Incredible Years ADVANCE is an add-on component to the Incredible Years School Age BASIC intervention. It is designed to be delivered to families after they have received the BASIC intervention and includes opportunities for the parent and child to attend the intervention together. It is delivered by two IY certified facilitators to groups of five to eight families who have already received the School Age BASIC programme, for between 9 to 12 additional weekly sessions.
The information above is as offered/supported by the intervention provider.
5 to 12 years old
Group
Incredible Years School Age Basic is part of the Incredible Years series of interventions for children, parents, and teachers. IY School Age Basic is specifically for parents with concerns about the behaviour of a child aged between 6 and 12 years.
IY School Age BASIC is suitable for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorder (CD), or difficulties with peer relationships. It aims to increase the use of effective parenting strategies and ultimately reduce antisocial or criminal behaviour in children who may be at risk.
Incredible Years ADVANCE is an add-on intervention to the Incredible Years Prechool BASIC and School Age BASIC interventions, designed to be delivered to families after completing the BASIC intervention. It is particularly recommended where child risk factors, such as oppositional or aggressive behaviours, ADHD, poor social skills, or autism spectrum disorders, or parent risk factors, such as mental health problems, poor communication skills, social isolation, marital conflict, or emotion regulation difficulties, are present. The intervention aims to support high-risk groups who are likely to progress slower through the curriculum content by enabling parents and practitioners to consolidate and progress on content for which there was no time in the BASIC intervention sessions.
IY School Age BASIC is delivered in 12 to 16 two-hour sessions by a lead and co-practitioner to groups of 8 to 12 parents. When combined with the Advanced Programme, parents attend an additional 10 to 12 sessions depending on the needs of the target group. It can also be delivered individually to families in 12 to 16 sessions lasting 1.5 to 2 hours each.
During the sessions, parents engage in group discussions guided by facilitators, sharing experiences and understanding the rationale behind the strategies. Role-plays allow parents to practise new strategies, tailoring them to specific issues faced at home. Homework encourages parents to implement these strategies with their children, and they return to the group to refine their approach with feedback. Weekly reading assignments offer theoretical and practical guidance, while video vignettes showcase diverse parenting scenarios, helping parents develop effective strategies tailored to their unique family situations.
6 to 12 years
Parents of children aged 6 to 12 years diagnosed with oppositional-defiant or conduct disorder, and who would benefit from more time to progress through content than is possible in the BASIC intervention alone
Disclaimer: The information in this section is as offered/supported by the intervention provider.
Science-based assumption
Challenging child behaviours during primary school increase the risk of behavioural problems in adolescence.
Science-based assumption
Effective parenting helps children to regulate their own behaviour and reduce the risk of child behavioural problems becoming established.
Ineffective parenting strategies can increase the risk of child behavioural problems becoming further entrenched.
Science-based assumption
Parents dealing with stressful family circumstances or child behaviour that is particularly challenging often benefit from additional parenting support.
Intervention
Parents learn:
Age-appropriate expectations for their child
Strategies for establishing predictable family routines
Strategies for promoting positive parent–child interaction
Strategies for implementing age-appropriate discipline.
Short-term
Parents implement effective parenting strategies in the home
The parent’s confidence and self-efficacy as a parent increases
Parent–child interaction improves.
Medium-term
Children are better able to regulate their behaviour and emotions
Children’s behaviour improves
Behavioural problems are less entrenched.
Long-term
Children are at less risk of antisocial behaviour in adolescence
Children are more likely to engage positively with others.
Parents of children aged 6 to 12 years diagnosed with oppositional-defiant or conduct disorder.
Incredible Years School Age BASIC is delivered in 12 to 16 sessions of two hours’ duration each by two practitioners, to groups of 8 to 12 parents (5 to 8 families).
Incredible Years ADVANCE is delivered in 9 to 12 additional sessions of 2 to 2.5 hours’ duration each by two practitioners, to groups of 8 to 12 parents (5 to 8 families).
Group discussion and brainstorm: guided by facilitators, parents discuss new content, share their own experiences, and come to an understanding of the rationale behind the parenting strategies that are presented to them during the intervention.
Role-plays: parents practise strategies in the parent role, and experience the new strategies from the child’s point of view. Role-play is tailored to represent specific issues that families in the group are experiencing at home.
Homework: parents take what they have discussed and practised in the group and try the new strategies at home with their own children. They come back to the group to report on what worked and what did not work, so that they can receive ideas and feedback to refine their practice.
Parent book: parents have a reading assignment each week that provides some theory behind the strategies that they are learning, as well as practical examples of how to implement the new strategies.
Video vignettes: parents watch vignettes of other parents who represent a diverse range of cultures, family circumstances, and child developmental level. From these vignettes, the parents develop principles of effective parenting and think about how they wish to apply these with their own children.
The practitioners who deliver this intervention are two psychologists, mental health counsellors, marriage and family therapists, social workers or similar practitioners.
The practitioners have 18 hours of training for the Incredible Years BASIC intervention plus 16 hours of training for the Incredible Years ADVANCE intervention. Booster training of practitioners is recommended.
It is recommended that practitioners are supervised by one clinical host-agency supervisor, with two to three years of intervention training.
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 School Age BASIC + ADVANCE’s most rigorous evidence comes from a single RCT conducted in the United States consistent with Foundations’ Level 2 evidence strength criteria.
This study identified statistically significant pre/post intervention improvements in parents’ reports of their children’s behaviour and emotional wellbeing. Parents also reported improvements in their disciplinary practices.
Incredible Years School Age BASIC + ADVANCE Parent Training Curriculum has preliminary evidence of improving a child outcome, but we cannot be confident that the programme caused the improvement.
| Identified in search | 11 |
| Studies reviewed | 1 |
| Meeting the L2 threshold | 1 |
| Meeting the L3 threshold | 0 |
| Contributing to the L4 threshold | 0 |
| Ineligible | 10 |
| Study design | RCT |
| Country | United States |
| Sample characteristics |
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| Race, ethnicities, and nationalities | 100% Chinese American |
| Population risk factors |
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| Timing |
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| Child outcomes |
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| Other outcomes |
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| Study rating | 2 |
| Citations | Lau, A., S., Fung, J. J., Ho, L. Y., Liu, L. L. & Gudino, O. G. (2011) Parent training with high-risk immigrant Chinese families: A pilot group randomized trial yielding practice-based evidence. Behaviour Therapy. 42, 413–426. |
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.
Hutchings, J., Bywater, T., Williams, M. E, Shakespeare, M. K. & Whitaker, C. (2009) Incredible Years: An effective parent programme for high-risk 8 to 16 year olds. School of Psychology, Bangor University.
Hutchings, J., Bywater, T., Williams, M. E., Whitaker, C., Lane, E. & Shakespeare, K. (2011) The extended school aged Incredible Years parent programme. Child and Adolescent Mental Health. 16 (3), 136–143.
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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