Collateral benefits of the family check-up on early childhood school readiness: Indirect effects of parents' positive behavior support.

Abstract

The authors examined the longitudinal effects of the Family Check-Up (FCU) on parents' positive behavior support and children's school readiness competencies in early childhood. It was hypothesized that the FCU would promote language skills and inhibitory control in children at risk for behavior problems as an indirect outcome associated with targeted improvements in parents' positive behavior support. High-risk families in the Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program participated in a multisite preventive intervention study (N = 731) with 3 yearly assessments beginning at child age 2 years. Positive behavior support was measured using 4 indicators derived from at-home observations of parent-child interaction during semistructured tasks. Longitudinal structural equation models revealed that parents in families randomly assigned to the FCU showed improvements in positive behavior support from child age 2 to 3, which in turn promoted children's inhibitory control and language development from age 3 to 4, accounting for child gender, ethnicity, and parental education. Findings suggest that a brief, ecological preventive intervention supporting positive parenting practices can indirectly foster key facets of school readiness in children at risk. Keywords NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author ManuscriptFamily intervention programs for children at risk for early conduct problems are typically designed to decrease problematic parenting practices such as coercion (Dishion, Patterson, & Kavanagh, 1992;Martinez & Forgatch, 2001;Patterson, Reid, Jones, & Conger, 1975) and to increase positive parenting practices such as parental involvement (Forgatch & Toobert, 1979;Webster-Stratton & Taylor, 2001). This focus on parenting skills is thought to lay the groundwork not only for the reduction of children's conduct problems but also for the promotion of children's normative social, emotional, and cognitive competencies during a crucial developmental period (Hess & Holloway, 1984;Shaw, Bell, & Gilliom, 2000). Parental involvement and support, for example, have been linked to children's decreased conduct problems (Gardner, Sonuga-Barke, & Sayal, 1999;Gardner, Ward, Burton, & Wilson, 2003) and improved cognitive and academic achievement (Estrada, Arsenio, Hess, & Holloway, 1987;Supplee, Shaw, Hailstones, & Hartman, 2004). Correspondingly, parenting intervention programs that aim to improve these parenting practices have been shown to be effective for reducing children's behavior problems in early childhood (Barlow & Stewart-Brown, 2000;Brestan & Eyberg, 1998;Webster-Stratton & Taylor, 2001;Yoshikawa, 1995). However, we know less about how the promotion of positive parenting in early family intervention with children at risk for conduct problems influences children's normative competencies, such as school readiness (Brooks-Gunn & Markman, 2005).School readiness is a crucial concern for young children from high-risk families because difficulties with learning at the transition into formal scho...

Evidence-based intervention for preschool children with primary speech and language impairments: Child Talk – an exploratory mixed-methods study

“…One study was undertaken in Germany, 177 four were undertaken in the USA, 134,136,137,143 one with Spanish-speaking families, 134 one was carried out in Canada 182 and three were carried out in the UK.…”

“…134,136,137,143,[175][176][177]182 This typology includes activities and strategies that aim to improve the quality of the exchanges between the parent/ adult and the child.…”

“…136,137 One study recruited both children at risk and those who had been diagnosed with a language delay. 134 The other studies recruited children with a diagnosed delay/impairment.…”

“…These assessed various levels of the children's abilities. Lunkenheimer et al 136 undertook four observational measures of parenting in the home. They focused on parent involvement using the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) Inventory, 210 the two subscales of the Relationship Process Code (RPC) (positive reinforcement and engagement interaction) 211 and proactive parenting using the Coder Impressions Inventory.…”

Childhood Psychosocial Determinants of Cardiovascular Health

“…Interventions following the "check-up" are tailored to the family's particular strengths and needs and may include more intensive parenting support designed to enhance parents' skills in positive behavior support, healthy limit-setting, and relationship-building. Follow up studies of children and adolescents whose families participated in FCU report increased school readiness, improved emotional and behavioral functioning and reduced substance use [33,34,35]. There is also preliminary evidence that FCU may have an indirect effect on later weight gain and obesity [36,37].…”