Uppeldi og menntun - 01.07.2009, Síða 27

Uppeldi og menntUn/icelandic JoUrnal of edUcation 18(2)/2009 27
anna bJÖrnSdóttir, margrÉt SigmarSdóttir
Parent Management Training – the Oregon model:
Effects of a preventive model in the community of Hafnarfjörður,
Iceland due to behavior problems among kindergarten and
elementary school children
aBstraCt
In the fall of 2000, the community of Hafnarfjörður implemented the PMTO method
to prevent and treat behavioral problems among kindergarten and school children.
In Iceland, as in many countries, behavior problems are the most common reason
for referrals of children to special services. That was the case in the community of
Hafnarfjörður. However there was a lack of knowledge about how to handle such
problems, so it was decided to implement the PMTO method in the community. The
method is based on the Social Interaction Learning Model (SIL) developed by Gerald
Patterson and his colleagues at Oregon Social Learning Center in Eugene, Oregon,
USA. It assumes that the child learns behavior through his relationship with others
and the way in which certain patterns of behavior are reinforced. Parents’ child-rear-
ing methods exert the primary influence on the child’s adjustment and have direct
effects on how the child adapts to his environment. Therefore the main emphasis is on
working with parents. Findings from research on the effectiveness of the method have
been published for many decades. The implementation process of the PMTO method
in Hafnarfjörður and the results from studying the implementation are discussed in
this article. The implementation process consists of five elements. The first element is
providing therapy to parents with children already suffering from behavior problems.
The second is inviting parents with at-risk children and parents with children who
show minor behavior problems to participate in parent groups. The third is providing
basic training in the PMTO method to people in the community who provide ser-
vices to children with behavior problems (e.g., professionals in schools such as school
counselors, executive staff and remedial teachers). The fourth is providing therapist
training for clinical professionals. The fifth is implementing a school project, SMT-
skólafærni, which builds on the same principles as the PMTO method. The goals of
the study were to determine if the number of referrals to special services decreased in
Hafnarfjörður and not in the comparative areas, to look at parental and professional
attitudes toward PMTO services, and to examine how implementation in the schools
influences office referrals. Results showed that the number of referrals for traditional
special services among school children at the educational region in Hafnarfjörður
became stable over time and reduced. This reduction could also be explained by other
unexplained variables. During the same time period there was a rise in referrals within
two comparison areas and the referrals were unstable over time. Parents showed posi-
tive attitudes toward PMTO services, and the ones who had participated in therapy
were more positive than those who had participated in parent groups. Professionals
also showed positive attitudes toward the training and were willing to recommend