Parenting programs have been shown to be effective in preventing and reducing externalising problems in young children. Despite their efficacy, the low rate of initial parental engagement in these programs is a major challenge for clinicians and researchers. Few studies have examined factors associated with rates of initial engagement in parenting…

Identifying effective methods that can counteract seasonal trends in learning loss is essential to ensure continuous literacy growth of young learners. Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) is a solution for providing an effective summer literacy program that could help offset summer learning loss. In this study, four-year-old students from South…

Empowerment is a core construct in health behavior and an emerging trend in pediatrics. Although it has been suggested as an approach that may promote the person's participation in health care decisions and positive outcomes, little is known about the nature and effectiveness of interventions to support empowerment in families and preschool-age…

Background: The language of the science curriculum is complex, even in the early grades. To communicate their scientific observations, children must produce complex syntax, particularly complement clauses (e.g., "I think it will float;" "We noticed that it vibrates"). Complex syntax is often challenging for children with…

Background: Poverty-related disparities in school readiness are well documented (Dreyer, 2020). Increasing cognitively stimulating parenting practices can contribute greatly to addressing such disparities, and therefore represent a key modifiable target for preventive interventions beginning early in life (Brooks-Gunn & Markman, 2005).…

Background: A total of 68% of pre-school children with cleft palate have speech problems requiring speech therapy. There is a lack of access to regular targeted therapy. Parent training leads to positive outcomes in early communication skills in cleft palate and non-cleft speech disorders. Connected health has been used to address inadequate…

Tender Shoots is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) for parents aimed at improving preschool children's oral language skills relevant for later reading. Parents of 72 preschool children (M = 50 months) were randomly assigned to either a Rich Reading and Reminiscing (RRR) condition, a Strengthening Sound Sensitivity (SSS) condition, or an…

Early intervention efforts have been effective in reducing disruptive behaviors and the probability of poor developmental outcomes. Early interventions include common practice elements to improve social functioning and decrease problem behaviors that disrupt the teaching-learning process. The First Step Next intervention has been well validated…

The primary aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a childcare-based intervention in increasing child physical activity by allowing children unrestricted access to outdoor areas for free-play when structured activity is not taking place. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in six childcare services. Intervention services provided…

This article assesses the likely generalizability of educational treatment-effect estimates from regression discontinuity designs (RDDs) when treatment assignment is based on academic pretest scores. Our assessment uses data on outcome and pretest measures from six educational experiments, ranging from preschool through high school, to estimate…

This article assesses the likely generalizability of educational treatment-effect estimates from regression discontinuity designs (RDDs) when treatment assignment is based on academic pretest scores. Our assessment uses data on outcome and pretest measures from six educational experiments, ranging from preschool through high school, to estimate…

Background: Children with language comprehension difficulties are at risk of educational and social problems, which in turn impede employment prospects in adulthood. However, few randomized trials have examined how such problems can be ameliorated during the preschool years. Methods: We conducted a cluster randomized trial in 148 preschool…

Disruptive behavior problems frequently emerge in the preschool years and are associated with numerous, long-term negative outcomes, including comorbid disorders. First Step is a psychosocial early intervention with substantial empirical evidence supporting its efficacy among young children (Walker et al., 2014). The present study reports on a…

Purpose: This report investigates whether parent-reported stuttering severity ratings (SRs) provide similar estimates of effect size as percentage of syllables stuttered (%SS) for randomized trials of early stuttering treatment with preschool children. Method: Data sets from 3 randomized controlled trials of an early stuttering intervention were…

This response to intervention study examined agreement between classification methods of preschool children's responsiveness to Tier 2 intervention using level of performance (25th percentile), growth (equivalent to small and medium effect sizes), and both level of performance and growth in a dual-discrepancy approach. Overall, 181 children…