Publication year
2010
Citation Title
Technologies for Expanding the Reach of Evidence-Based Interventions: Preliminary Results for Promoting Social Emotional Development in Early Childhood
Journal Name
Topics in Early Childhood Special Education
Journal Volume
29
Issue Number
4
Page Numbers
226-238
DOI
10.1177/02711271121409354782
Summary
Pre- and post-test data from infant and mothers who completed an adapted evidence-based early childhood intervention program (Play and Learning Strategies [PALS]) for use on the internet (Infant Net) were assessed to explore changes in parenting (i.e., depression, sensitive and responsive interactions) and infant social outcomes (i.e., attention/arousal, warmth seeking, and behavioral regulation). Results indicate that completion rates of the online program were high and mothers and infants randomly assigned to the PALS intervention showed significant improvements in infant social outcomes compared to the control group.
Key Findings
Infants assigned to the Infant Net group showed greater improvement in positive behaviors post intervention compared to the control group.
Maternal positive behaviors showed greater improvement over time for mothers in the Infant Net condition, compared to the control group, but was not statistically significant.
Post partum depression decreased more for mothers in the Infant Net group, compared to the control group, but was not statistically significant.
Implications for Military Professionals
Collaborate with parenting intervention program staff to adapt evidence-based interventions for military families
Examine way to adapt evidence-based parenting interventions so that they can be offered online and be more accessible to military families who otherwise may not have access to early intervention
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide education to military families coping with mental health issues regarding how mental health can impact parenting and child well-being and ways to effectively cope with mental health issues
Publicize information regarding resources and services available to Service members and their families regarding mental health and parenting
Implications for Policy Makers
Encourage the adaptation of web-based parenting interventions
Recommend professional development for service providers working with military families regarding the unique issues military parents experience and how these influence parenting and child well-being
Methods
The authors used a pre-test, post-test, experimental design wherein changes in behavior between pre and post-test were compared between an experimental and control group.
This article focused on civilian families.
Participants included infants and their mothers living in Oregon; participants were income-eligible for Early Head Start and the Women Infants and Children program (WIC).
Participants
Children’s ranged from 3-8 months of age, with an average of 4 months; 55% of the infants were male.
Mothers were primarily White (83%); the average age of mothers in the intervention group was 24.5 years, while the control group had an average of of 26.8 years.
According to mothers’ reports, infants were more ethnically diverse, with 65% Caucasian, 25% Hispanic/Latino, 5% American Indian, 3% Asian, 5% African American, and 22.5% reporting more than one category.
Limitations
This study sample was homogenous and had a small sample size, with only 38 mothers and their infants participating; therefore, results may not be generalizable.
Dosage received could not be assessed due to lack of variance in dosage received, which may have important implications on the results.
Only mothers that were income eligible for Early Head Start and the Women Infants and Children program were included in this study, which may influence the results.
Avenues for Future Research
Utilize a larger in order to evaluating the utility and outcomes of adapting programs and interventions for on-line use
Utilize other interventions and/or programs that could be adapted to on-line use
Examine a diverse set of child, youth, parenting, and family outcomes to expand the potential uses of this innovative research
Focus
Civilian
Target Population
Population Focus
Abstract
In great demand are efficient mechanisms for delivery of evidence-based interventions for promoting social-emotional development and early positive behavior of all children, and especially for those with or at risk for disabilities. The rise of Internet use has created potentially new avenues for intervention delivery, which, when paired with the many recent advances in computer networking and multimedia technology, is fueling this demand. This article describes the development of an Internet-based, computer-delivered parent-training intervention, Infant Net, with infants at risk for poor social-emotional outcomes. Results of a randomized control trial of the Infant Net intervention with 40 parent-infant dyads showed significant increase, reflecting a medium to large effect size, in infant social engagement and engagement with the environment for infants in the intervention group as compared to the control group. Implications are discussed with regard to future research.
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