Incredible Years Child Training (Dinosaur School) is a targeted indicated school-based intervention for children with behavioural difficulties aged between 4 and 8 years. It is delivered by two therapists, counsellors, psychologists, school psychologists, or teachers, to small groups of children for approximately six months.
The information above is as offered/supported by the intervention provider.
4 to 8 years old
Group
Incredible Years Child Training (Dinosaur School) is a school-based intervention for children with behavioural difficulties aged between 4 and 8 years with the aim of teaching children self-regulation and problem-solving skills. The intervention is delivered to small groups of children in 18 to 22 sessions of two hours’ duration each.
Dinosaur School sessions incorporate videotape modelling depicting children in a variety of situations, and puppet-based fantasy play in which the puppets share their own interpersonal difficulties. Children are asked to identify the emotions of children in the videotapes and to consider the reasons for their feelings, to encourage the development of empathy. The sessions are designed to be developmentally appropriate and also include group activities such as art projects or games, role-plays, and stories. They cover topics including social skills, conflict resolution, loneliness, perspective taking, and problems at school.
In Dinosaur School, children are rewarded for cooperating and sent to Time Out for misbehaviour. In early sessions children are shown videotapes of this in action and taught what to do in Time Out, including using positive self-talk. Dinosaur School also includes strategies to improve children’s motivation and hold their attention.
Children are provided with weekly homework exercises to practise the concepts covered in the sessions, and additional physical resources such as colouring books and stickers. Weekly letters are sent to parents and teachers explaining the content and rationale of the week’s session, and parents and teachers are asked to reinforce skill learning outside of the sessions. They are provided with good behaviour charts to facilitate this reinforcement, and children are rewarded for bringing their charts to Dinosaur School.
4 to 8 years
Children with behavioural problems
Disclaimer: The information in this section is as offered/supported by the intervention provider.
Science-based assumption
A lack of emotion-regulation and problem-solving skills can lead to peer conflict and antisocial behaviour.
Science-based assumption
Prosocial behaviour and self-regulation improves attention and behaviour, which contributes to school readiness.
Science-based assumption
Young children with behavioural difficulties may be at increased risk of antisocial behaviour and lack of academic achievement in adolescence.
Intervention
Children learn about social skills, conflict resolution, loneliness, perspective taking, and problems at school, through video modelling and puppet-based play.
Short-term
Children have increased emotional literacy and problem-solving skills.
Medium-term
Improved school readiness
Improved compliance and attention in school
Reduced antisocial behaviour.
Long-term
Improved child behaviour
Improved peer relationships
Improved academic achievement.
Children aged 4 to 8 with behaviour problems, ADHD, and internalising problems.
Incredible Years Child Training (Dinosaur School) is delivered in 18 to 22 sessions of two hours’ duration each by two practitioners, to groups of five to six children.
Dinosaur School incorporates interactive videotape modelling, puppet-based fantasy play, group activities, role-plays, and stories to teach self-regulation and problem-solving skills. Children are rewarded for positive behaviours and sent to Time Out for misbehaviour, and intervention content is reinforced outside of sessions with homework, behaviour charts, and parent and teacher involvement.
The practitioners who deliver this intervention are two therapists, counsellors, psychologists, school psychologists, or teachers.
The practitioners have 18 hours of intervention training. Booster training of practitioners is recommended.
It is recommended that practitioners are supervised by one intervention developer supervisor.
Intervention fidelity is maintained through the following processes:
Contact person: Carolyn Webster-Stratton
Organisation: Incredible Years
Email address: cwebsterstratton1@icloud.com
incredibleyears@incredibleyears.com
Websites: http://www.incredibleyears.com
http://www.incredibleyears.com/early-intervention-programs/child
*Please note that this information may not be up to date. In this case, please visit the listed intervention website for up to date contact details.
Incredible Years Child Training (Dinosaur School)’s most rigorous evidence comes from two RCTs which were conducted in the United States consistent with Foundations’ Level 3 evidence strength threshold.
This study identified statistically significant improvements in child social problem solving, peer interactions, social competence with peers, child behaviour, behaviour at home, behaviour at school, positive behaviours, and reductions in negative behaviours. The study also identified statistically significant improvements in parenting, mothers’ parenting, and stress resulting from child behaviour, and teachers’ classroom management and class atmosphere.
IY Child Training (Dinosaur School)’s can be described as evidence-based: it has evidence from at least one rigorously conducted RCT or QED demonstrating a statistically significant positive impact on at least one child outcome.
