Parenting Programs for Childhood Development

(SEAL Trial)

Overseen By Elizabeth Backus, B.A.

Age: Any Age

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Oregon

Must not be taking: Psychoactive medications

Disqualifiers: Neurological disorders, Brain trauma, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 20

Duration: 10 weeks

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores how a video-coaching program called FIND (Filming Interactions to Nurture Development) can improve parenting skills and child development for families facing economic challenges. It compares FIND, which uses video feedback to highlight positive parenting interactions, with a traditional program focusing on child development without filming. The researchers aim to determine if FIND can effectively support child growth and caregiver brain function. This trial may suit caregivers with children aged 12-36 months who experience financial strain, such as those receiving government aid. As an unphased trial, it offers caregivers a unique opportunity to contribute to innovative research that could enhance family well-being.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial requires that you are not currently taking psychoactive medications (like SSRIs). If you are taking these, you may need to stop before participating.

What prior data suggests that the FIND program is safe for childhood development?

Research has shown that the Filming Interactions to Nurture Development (FIND) program is well-received by families. FIND uses video coaching to assist caregivers and has proven to positively impact child development. No reports of negative effects have emerged from participation in this program. The method is considered safe because it involves watching and discussing video clips of interactions with children, which is non-invasive. This means it doesn’t involve any physical procedures or medications. Overall, FIND is designed to safely support and improve positive parenting skills. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the Filming Interactions to Nurture Development (FIND) program because it offers a fresh approach to enhancing caregiver-child interactions using video feedback. Unlike traditional parenting programs that might rely solely on verbal coaching, FIND uses video to highlight real-life examples of positive interactions between caregivers and children, making the learning process more tangible and engaging. This method focuses on the "serve and return" concept, encouraging caregivers to recognize and reinforce developmental support in everyday interactions. By using personalized video clips, FIND provides a unique and tailored experience that could lead to more effective parenting strategies and better childhood development outcomes.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for childhood development?

Research has shown that the Filming Interactions to Nurture Development (FIND) program, one of the treatments in this trial, improves interactions between caregivers and children. Studies indicate that FIND encourages caregivers to be more supportive and responsive, which is crucial for a child's growth. Early results suggest that this video-coaching method is particularly helpful for caregivers who have faced tough experiences, as they often struggle with other programs. The program also enhances certain brain functions related to caregiving. Overall, FIND is a promising way to support young children's development. Meanwhile, another treatment arm in this trial, The Healthy Toddler Program (HTP), serves as an active comparator and focuses on coaching sessions covering various domains of child development without video coaching. ^{1 5 6 7 8}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Philip A Fisher, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

University of Oregon

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This study is for primary caregivers over 18 with a child aged 12-36 months, living at or below poverty levels or receiving certain social services. Caregivers must have custody of their child at least half the time and cannot have significant visual impairments, neurological disorders, claustrophobia, weigh over 550 lbs., tattoos above the neck, history of brain infections/tumors/trauma, muscular dystrophy, metal implants/pacemakers/electronic medical implants or be pregnant.

Inclusion Criteria

Must live at or below 130% of the federal poverty line or receive services through foster care, TANF, SSI, or be currently homeless

Exclusion Criteria

The caregiver has a serious eye problem that cannot be fixed with glasses or contacts. For example, they may have a condition called strabismus.

The person taking care of you has a history of neurological disorders like uncontrollable muscle movements or seizures.

The person taking care of you is afraid of small or enclosed spaces.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

FIND intervention involves 10 weekly home-based video coaching sessions focusing on developmentally-supportive interactions

10 weeks

10 visits (in-person)

Active Control

HTP active control involves 10 weekly sessions covering child development domains without video coaching

10 weeks

10 visits (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for caregiver and child outcomes, including responsive caregiving and stress levels

6 months

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Filming Interactions to Nurture Development
• The Healthy Toddler Program

Trial Overview

The trial tests FIND (Filming Interactions to Nurture Development), an innovative video-coaching program aimed at improving parenting skills and children's development in low-income families. It compares FIND with The Healthy Toddler Program using a randomized design where participants are assigned by chance to either intervention.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Filming Interactions to Nurture Development (FIND) Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

FIND is a brief video coaching intervention which involves feedback provided by the coach to the caregiver using brief film clips derived from video of caregiver-child interaction. The coaching focuses on showing caregivers instances in which they are engaging in developmentally-supportive interactions during coaching sessions. FIND is delivered over 10 weekly sessions lasting 30-45 minutes. The process begins with an initial session in which the coach provides an overview, records 10-15 minutes of caregiver-child interaction, then introduces the concept of serve and return. The video is edited to show brief clips in which the caregiver is engaged in the first of five specific caregiver-based components of serve and return. The next week, the FIND coach reviews the edited clips in detail with the caregiver. Sessions continue, alternating between filming and coaching sessions until all five components have been covered sequentially.

