A Family-Based Intervention for Early Elementary Students With Reading and Behavioral Difficulties: A Pilot Study.

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Behavioral Interventions

Background:

• Children in early elementary grades often exhibit co-occurring reading and behavioral difficulties.
• Existing interventions may not adequately address the interplay between reading comprehension and behavioral engagement.
• Family involvement is crucial for supporting children's academic and behavioral development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a family-based intervention, Family-RISE (Reading Intervention with Supports for Engagement), on text comprehension in young children.
• To investigate the effectiveness of integrating reading and behavioral supports within a family context.
• To assess the usability, feasibility, and social validity of the Family-RISE intervention.

Main Methods:

• A multiple-baseline design was employed to assess the effects of Family-RISE.
• The intervention incorporated evidence-based practices for narrative text comprehension and behavioral supports.
• Data were collected on children's narrative text comprehension and intervention acceptability.

Main Results:

• A functional relation was established, demonstrating that Family-RISE substantially improved narrative text comprehension.
• Effect sizes (nonoverlap of all pairs, Tau-U, standard mean difference) were large and favored the intervention.
• Family members reported high usability, feasibility, and social validity of the Family-RISE program.

Conclusions:

• The Family-RISE intervention shows significant promise for enhancing text comprehension in children with co-occurring reading and behavioral difficulties.
• Simultaneously addressing reading and behavior within a family-based framework is a valuable approach.
• Interventions that integrate academic and behavioral supports are effective and well-received by families.