Enhancing Executive Control in Early Childhood: Educators' Implementation of the Pedagogical Occupational Executive...

Area of Science:

• Occupational therapy
• Early childhood education
• Child psychology

Background:

• Executive control is crucial for children's learning and daily functioning.
• Parent-based interventions like POET have shown success, but adaptations for educational settings are needed.
• Teacher-implemented interventions offer a scalable approach to support children's executive functions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility (adherence, fidelity, acceptance, implementation) of the Pedagogic Occupational Executive Training-Teacher (POET-T) program.
• To preliminarily evaluate the efficacy of POET-T in enhancing executive control among young children in educational settings.
• To adapt a validated parent-based intervention for delivery by teachers in mainstream classrooms.

Main Methods:

• Eleven early childhood teachers implemented the POET-T intervention over six weeks in mainstream classrooms.
• Feasibility was assessed via teacher questionnaires and occupational therapist fidelity ratings.
• Children's executive functions and routine management were measured using the EFORTS-EC and BRIEF-P questionnaires pre- and post-intervention.

Main Results:

• Teacher feedback indicated high acceptance, consistent program use, and successful implementation of POET-T principles.
• Significant improvements were observed in children's ability to manage daily routines from pre- to post-intervention.
• No significant changes were found in children's general executive functions following the intervention.

Conclusions:

• The POET-T intervention is a scalable and feasible approach for enhancing children's executive control within daily educational routines.
• The findings suggest POET-T's potential to positively impact routine management in early childhood settings.
• Further research is warranted to establish the definitive effectiveness of POET-T on broader executive function skills.