Group II: The Healthy Toddler Program (HTP) Active Control 1 Intervention

HTP, the active control intervention, consists of weekly sessions alternating between (a) coaching sessions covering one of five domains of child development (Motor, Cognitive, Language, Play, and Social-Emotional and (b) observation sessions that will include a review of the prior coaching session and an observation and discussion of the caregiver-child interaction. This intervention will consist of 10 sessions each lasting 25-30 minutes. The coach will not engage in any filming or video coaching, but will be able to discuss caregiving concerns. HTP materials are adapted from the Partners for a Healthy Baby curriculum developed by Florida State University's Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Policy.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Oregon

Lead Sponsor

Trials

91

Recruited

46,700+

Published Research Related to This Trial

The Photostory approach effectively documented and evaluated early childhood practices in central India, resulting in the collection of 161 Photostories that helped engage the community in discussions about Early Child Development (ECD).

At the end of the intervention, children showed increased engagement in play activities, indicating positive changes in ECD practices, while parental engagement levels remained stable, suggesting areas for further improvement.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Photostory-A "Stepping Stone" Approach to Community Engagement in Early Child Development. Gaidhane, A., Holding, P., Shah, M., et al.[2023]

Children whose families completed the Nurturing Parenting Program (NPP) were significantly less likely to face child welfare investigations or removals, indicating the program's effectiveness in improving child safety outcomes.

In contrast, simply being referred to NPP did not show any significant impact, highlighting the importance of program completion for achieving positive results in child welfare.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of the Nurturing Parenting Program Nurturing Skills for Families on child safety and permanency. Gross, M., Bhagwat, A., Cole, R.[2023]

Mothers who completed a video-feedback program reported that their main goals were to better understand their child and strengthen their relationship, leading to increased confidence in their parenting skills.

Key elements that contributed to their positive experiences included receiving supportive feedback from therapists, spending dedicated time with their infants, and learning through videotaped sessions, which resulted in improved parenting strategies and better child behavior.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Experiences of Mothers Participating in a Mother-Child Video Therapy Program. Hackley, B., Hammer, M., Barnhart, E., et al.[2023]

The Learning Through Play (LTP) parenting program, implemented in 11 low-income countries, aims to enhance parental knowledge and practices for the early development of children aged 0-6 years.

This study demonstrates that organizing qualitative data from focus groups can effectively highlight the social-emotional outcomes of parenting programs, which have often been neglected in previous evaluations.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

No data, no problem, no action: parenting programs in low-income countries. Making the social-emotional outcomes more visible. Tinajero, AR., Cohen, NJ., Ametorwo, S.[2016]

The BabyView is a new head-mounted camera designed for infants aged 6-30 months that captures high-resolution video along with motion data, providing a comprehensive view of their everyday experiences.

This innovative device aims to standardize data collection in developmental psychology, allowing for better comparisons across studies and enhancing the use of machine learning algorithms to analyze rich video data.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The BabyView camera: Designing a new head-mounted camera to capture children's early social and visual environments. Long, B., Goodin, S., Kachergis, G., et al.[2023]

Developing effective public health programs that modify parenting behaviors can lead to significant health benefits for children, emphasizing the importance of a theory-based model of parenting.

The article outlines an eight-step intervention development process and highlights the integration of experiential learning methods, providing a structured framework for public health researchers to create impactful parenting programs.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Developing parenting programs to prevent child health risk behaviors: a practice model. Jackson, C., Dickinson, DM.[2021]

The Infant Health and Development Program, evaluated in a randomized clinical trial with 461 participants, showed that mothers in the treatment group provided significantly more enriching experiences for their children by age 18 compared to the control group.

Sustained improvements in parenting practices indicate that two-generation early education programs can effectively enhance parenting competence and support the long-term development of high-risk children.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Impact of a two-generation early education program on parenting processes at age 18. Bradley, RH., Whiteside-Mansell, L., Casey, PH., et al.[2014]

A comprehensive approach to monitoring adverse and positive childhood experiences is essential for improving children's health and well-being, which includes standardizing definitions and measurements across data collection efforts.

Enhanced surveillance can lead to data-driven prevention strategies that target at-risk populations, ultimately reducing exposure to violence and adversities while promoting positive experiences for children.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Building Infrastructure for Surveillance of Adverse and Positive Childhood Experiences: Integrated, Multimethod Approaches to Generate Data for Prevention Action. Anderson, KN., Swedo, EA., Clayton, HB., et al.[2023]

Parenting intervention programs have the potential to significantly improve children's health and development, but many existing programs have not met the necessary standards for effectiveness, leading to failures in large-scale initiatives.

Evidence suggests that certain programs, particularly nurse home visiting for pregnant women and young parents, can produce consistent positive outcomes for children's health and development across diverse populations and settings.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Programs for parents of infants and toddlers: recent evidence from randomized trials. Olds, DL., Sadler, L., Kitzman, H.[2022]

The Leader Observation Tool effectively predicts changes in parenting skills after participating in the Incredible Years parent training program, highlighting the importance of implementer skills in achieving positive outcomes.

