Parents often torpedo their discipline efforts by giving vague, conditional commands and not giving kids enough time to comply with them, says Dr. Verduin, who practices parent-child interaction therapy.

WSJ: Smarter Ways to Discipline Children

"TCIT benefits misbehaving kids, but it also benefits behaving kids, " said Melanie Fernandez, director of the Parent-Child Interaction Therapy Program at the Child Mind Institute in New York, a nonprofit focused on child mental health, which has been researching TCIT for several years.

WSJ: Teaching Kids to Give Themselves a Timeout

Having the back and forth interaction between a parent and a child from birth builds communication and cognitive skills from the beginning.

WHITEHOUSE: Educating Children at Critical Crossroads