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The aim of this study is to test the casual relationship between carotenoid supplementation, cognitive function, and achievement over a school-year. The central hypothesis is that, relative to the waitlist placebo group, children receiving the carotenoid supplement will exhibit greater gains in cognitive function and achievement.
Language skills are important for long-term reading comprehension success. Yet there are limited instructional approaches available for prekindergarten (pre-K) teachers to use in their inclusive classrooms to boost literacy-related language skills in children with and without language delays or disorders. In the first part of this study, the investigators will develop a teacher training program focused on building pre-K children's language-based literacy skills. Teachers will be trained and will use the strategies that they learn during literacy-related activities in their inclusive pre-K classrooms. Their students' language-related literacy skills will be measured before and after their training. Based on teacher feedback and child assessment information, the training program will be revised. In the final part of the study, a preliminary randomized control trial (RCT) will be done using the revised training approach. The results of the RCT will help the investigators know if the teacher training program helps to improve the effectiveness of teachers' instruction and their students' development of language-related literacy skills. The primary goal of this research study is to determine whether study-trained pre-K teachers in inclusive early childhood education classrooms use more effective teaching strategies than teachers who do not receive the training. A secondary goal of this research study is to determine if this teacher training program strengthens language-related literacy skills for students with and without language disorders or delays. The research team hypothesizes that teachers who participate in the training program will use effective teaching strategies more often than teachers who do not receive the training. Additionally, the investigators predict that teachers who receive the training will feel more confident teaching early language-based literacy skills to their students (with and without language delays/disorders) than teachers who do not receive the training. Researchers also predict that students taught by teachers who receive the training will perform better on language tests when compared to their peers in classrooms where the teacher training program was not used.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of YES-IDEAS (YES: Innovative Discussion for Engagement, Achievement, and Service)compared to regular after school programming in increasing youth empowerment, promoting positive behaviors, and decreasing youth violence. Through the evidence-based YES (Youth Empowerment Solutions) program, youth design and implement projects to help improve their communities. In the current study, investigators adapted the existing YES curriculum to empower youth from diverse backgrounds to reduce violent behavior. The adapted curriculum, YES-IDEAS, focus on middle school students. The investigators test the effects of YES-IDEAS curriculum on youths' sense of empowerment, attitudes, and violent behavior. They designed the study to be a group-randomized trial in after-school programs across multiple middle schools in south-east Michigan, but issues that arose due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other practical issues with the schools we modified the design to be a matched control group design at the school level. Matching variables included size, geographic locations, race/ethnicity, free/reduced lunch status. Dose-response and sustainability of YES-IDEAS effects are also examined.
This study is a multi-functional integrated research and education project to prevent losses in academic achievement, cognitive function, and behavioral health among at-risk youth. The study tests the effects of a 8-week nutrition and physical activity-based program (Integrated Childhood Activity and Nutrition \[ICAN\]) to prevent summer learning loss. Outcomes include standardized academic achievement as well as executive function among 6-10-year-olds affected by poverty. The nutrition component of the intervention involves daily consumption of a snack containing the carotenoid lutein, typically found in high quantities in green leafy vegetables. The physical activity components will involve group games or activities.
The Family Check-Up Online, a digital health intervention, was designed to improve child mental health through family-centered intervention. The Family Check-Up is grounded in over 25 years of evidence-based research and has been shown to improve child mental health and behavior including depression and conduct problems. The investigators were supported by an SBIR Phase I award (R43MH132191) to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the digital health product in schools and to adapt the product based on findings of that work. Findings from that project suggested the model is a good fit for schools, with school providers stating a need for family-centered interventions that target child behavior and mental health, but with few resources or evidence-based programs available. The research team received feedback that suggests the model should be evaluated as both an uncoached version and coached version, delivered with provider support. In the current project, the investigators plan to continue work in schools to develop the model for commercialization, including understanding the process for embedding the FCU Online into current student support systems and implementation factors that lead to maintenance of the model in schools. The investigators plan to conduct a hybrid type 2 effectiveness-implementation trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the FCU Online when delivered by real world providers. Thirty providers (N=600 students/families) will be randomly assigned to receive training in the FCU Online coached vs. uncoached models. The research team will then evaluate outcomes including family relationships, parenting skills, and child mental health and behavior. The investigators predict that the FCU Online will improve child mental health and behavior, and will test for moderators such as provider training and child baseline risk. Findings will have implications for commercialization of the product in schools and implementation of the model in a range of different school settings.
The goal of this study is to test how well two group interventions work for middle-school children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). One of the interventions focuses on teaching parents and adolescent skills to help improve their social functioning and the other focuses on teaching parents and adolescents skills to improve organization, planning, and study skills. Eligible participants will be randomly (like a coin flip) assigned to attend one of the two interventions.