Malaysian parents' use of positive reinforcement: A descriptive study and implications for the Lidcombe Program

The practice of verbal praising forms an important treatment component in an early stuttering intervention known as the Lidcombe Program. However, observations by and personal experiences of the first author suggest that praising children verbally is not common practice among Malaysian parents. The purpose of this research, therefore, was to describe the use of positive reinforcement by a small number of Malaysian parents, with a view to informing an adaptation of the Lidcombe Program for Malaysian families. The participants in this study consisted of six dyads of parent-preschool child who were randomly chosen from a stratified sample of 20 dyads from the general Malaysian population. These participants were video recorded during two table tasks. The interactions were transcribed and analyzed using a coding system modified from various studies for the purpose of the research. Results showed that all parents except one verbally praised their children's behaviours during the tasks. However, frequency of praise was relatively low compared to other type of responses, and expressions of praise were limited. Implications for the Lidcombe Program are discussed.