Teaching Parents Effective Discipline During a Health Supervision Visit

Parents tell us that they want information from pediatricians about how they can enhance the development, behavior, and learning skills of their children. Others are not comfortable asking questions in some of these areas during well-child care (WCC) visits. Some parents may not be aware that guidance in these areas is a major component of (WCC) visits.^1,2

To address some of these concerns, innovative parent-education programs designed for traditional (WCC) visits have been promoted to increase knowledge and change parent behaviors in areas of child development, behavior, and learning.³ Examples of these programs are “Reach Out and Read,” previsit computerized screening questionnaires (for parent concerns, developmental milestones, and behavioral profiles), parent and teen group learning (including group WCC), family drawings to enhance communication during visits, and use of a developmental or behavioral theme as a guide for each WCC visit.

Providing parents with knowledge about effective discipline of young children is a significant area of focus during WCC visits. Parents want to learn more about discipline.^4,5 The American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines on discipline in young children⁶ and the new Bright Futures⁷ guidelines encourage pediatricians to ask about discipline practices during WCC …

Address correspondence to Martin T. Stein, MD, 824 Forward St, La Jolla, CA 92037. E-mail: mtstein{at}ucsd.edu