Family Nurture Intervention, A Group Model in Connecticut

There are several early intervention programs that are available for children with emotional, behavioral and developmental disorders, ranging from behavioral treatment and sensory exposure therapy to pharmaceutical treatments. Although improvements in behavior have resulted from these interventions, they are limited in numerous ways. They are usually time-consuming, both for the child and the teacher or clinician providing the intervention. In order to see an effect of the intervention, most children must engage in the intervention procedure for several years. Moreover, the effects of most current intervention procedures are minimal to moderate. Pharmaceutical prescriptions are often accompanied by undesirable side effects that may modulate behavior, emotion, and physiological functions. The behavioral, neurobiological and clinical insights gained from this project may eventually lead to better treatment of emotional, behavioral and developmental disorders.

Inclusion criteria

• Child is a singleton
• Mother can speak in English or Spanish
• Child is between the ages of 2 to 4 ½ years at date of enrollment
• Mother is 18 years of age or older at the time of consent
• Child demonstrates developmental deficit as measured by the SDQ (cutoff of 13 or more on the total score excluding the pro-social questions; OR 4 or less on the pro-social questions, which are reverse scored i.e. higher is better)
• Child must reside with mother

Exclusion criteria

• The child has severe congenital anomalies or chromosomal anomalies including Downs syndrome and Cerebral Palsy
• The child has a diagnosis of Autism
• The child has severe motor or physical disability
• Mother currently presents with psychosis or is currently taking antipsychotic medication
• Current maternal drug and/or alcohol abuse
• Mother has any current involvement with Child Protective Services (Department of Children and Families)
• Mother is pregnant
• Mother and/or infant has a medical condition or contagion that precludes intervention components