This study examined the effectiveness of caregiver consultations in caregiver's child's play therapy process through a program evaluation lens. Archival data was used from a counseling clinic located in the central southwestern United States. Quantitative data was collected from caregiver who filled out assessments (PSI-4 and CBCL) about their…

The presence of independent and functional living skills increases autonomy and predicts better outcomes for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Teaching caregivers to successfully teach functional living skills is an indirect way to positively impact the lives of adults with IDD. Behavior skills training (BST) is an…

Caregivers play an integral role in a child's academic development, including their literacy development (Compton-Lilly et al., 2019; Cunningham, 2021; Edwards, 2004; Edwards, 2016; Smith, 2020; Volk, 2021). One way caregivers have supported their children's literacy development is by assisting them with school activities at home. While some…

There is limited evidence on the imperative role that caregivers play in social-emotional learning development for effective social-emotional learning program implementation despite their crucial influence on childhood development. This doctoral project explored the effects of parent education for two school-based, social-emotional learning…

Young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are likely to sit on lengthy waitlists for applied behavior analytic (ABA) services, especially when living in rural areas. Early intervention is critical for desired outcomes for young children with ASD. Telehealth caregiver training in ABA skills is one avenue to begin intervention while…

This qualitative study investigated the persistent K-5 opportunity gap faced by Black males from low socioeconomic backgrounds in achieving literacy proficiency. Despite efforts to address literacy rates, Black males continue to experience significant disparities, hindering their academic success. The research aimed to evaluate systems and…

Rationale: Few communication interventions for Latino Spanish-speaking (LSS) families with young children with language impairments and autism have been experimentally tested. "EMT en Espanol" is a culturally and linguistically adapted language intervention that has been effectively implemented by LSS caregivers of children with…

U.S. policy makers continue to struggle with identifying inclusive strategies that effectively support the needs of individual family child care (FCC) providers, who tend to have low quality rating improvement systems (QRIS) scores. To ensure program quality, there is a need to identify supportive strategies and evidence-based practices that build…

The purpose of the quantitative study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention by comparing the improvement in knowledge and attitudes of older adult and caregiver participants in South Carolina. Orangeburg County, a rural area in South Carolina, ranks 8th in the nation for Alzheimer's disease prevalence, according to…

Reading skills are important for students' academic success. Phonics specifically is a foundational skill which is necessary for reading fluency and overall reading proficiency. Additional support outside of the classroom can be beneficial for those struggling and at-risk. There are various strategies and interventions that can help student's gain…

Caregivers' involvement in therapy is integral to the child's engagement in therapy and their occupational performance outcomes (D'Arrigo et al., 2020b). Access to cost-effective, culturally relevant educational programs for caregivers of children with disability, who are oftentimes burdened with anxiety and stress due to society's stigma, are…

There has been limited research on interventions with young children encompassing "interoceptive awareness," the awareness and perception of sensations from inside the body. The information in this phenomenological study examines how participants experienced a bidirectional, reflective, online intervention program on interoceptive…

There is a large body of research that has focused on ways that we can develop preschool-aged children's early literacy and language skills within early childhood educational settings. Evidence supports how important a young child's literacy experiences are on their future reading skills. However, there continues to be little research that focuses…

Behavioral intervention with parent participation is effective in reducing symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but access to intervention is limited. The current study explored whether a novel, self-directed, online program would (a) be comprehensible and acceptable to caregivers of children with ASD, (b) increase caregiver knowledge of…

Self-efficacy has been shown to be an important element in the success of individuals in a variety of different settings. This research examined the impact of a two week new employee orientation training program on the general and social self-efficacy of newly hired direct care employees at state mental health facilities. The research showed that…