Interactive Gardening Intervention for Preschoolers With Developmental Delays: A Family-Centered Feasibility Study

This pilot study examined the feasibility and preliminary effects of an interactive, family-centered gardening intervention on social functioning, sensory integration, and caregiver-related outcomes among preschool children with developmental delays and their caregivers.

A nonrandomized controlled pretest-posttest design was conducted in an outpatient rehabilitation setting. Sixty caregiver-child dyads were allocated to an intervention group (n = 30) or a routine-care control group (n = 30). The intervention consisted of 6 weekly 40-minute gardening sessions combined with home-based activities. Outcomes included caregiver stress (Parenting Stress Index-Short Form), parenting efficacy (Parenting Sense of Competence Scale), children's social functioning (Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Chinese version), and sensory integration (Child Sensory Integration Scale). Program satisfaction and caregiver feedback were also collected following intervention completion.

Social functioning improved within the intervention group (mean change, 3.34 ± 9.47; p = .007), but not in controls (1.72 ± 13.56; p = .269). No significant changes were observed in sensory integration or caregiver-related outcomes, although caregivers reported program satisfaction and perceived improvements in parent-child interaction and child engagement.

The findings suggest that a family-centered gardening intervention is feasible, well accepted, and may serve as a complementary approach to support social participation in early childhood rehabilitation.