Effects Of Early Intervention Program Research Articles

E-EARLY TOGETHER Intervention for Infants at High Risk of Cerebral Palsy: Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an early intervention program, e-EARLY TOGETHER, that combines goal-oriented training, parental coaching, environmental enrichment in a telehealth approach in a low- and middle-income country. Protocol for a randomized controlled clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of e-EARLY TOGETHER intervention compared to standard guidelines on outcomes related to development and performance in infants at high risk of cerebral palsy. This protocol will inform and enrich clinical practice related to early intervention in low- and middle-income countries. It is expected that the data obtained will contribute to the implementation of effective early intervention programs with positive and lasting results for the child, their family, and the community. Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials: RBR-7WWJRQ3, registered May 10, 2023; WHO Trial Registration UTN Code U-1111-1286-4639.

Early Intervention Programs for Adolescents and Young Adults With Eating Disorders

What Is the Problem? How Might Early Intervention Help Fix the Problem?
 
 The number of adolescents and young adults living with eating disorders is on the rise. This increase was especially noticeable during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than a 50% increase in the number of young women being hospitalized with an eating disorder.
 Early intervention programs are those delivered by community or health care–based organizations that offer interventions to treat adolescents and young adults living with eating disorders within the first 3 years of diagnosable disorder, with the intention of providing earlier access and preventing disease progression.
 
 What Did We Do?
 
 Advisors with lived experience of eating disorders shared their perspectives and priorities to help reviewers contextualize the evidence and interpret the findings in the literature. Advisors highlighted their treatment experiences and priorities for early intervention, highlighting equity considerations and challenges.
 We conducted a literature search to identify, gather, synthesize, and summarize relevant evidence to inform our understanding of the clinical effectiveness and clinical harms of early intervention programs.
 A search of the economic literature was conducted to identify economic evaluations of early intervention programs to treat adolescents and young adults living with eating disorders. Based on an assessment of the clinical evidence, the uncertainty and heterogeneity of the information precluded a de novo cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA). As such, a narrative summary of the health care resources required to implement an early intervention program for adolescents and young adults living with eating disorders was conducted.
 
 What Did We Find?
 
 Advisors with lived experience of eating disorders described a need for greater access to specialized services focused on eating disorder treatment, equity, capacity building, and culture change. Specific treatment approaches mentioned included family-based treatment, cognitive behavioural therapy, peer support, and group therapy.
 We identified 14 studies related to the clinical effectiveness of early intervention programs. We did not identify any studies evaluating clinical harms.
 The findings from included studies suggest that earlier engagement and access to eating disorder support could have clinical benefits; however, interpretation of these findings are uncertain due to various factors.
 No evidence was identified in the search for information on the cost-effectiveness of early intervention programs for the treatment of adolescents and young adults living with an eating disorder.
 The resources needed to run early intervention programs (or other similar interventional programs) to treat eating disorders may include administration, staffing, training, IT support and infrastructure, and other overhead costs related to the location in which the service is provided.
 
 What Does This Mean?
 
 The clinical evidence suggests that investment of health care resources into early intervention programs shows potential for overall benefit and may help address challenges with access to treatment, which was identified as an issue by those with lived experience.
 The human and financial resources required to implement early intervention programs will vary depending on the treatment options and treatment frequency chosen.
 The demands on an already limited pool of specialized health care resources in eating disorder care are important considerations when choosing whether to implement any new eating disorder treatment programs. Training and recruiting of specialized health care providers will be a key implementation consideration for any new early intervention program for the treatment of eating disorders.
 Further consultation with a diverse group of adolescents and young adults with lived experience with eating disorders might be beneficial to inform implementation of early intervention programs within the Canadian context.

Investigating predictors of juvenile traditional and/or cyber offense using machine learning by constructing a decision support system

The present study aims to examine whether criminogenic risk factors can be applied to explain different types of juvenile offenses involving traditional and/or cyber offenses, and explore their common and unique patterns presented among juvenile offenders. To achieve the goals, this study employs machine learning (ML) techniques to construct a decision support system that predicts different types of juvenile offenses (i.e., non-offense, hacking only, traditional offense only, and both offenses) by risk factors rooted in a variety of criminological theories. This study is based on the data from the Second International Self-Report of Delinquency Study. The results demonstrate the generalizability of mainstream criminological theories to juvenile hacking and dual offenses involving both traditional offense and hacking. ML predictive models can successfully distinguish between different types of juvenile offenders and identify the most influential risk factors (e.g., gender, digital piracy, substance use, victimization, and parental supervision). The relative importance of risk factors provides valuable information to decision-makers and stakeholders in the juvenile justice system for developing more effective risk assessments and early intervention programs targeting different types of juvenile offenders.

