TY - JOUR
T1 - Implementation of Early Achievements for Childcare Providers
T2 - A cluster-randomized controlled trial
AU - Feuerstein, Julie L.
AU - Landa, Rebecca J.
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding: The project described was made possible by Grant Number R40MC26193 (PI, Landa) from the Health Resources and Services Administration , an operating division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Forlenza Postdoctoral Training Fellowship in Autism . Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Health Resources and Services Administration or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We thank the children, parents, and childcare providers and directors whose participation in this study made the research possible. Appreciation is extended to the gifted research staff who conducted child assessments, collected data, and coded and managed data. Special thanks to Emily Baker, study coach and contributor to development of the SABS. Additional thanks to Drs. Madiha Tahseen and Luke Kalb for their assistance with data analysis and visualization.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Authors
PY - 2020/10/1
Y1 - 2020/10/1
N2 - A research-to-practice gap exists in childcare settings, particularly affecting instruction to children with developmental delays (DD) including those with or at risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study aimed to improve implementation of evidence-based instructional practices by childcare providers in inclusive center-based classrooms; a secondary aim was to examine effects on social and communication outcomes of toddlers with DD and/or ASD. Forty-eight childcare providers from 27 centers and 46 toddlers with social and/or communication delays (mean age = 28.5 months) participated in a cluster-randomized controlled trial. Providers were randomized, at the center level, to Instruction-As-Usual (IAU) or the Early Achievements for Childcare Providers (EA-CP) condition. EA-CP providers received two workshops and weekly, job-embedded coaching. Providers’ use of evidence-based instructional practices delivered within a book sharing activity, and toddlers’ cognitive, language, and social communication skills were assessed prior to and following training. Significantly greater gains from pre- to post-training in implementation of EA-CP instructional practices were observed in the EA-CP than IAU group (p < .001, d = 7.2). Greater social communication gains were observed in toddlers in EA-CP than IAU classrooms (p < .001, d = 1.02). Results support the conclusion that the short-term EA-CP professional development program improved implementation of evidence-based instructional practices by childcare providers in inclusive childcare settings, with a direct impact on social and communication outcomes of toddlers with DD, including those with ASD.
AB - A research-to-practice gap exists in childcare settings, particularly affecting instruction to children with developmental delays (DD) including those with or at risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study aimed to improve implementation of evidence-based instructional practices by childcare providers in inclusive center-based classrooms; a secondary aim was to examine effects on social and communication outcomes of toddlers with DD and/or ASD. Forty-eight childcare providers from 27 centers and 46 toddlers with social and/or communication delays (mean age = 28.5 months) participated in a cluster-randomized controlled trial. Providers were randomized, at the center level, to Instruction-As-Usual (IAU) or the Early Achievements for Childcare Providers (EA-CP) condition. EA-CP providers received two workshops and weekly, job-embedded coaching. Providers’ use of evidence-based instructional practices delivered within a book sharing activity, and toddlers’ cognitive, language, and social communication skills were assessed prior to and following training. Significantly greater gains from pre- to post-training in implementation of EA-CP instructional practices were observed in the EA-CP than IAU group (p < .001, d = 7.2). Greater social communication gains were observed in toddlers in EA-CP than IAU classrooms (p < .001, d = 1.02). Results support the conclusion that the short-term EA-CP professional development program improved implementation of evidence-based instructional practices by childcare providers in inclusive childcare settings, with a direct impact on social and communication outcomes of toddlers with DD, including those with ASD.
KW - Autism
KW - Book sharing
KW - Childcare
KW - Developmental delay
KW - Intervention
KW - Social communication
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ecresq.2020.06.006
DO - 10.1016/j.ecresq.2020.06.006
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85087980077
SN - 0885-2006
VL - 53
SP - 520
EP - 533
JO - Early Childhood Research Quarterly
JF - Early Childhood Research Quarterly
ER -