VIPP-SD consists of visits conducted in the caregiver’s home while the child is present. During the first visit, the home visitor introduces the caregiver to the VIPP-SD model and answers any questions. The home visitor also records a video of the caregiver and child interacting. After the visit, the home visitor views the recording, selects clips of the video to share with the caregiver, and prepares feedback on the selected clips. During subsequent home visits, the home visitor begins by recording another round of caregiver–child interactions, followed by a discussion between the home visitor and caregiver about the prepared video clips from the previous visit. The home visitor provides feedback and tips on the following topics:
Parental sensitivity, which involves the following:
- Attending to the child’s subtle signals and expressions
- Appropriately reacting to the child’s signals
- Sharing positive and negative emotions
Sensitive discipline, which involves the following:
- Using consistent discipline strategies and setting limits
- Using distraction and noncoercive responses to challenging behavior from the child
- Providing positive reinforcement by praising the child’s positive behavior and ignoring attention-seeking behavior
- Providing sensitive pauses (time-outs) to de-escalate temper tantrums
- Empathizing with the child
Although the intervention manual specifies the general content of each visit, the home visitor tailors feedback to each family based on the home visitor’s video-recorded observations.