Socioeconomic status and home affordances moderate effects of motor delay and intervention

This study explored effects of socioeconomic status (SES) and home affordances on motor, language, and cognitive development in children with motor delays; it also tested whether SES and home affordances moderate the effect of the novel START-Play early intervention or motor delay severity on development. Participants were 112 children (64 males, 36.6% low SES) with motor delays tested longitudinally across 12 months (baseline age: Mean = 10.80, SD = 2.59 months). The results showed that more advanced motor, language, and cognitive development of children with motor delays is associated with high SES and enriched home affordances. Importantly, SES and home affordances moderated the effect of both intervention and motor delay severity on children's development. These results suggest that the effectiveness of early intervention programs may be enhanced and the negative impact of risk factors (i.e., motor delays) on children's global development could be considerably alleviated through environmental supports that increase SES and home affordances.

Rhythmic auditory stimulation incorporated in training improved movements in individuals with psychotic-like experiences.

Movement abnormalities, including movement slowing and irregular muscle contraction, exist in individuals with psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) and serve as vulnerable factors of developing psychotic diseases in the psychosis continuum. To date scarce studies have developed early intervention programs tackling these initial impairments, which may be caused by basal ganglia alterations, in the early stage of the psychosis course. Rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) is a technique of neurological music therapy and has been proved effective in inducing faster movements in patients with psychotic diseases. This pilot study examined if RAS incorporated in functional movement training reduced severity of movement slowing and irregular muscle contraction in individuals with PLEs. Seventeen individuals with PLEs were randomly allocated to receiving RAS or receiving no RAS and underwent daily 40-min movement training (picking up beans) for three weeks. This study used motion analysis to measure movement performance at pretest and posttest. Eighteen age- and gender-matched individuals without PLEs were also recruited to provide data of intact movements. Results showed that RAS may reduce severity of movement slowing and irregular muscle contraction in individuals with PLEs. This pilot study is one of the pioneering studies validating effectiveness of early intervention programs tackling movement abnormalities, which are initial impairments in the psychosis continuum, in individuals with PLEs.

Associations Between Adolescent Problematic Internet Use and Relationship Problems in Chinese Families: Findings from a Large-scale Survey.

Problematic internet use (PIU) is prevalent among Chinese adolescents. There is a need to better understand how the quality of parent-adolescent relationship is associated with adolescent PIU to guide the development of effective prevention and early intervention programs. This study aims to evaluate parent-adolescent conflict and parenting styles as potential risk factors associated with adolescent PIU. A sample of 6552 students (aged 10-19 years) from 22 schools in Guangdong, China, was recruited. The participants completed self-report questionnaires measuring their perceptions of conflict with their parents (involving verbal conflict, emotional abuse, and physical abuse) as well as their perceptions of their parents' parenting styles (including parental care and parental control as measured by the Parental Bonding Inventory), and PIU using the Adolescent Pathological Internet Use Scale. Grade level and gender were examined as moderators of these associations. Using multiple regression analyses, we found that greater mother-adolescent conflict, father-adolescent conflict, and parental control, and lower levels of parental care, were associated with higher levels of adolescent PIU (P<.001). The association between mother-adolescent conflict and PIU was stronger in older students than in younger students (P=.04), whereas the association between father-adolescent conflict and PIU was stronger in male students than in female students (P=.02). Compared with those who reported no mother-adolescent conflict, participants who experienced verbal conflict and emotional abuse, but not physical abuse from their mothers, reported higher levels of PIU (P<.001). Compared with those who reported no father-adolescent conflict, participants who experienced verbal conflict, emotional abuse, and physical abuse from their fathers had significantly higher levels of PIU (P<.001, P<.001, and P=.02, respectively). These findings point to the value of interventions to reduce parental verbal conflict, emotional abuse, and physical abuse, and to increase positive parenting styles, to lower the risk of PIU in Chinese adolescents.