Improved social problem solving
immediately after the intervention
Improvement index
Interpretation
Study
Improved social problem solving
immediately after the intervention
Improvement index
Interpretation
Study
Improved social problem solving
immediately after the intervention
Improvement index
Interpretation
Study
Improved peer interactions
immediately after the intervention
Improvement index
Interpretation
Study
Improved peer interactions
immediately after the intervention
Improvement index
Interpretation
Study
Improved social competence with peers
immediately after the intervention
Improvement index
Interpretation
Study
Improved child behaviour
immediately after the intervention
Improvement index
Interpretation
Study
Reduced stress resulting from child behaviour
immediately after the intervention
Improvement index
Interpretation
Study
Improved behaviour at home
immediately after the intervention
Improvement index
Interpretation
Study
Improved behaviour at school
immediately after the intervention
Improvement index
Interpretation
Study
Reduced negative behaviours
immediately after the intervention
Improvement index
Interpretation
Study
Reduced negative behaviours
immediately after the intervention
Improvement index
Interpretation
Study
Improved positive behaviours
immediately after the intervention
Improvement index
Interpretation
Study
Improved positive behaviours
immediately after the intervention
Improvement index
Interpretation
Study
| Identified in search | 10 |
| Studies reviewed | 2 |
| Meeting the L2 threshold | 0 |
| Meeting the L3 threshold | 2 |
| Contributing to the L4 threshold | 0 |
| Ineligible | 8 |
| Study design | RCT |
| Country | United States |
| Sample characteristics | Families of 72 boys and 25 girls aged between 4 and 7 years old with clinically significant child behaviour problems (child misconduct occurring for at least six months; parent reported clinically significant number of child behaviour problems on the Eyberg Child Behaviour Inventory; child met DSM-III-R criteria for oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD)) |
| Race, ethnicities, and nationalities | 85% White |
| Population risk factors | 68.2% of the sample were married |
| Timing |
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| Child outcomes |
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| Other outcomes |
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| Study rating | 3 |
| Citations | Webster-Stratton, C. & Hammond, M. (1997) Treating children with early-onset conduct problems: A comparison of child and parent training interventions. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 65, 93–109. |
| Study design | RCT |
| Country | United States |
| Sample characteristics | 159 families of children (90% boys) aged between 4 and 8 years old with clinically significant child behaviour problems (child misconduct occurring for at least six months; parent reported clinically significant number of child behaviour problems on the Eyberg Child Behaviour Inventory; child met DSM-III-R criteria for oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)) |
| Race, ethnicities, and nationalities | 79% Euro-American |
| Population risk factors | 25.8% of families were single mother households, where the father had little or no contact with the child |
| Timing |
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| Child outcomes |
|
| Other outcomes |
|
| Study rating | 3 |
| Citations | Study 2a: Webster-Stratton, C. Reid, M. J. & Hammond, M. (2004) Treating children with early-onset conduct problems: intervention outcomes for parent, child, and teacher training. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. 33 (1), 105–124. Study 2b: Reid, M. J. Webster-Stratton, C. & Hammond, M. (2003) Follow-up of children who received the Incredible Years intervention for oppositional defiant disorder: Maintenance and prediction of 2-year outcome. Behavior Therapy. 34, 471–491. |
The following studies were identified for this intervention but did not count towards the intervention’s overall evidence rating. An intervention receives the same rating as its most robust study or studies.
Drugli, M. B. & Larsson, B. (2006) Children aged 4-8 years treated with parent training and child therapy because of conduct problems: Generalizing effects to day-care and school settings. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 15 (7), 392–399.
Drugli, M. B., Larsson, B., Fossum, S. & Morch, W. T. (2010) Five- to six-year outcome and its prediction for children with ODD/CD treated with parent training. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 51 (5), 559–566.
Hutchings, J., Bywater, T., Gridley, N., Whitaker, C. J., Martin-Forbes, P. & Gruffydd, S. (2012) The incredible years therapeutic social and emotional skills programme: A pilot study. School Psychology International. 33 (3), 285–293.
Hutchings, J., Bywater, T., Daley, D. & Lane, E. (2007) A pilot study of the Webster-Stratton Incredible Years Therapeutic Dinosaur School programme. Clinical Psychology Forum New Series (Vol. 170, p. 21). British Psychological Society.
Larsson, B., Fossum, S., Clifford, G., Drugli, M., Handegard, B. & Morch, W. (2009) Treatment of oppositional defiant and conduct problems in young Norwegian children. European Child Adolescent Psychiatry. 18, 42–52.
Linares, L. O., Li, M. & Shrout, P. E. (2012) Child training for physical aggression?: Lessons from foster care. Children and Youth Services Review. 34 (12), 2416–2422.
Webster‐Stratton, C. H., Reid, M. J. & Hammond, M. (2001) Social skills and problem‐solving training for children with early‐onset conduct problems: Who benefits? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 42 (7), 943–952.
Webster-Stratton, C. H., Reid, M. J. & Beauchaine, T. (2011) Combining parent and child training for young children with ADHD. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. 40 (2), 191–20
Webster-Stratton, C. H., Reid, M. J. & Beauchaine, T. P. (2013) One-year follow-up of combined parent and child intervention for young children with ADHD. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. 42 (2), 251–261.
Note on provider involvement: This provider has agreed to Foundations’ terms of reference (or the Early Intervention Foundation's terms of reference), and the assessment has been conducted and published with the full cooperation of the intervention provider.
Rated 1: Set up and delivery is low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of less than £100.
Rated 2: Set up and delivery is medium-low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £100–£499.
Rated 3: Set up and delivery is medium cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £500–£999.
Rated 4: Set up and delivery is medium-high cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £1,000–£2,000.
Rating 5: Set up and delivery is high cost. Equivalent to an estimated unit cost of more than £2,000.
Set up and delivery cost is not applicable, not available, or has not been calculated.
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Supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing child maltreatment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Enhancing school achievement & employment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing crime, violence and antisocial behaviour: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing substance abuse: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing risky sexual behaviour & teen pregnancy: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing obesity and promoting healthy physical development: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Rated 2: Has preliminary evidence of improving a child outcome from a quantitative impact study, but there is not yet evidence of causal impact.
Rated 2+: Meets the level 2 rating and the best available evidence is based on a study which is more rigorous than a level 2 standard but does not meet the level 3 standard.
Rated 3: Has evidence of a short-term positive impact from at least one rigorous study.
Rated 3+: Meets the level 3 rating and has evidence from other studies with a comparison group at level 2 or higher.
Rated 4: Has evidence of a long-term positive impact through at least two rigorous studies.
Rated 4+: Meets the level 4 rating and has at least a third study contributing to the Level 4 rating, with at least one of the studies conducted independently of the intervention provider.
Rating has a *: The evidence base includes mixed findings i.e., studies suggesting positive impact alongside studies, which on balance, indicate no effect or negative impact.
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