This poster will describe self-talk themes in parents of children with developmental disabilities and challenging behavior. These data are part of a large randomized clinical trial being conducted at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. The Positive Family Intervention (PFI) project combines “optimism training,” a cognitive-behavioral method for addressing pessimistic thinking, with instruction in positive behavior support. It is expected that by identifying commonly encountered self-talk in parents we can create more efficient strategies for responding to these parents.