Formal mentoring has been an effective approach to mitigate challenges facing underserved youth and contributes to observable improvements in behavior, relationships, and emotional well-being. In recent years, virtual mentoring has emerged as a promising way to expand the provision of mentoring. By engaging virtually, mentorship programs can…

The prevalence of externalizing behaviors imposes a far-reaching negative impact on students' social, behavioral, and academic outcomes, which constitute a public health issue in low-resource and populous developing countries (e.g., China). Compared to the "one-size-fits-all" approach (OSFA; forcing a single evidence-based intervention…

Prior research points to the promotion of parenting self-efficacy (PSE) as an important component of parenting interventions; however, few studies have tested PSE as a mediator or moderator of the effects of parenting programs on child behavior. In the current study, we examined the efficacy of the Family Check-Up (FCU), a brief, strengths-based…

Self-regulation is the ability to control cognitive, behavioural and social-emotional processes in service of one's goals. In the preschool years, self-regulation develops rapidly, and during this period, it is influenced by the plasticity of the underlying neurofunctional circuits. Since good early self-regulation skills favour positive…

"The Transporters" intervention contains 15 animated episodes that autistic children watch daily for a month and learn emotion recognition through stories depicting social interactions between vehicle characters with grafted human faces, expressing emotions. Its automated, home-based format is cost-effective. This study included four…

Emerging research shows that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) may improve mental health for caregivers. Parents of autistic children, adolescents, and adults (N = 54) were randomly assigned to either complete a brief group-based ACT intervention or remain on the waitlist. Participants completed surveys immediately prior to randomization,…

Reliable and valid assessment of parenting and child behaviors is critical for clinicians and researchers alike, and observational measures of parenting behaviors are often considered the gold standard for assessing parenting and parent-child interaction quality. The current study sought to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Coder…

Sleep problems are common in children with autism spectrum disorder. Although previous research has shown the positive effects of parent-based sleep intervention, it was mainly focused on face-to-face modality, which might limit accessibility. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of a telehealth-delivered parent-based sleep-focused…

Limited research has examined the impact of Bounce Back (BB), a trauma-focused intervention for elementary-age students, on student academic engagement and daily classroom behavior. This study utilized both ongoing direct and indirect measures of student functioning to evaluate student progress and inform the implementation of BB. Participants…

This study aimed to investigate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)-based parenting program for parents of autistic children. A pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted, with 40 parents randomly assigned to either the eight-session ACT-based parenting program or usual…

Prior research has shown that social-emotional learning (SEL) interventions offer promise for supporting young children's outcomes, but implementation problems are frequent, especially in low-resource contexts. This study describes the adaptation and efficacy of a new, classroom-based SEL intervention for children aged 3 to 6 years in early…

Upper elementary students in a Title I rural school participated in an expressive arts-based resiliency small-group intervention entitled Resilient Warriors (RWs). This mixed-methods study revealed positive changes in participating students based on teacher ratings on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. We also found four qualitative…

With the increasing prevalence of mental health issues among children, there is a growing need to implement school-based preventive programs for emotional well-being in Malaysia. Super Skills for Life (SSL) is a transdiagnostic preventive program designed based on the cognitive-behavioral therapy concept to address emotional problems among…

Middle schoolers with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) typically have a trajectory of difficult outcomes (e.g., school dropout, incarceration). Growing evidence suggests that the continuum of behavioral competence to challenges is closely linked to students' neurocognitive executive function (EF) capacities, perceived stress…