Family Routines: A Two-Generation Approach to Improving Parent-Child-Relationships and Executive Function Skills

• In Event: 3-242 - Two-Generation Approaches to Intervention in Early Childhood

Integrative Statement

Unpredictability and chaos can create a difficult environment for children in low income and at-risk families to develop executive function (EF) skills (Casey et al., 2014). Parents can serve an important mediating role in the effects of chaos and unpredictability on their child (Sarsour et al., 2010). Therefore, it is important to consider two-generation approaches when creating programs to improve children’s EF skills. Daily family routines provide an ideal framework for implementing two-generation interventions as they allow for the intentional, daily collaboration between parents and children while also creating structure and predictability for the dyadic unit. The Ready4Routines (R4R) intervention leverages the power of daily structured routines and proven enriching activities based on mindfulness, autonomy supportive parenting, and scaffolded EF training to improve children’s EF skills, reduce parental stress, and strengthen parent child interactions. The 8-week R4R intervention is delivered through Head-Start partnerships and features weekly parent group meetings and at-home activities. During parent group meetings, trainers and parents go over the science behind the at-home activities, for example, parents learn about the benefits of being mindful, putting away distractions like phones, and paying attention in the present moment to their child. At home, parents are given over 50 activities to do during key parts of the day (like waking up, mealtimes, and transitions). Each activity draws upon lessons learned during the weekly parent meetings.
The R4R intervention was developed in 2013 and delivered in 2013, 2015 and most recently in 2017/18. The first evaluation of the R4R study was a feasibility study looking at 65 parent-child dyads and measured program participation as well as parent & child EF & parenting-related stress (PSI-IV). The second study increased the scale of the intervention and expanded the participant pool to 89 dyads, including 23 control dyads. The second study showed a significant improvement in children’s EF skills compared to a control group F(1, 48) = 5.81, p <.05, as well as a decrease in self-reported parenting-related stress, t(39) = -5.16, p <.001.
The third study examined the scalability of the R4R intervention. For the third study, the R4R group, and control group were compared against a new program, called Shine on, Families, which included the R4R intervention materials as part of a comprehensive family engagement plan delivered over the course of an entire academic year rather than an 8-week intervention. This approach may be more appropriate for parents who are unable to attend weekly meetings but can find the time for monthly ones. The third study collected data on parent and child EF skills, child vocabulary skills, and parenting related stress, as well as video data on parent-child interactions and problem solving. Data on the 224 dyads has been collected and is currently being analyzed with preliminary findings suggesting important individual differences related to intervention engagement and outcome measures. Discussion will focus on what works best for whom, under what conditions.

Authors

• Andrei Semenov, University of Minnesota
  Presenting Author

• Lori Levine, Acelero Learning
  Non-Presenting Author

• Anna Henderson, Westside Infant-Family Network
  Non-Presenting Author

• Philip David Zelazo, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
  Non-Presenting Author