.

5. If feasible in a school setting, include in the break out groups a few children who are leaders, popular and have good social skills. These children can act as coaches and help model and demonstrate appropriate behaviors for the other children. Often they form friendships with these children which helps change their reputation in the classroom.

We recommend the program to parents and/or children (ages 0-12 years) if their children meet the DSM IV criteria for Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or if they fall in the borderline or clinical range for behavior problems on standardized measures such as the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist or the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory. Otherwise, we have very few exclusion criteria, beyond limiting groups to parents of children in similar developmental stages and ages as discussed above. (Information about assessment tools may be found in our research papers.) We also offer the parent and child program to parents referred by child welfare services for child abuse and neglect. We combine single parents, couples, mothers, fathers and parents of all socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, as well as mandated and volunteer families in the same groups to provide a rich mix of perspectives on parenting.

It is recommended that an extensive parent interview be conducted in the clinic or, for high-risk parents, in the home. These interviews help group leaders gain information about parents’ parenting perspectives, childhood experiences, current family stressors (e.g., depression, marital stress, family issues) as well as their approaches to managing their child’s problems to date. These interviews in turn establish a one-to-one relationship prior to starting the group and aid group leaders in understanding parents’ needs and goals. From these interviews clinicians may become aware of potential barriers to parents attending groups such as lack of transportation, childcare needs, unsupportive partners and so forth. Moreover, this first home interview will likely contribute to parental attendance at the first sessions.

We have adapted the Small Group Dinosaur Treatment Curriculum for use as a prevention program in the classroom with all children. This Classroom Dinosaur prevention program is delivered 2-3 times a week during a 15-20 minute circle time followed by a 20-minute small group (6-8 per group) practice activity. There are more than 60 lesson plans, as well as lessons spanning a second and third year of delivery of the program.

If resources permit we recommend that the parent program be offered to all parents in a school setting in order not to stigmatize parents with children who are more difficult to manage. This builds a supportive school community where parents understand each others situations and learn to help one another. Prior to starting groups, a brief assessment of the child’s social competence can be completed by each child’s teacher and parents using a standardized measure (with normative data). These assessments can be repeated at the conclusion of the group so that leaders, teachers, and parents can see their improvements.

If resources prohibit a universal intervention, parents and children may be selected for the parent and/or child groups based on teacher and parent reports using standardized measures as well as by targeting those children who exhibit externalizing and internalizing behavior in the borderline and clinical range. The “pull out” small group treatment version of the Dinosaur Curriculum can be offered in the school by 2 school counselors and is typically offered twice a week for 1 hour with groups of 4-6 children. We also recommend that groups include children who are highly competent who can befriend struggling children and help model some of the desired social skills.

Carolyn Webster-Stratton’s Answer:

The IY evidence-based parent and child programs have been used and evaluated for decades as treatment for children diagnosed with conduct problems, oppositional defiant disorder and ADHD (A T. A. Menting, B. Orobio de Castro, & W. Matthys, 2013; Webster-Stratton & Reid, 2017; Webster-Stratton, Reid, & Beauchaine, 2013). In addition these programs have been evaluated as selective and indicated prevention interventions for high risk, economically disadvantaged families, foster parents, and families referred because of abuse and neglect (Webster-Stratton, 1998; Webster-Stratton & Reid, 2011; Webster-Stratton, Reid, & Hammond, 2001) and even for incarcerated parents (A.T.A. Menting, B. Orobio de Castro, & W. Matthys, 2013b). Within these populations are families whose children’s behavioral problems are a manifestation of their emotional and psychological difficulties because of single or multiple traumatic family life experiences. Multiple randomized control group studies have indicated the success of the IY parent programs in promoting more responsive and nurturing parent-child interactions, reducing child externalizing and internalizing problems and promoting positive child social competence and emotional regulation (A.T.A. Menting, B. Orobio de Castro, & W. Matthys, 2013a).

It is not possible to reduce the core baseline dosage of intervention without compromising the fidelity of the program delivery and its effectiveness. This would be akin to reducing your doctor’s prescription of ampicillin for your ear infection to half the dose. It takes 14-16 weeks to complete the Preschool Basic prevention parent program, and even longer if one is working with high-risk families, child welfare referred families or those parents with diagnosed children. The delivery of the program in 10 weeks was evaluated in earlier studies during the 80’s and it was found that the content of the program could not be completed, nor was there time for parent practices, a key to learning new ways of interacting. Parents have consistently evaluated the program as not being long enough. What’s more, when using a 10-week model of the program there is a danger of concluding with the Time Out section and having insufficient time to discuss other discipline approaches and the integration of all the strategies that have been learned over the sessions. This final integration is important for parents to understand how to determine which parenting strategy is appropriate for particular behavior problems. A recent comparison of the 10-week program with the 20-week program showed that the effect sizes were significantly greater for the longer program and that the 20-week program also had significantly improved outcomes in child problem solving and consumer satisfaction evaluations.

The classroom version is a prevention model and is offered 2-3 times a week in 20-minute classroom circle time followed by small group activities to practice the skills taught in circle time. There are 60 lessons for each year.  The program spans the year beginning in the fall and continuing until spring.

The small group treatment model is usually offered along side the parent group for 2 hours once a week for 18-22 weeks. There are no more than 6 children per group in these sessions. Dinosaur home activities are given to parents to do with their children each week and parent groups include a brief discussion of the lessons taught in Dinosaur School groups. If the small group model is offered as “pull out” sessions in schools, they are usually offered for 1 hour, twice a week.

A hybrid model of both treatment and classroom dinosaur curriculum has been offered in special education classrooms and for day treatment. These classrooms usually have 8-12 students and 3 teachers, and have offered the dinosaur lesson plans daily throughout the year.

Yes.

View our full report on how Classroom Dina aligns with Common Core Standards here.