Higher treatment fidelity in delivering parent training not only maintains the intervention's effectiveness but also leads to improved parenting behaviors, which subsequently result in better child behavior outcomes.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Treatment fidelity as a predictor of behaviour change in parents attending group-based parent training. Eames, C., Daley, D., Hutchings, J., et al.[2009]

The Incredible Years parenting program, studied in 1,799 participants across 14 trials, effectively improves parenting practices and reduces children's conduct problems and ADHD symptoms, with no evidence of harmful effects.

While the program enhances certain family dynamics, it does not significantly improve children's emotional problems or parental mental health, indicating its benefits are somewhat limited to specific areas.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Research Review: Harnessing the power of individual participant data in a meta-analysis of the benefits and harms of the Incredible Years parenting program. Leijten, P., Gardner, F., Landau, S., et al.[2021]

The Therapist-Parent Interaction Coding System (TPICS) effectively captures various coaching techniques used by therapists during Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), based on an analysis of 61 video-recorded sessions.

The study found that responsive coaching techniques, such as providing praise, helped improve parents' skills between sessions, while directive coaching methods did not show the same effect, indicating the importance of tailored feedback in enhancing parenting behaviors.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Assessing the Key to Effective Coaching in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy: The Therapist-Parent Interaction Coding System. Barnett, ML., Niec, LN., Acevedo-Polakovich, ID.[2021]

The study implemented Video Intervention Therapy (VIT) to enhance Parental Reflective Functioning (PRF) in caregivers of children hospitalized for severe psychiatric issues, showing that the intervention was feasible and well-accepted by participants and therapists.

With a compliance rate of 85% in the VIT group and positive indications for improving both parental and child mental health outcomes, this pilot study supports the need for a larger randomized control trial to further evaluate VIT's effectiveness.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Video Intervention Therapy for primary caregivers in a child psychiatry unit: a randomized feasibility trial. Leyton, F., Olhaberry, M., Morán, J., et al.[2021]

The Video Interaction Project (VIP) significantly improved parenting practices and reduced parenting stress among 99 Latino children at risk of developmental delays, indicating its effectiveness in promoting early child development.

Children who participated in VIP were more likely to achieve normal cognitive development and less likely to experience developmental delays compared to those in the control group, highlighting the program's positive impact on at-risk preschoolers.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Use of videotaped interactions during pediatric well-child care: impact at 33 months on parenting and on child development. Mendelsohn, AL., Valdez, PT., Flynn, V., et al.[2021]

The Primary Care-Video Intervention Therapy (PC-VIT) effectively supported parents of a Small for Gestational Age (SGA) infant, helping to reduce maternal anxiety and improve parental recognition of the infant's developmental skills.

Implementing PC-VIT in pediatric care can mitigate the negative effects of growth vulnerabilities on the parent-child relationship and promote better socio-emotional development in infants.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Primary Care-Video Intervention Therapy for Growth-Vulnerable Infants. A Case Study. Sacchi, C., Facchini, S., Downing, G., et al.[2020]

Citations

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cultivatelearning.uw.edu

cultivatelearning.uw.edu/research-and-evaluations/

Research and Reports - Cultivate Learning

The intervention with childcare providers was titled Filming Interactions to Nurture Development (FIND), using video-based reflective practices to promote ...

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The Filming Interactions to Nurture Development Video ...

In this article, we focus on applying methods of translational neuroscience to two-generation, family-based interventions.

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acceleratelearning.stanford.edu

acceleratelearning.stanford.edu/initiative/early-childhood/

Early Childhood Learning and Development

The FIND Program. Filming Interactions to Nurture Development (FIND) is a highly effective video coaching program that facilitates responsive, supportive ...

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pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5603284/

Promoting Healthy Child Development via a Two-Generation ...

In this article, we describe the content and processes of the Filming Interactions to Nurture Development (FIND) video coaching intervention.

5.

researchgate.net

researchgate.net/publication/306052048_Promoting_Healthy_Child_Development_via_a_Two-Generation_Translational_Neuroscience_Framework_The_Filming_Interactions_to_Nurture_Development_Video_Coaching_Program

The Filming Interactions to Nurture Development Video ...

In this article, we describe the content and processes of the Filming Interactions to Nurture Development (FIND) video coaching intervention. We ...

6.

withpower.com

withpower.com/trial/phase-9-2019-bfd06

Parenting Programs for Childhood Development (SEAL Trial)

FIND (Filming Interactions to Nurture Development) is a potentially disruptive innovation in the field of early childhood intervention.

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thefindprogram.org

thefindprogram.org/

The FIND Program

Stanford Filming Interactions to Nurture Development (FIND) is a brief, flexible, highly effective video coaching program that builds upon caregivers ...

8.

ed.stanford.edu

ed.stanford.edu/news/thriving-start-early-childhood-research

Thriving from the start: Early childhood research

Yeah. FIND is an approach. It's a very strength-based approach that uses video in natural environments. It stands for Filming Interactions to ...