A Study on Effectiveness of Early Intervention Programs used for Children with Intellectual Disabilities

The present study was designed to see the effectiveness of early intervention programs available for children with intellectual disabilities in Lahore. This research study was quantitative and used a cross-sectional survey design. The data were collected from 120 parents using purposive sampling technique. A self-constructed structured questionnaire was designed to measure the effectiveness of the available programs. Data was collected from the parents of children with intellectual disabilities from Amin Maktab, Rising Son and Autism Institute situated in the Lahore. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data and study findings revealed that majority of parents (41%) were using dietary intervention, followed by medical intervention (23%), behavioral therapy (19%) educational intervention (17%). Results showed that majority of parents (49%) started taking early intervention during the age of 3-4 years. One-way analysis of variance revealed that the intervention started earlier (0-2 years) showed significant improvement in intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviors of children with intellectual disabilities but no significant difference between parents’ preference for early intervention and the gender of children was found. The study highlights the need for future researches on a larger sample including other disabilities as well.

Differential-diagnostic parameters of motor speech disorders

Changes in speech may be the only evidence of neurological disease in the early stages of its evolution and sometimes the only significant symptom in a pro?gressive neurological condition. The relationship between speech and motor control of speech is complex and two-way, and systematic research into the nature of these interactive processes has the potential to deepen our understanding of the typical as well as patho?logical development of speech. The aim of this paper is to present the basic diagnostic characteristics of motor speech disorders in the early period based on a review of the relevant literature, with an emphasis on diagnosis and early intervention. The literature search was performed through the Google Scholar Advanced Search search engine and the Consortium of Libraries of Serbia for Unified Procurement - KoBSON. The multi?factorial nature of motor speech disorders indicates that effective diagnosis and treatment planning require a dynamic, process-oriented approach aimed at describing the underly?ing deficits that characterize these disorders. A review of previous studies shows that recognizing and understanding motor speech disorders contributes to a more complete clinical understanding of other conditions related to motor speech disorders, allowing us a better insight into the treatment of motor speech disorders. Accurate diagnostic methods and effective early intervention programs are crucial to limit the short-term and long-term negative impact of motor speech disorders on an individual?s quality of life.

A model for using developmental science to create effective early intervention programs and technologies to improve children's developmental outcomes.

Children born with a variety of environmental or medical risk factors may exhibit delays in global development. Very often, such delays are identified at preschool or school age, when children are severely overdue for effective early interventions that can alleviate the delays. This chapter proposes a conceptual model of child development to inform the creation of interventions and rehabilitative technologies that can be provided very early in development, throughout the first year of life, to optimize children's future developmental outcomes. The model suggests that early sensorimotor skills are antecedent and foundational for future motor, cognitive, language, and social development. As an example, this chapter describes how children's early postural control and exploratory movements facilitate the development of future object exploration behaviors that provide enhanced opportunities for learning and advance children's motor, cognitive, language, and social development. An understanding of the developmental pathways in the model can enable the design of effective intervention programs and rehabilitative technologies that target sensorimotor skills in the first year of life with the goal of minimizing or ameliorating the delays that are typically identified at preschool or school age. Specific examples of early interventions and rehabilitative technologies that have effectively advanced children's motor and cognitive development by targeting early sensorimotor skills and behaviors are provided.

Dyslexia as the most prevalent form of specific learning disabilities

Dyslexia is the most common form of specific learning disabilities. Dyslexia is observed in 5-17.5 % of schoolchildren, and among children with specific learning disabilities, it accounts for about 70-80 %. Usually, dyslexia manifests itself as the inability to achieve an appropriate level of reading skills development that would be proportional to their intellectual abilities and writing and spelling skills. Secondary consequences of dyslexia may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary and background skills. The review discusses neurological management of reading and writing as complex higher mental functions, including many components that are provided by various brain areas. The principles of dyslexia classification, the main characteristics of its traditionally defined forms are given: phonemic, optical, mnestic, semantic, agrammatic. The article analyzes the cerebral mechanisms of dyslexia development, the results of studies using neuropsychological methods, functional neuroimaging, and the study of the brain connectome. The contribution to dyslexia development of disturbances in phonological awareness, rapid automated naming (RAN), the volume of visual attention (VAS), components of the brain executive functions is discussed. The origin of emotional disorders in children with dyslexia, risk factors for dyslexia development (including genetic predisposition) are considered. Dyslexia manifestations in children are listed, about which their parents seek the advice of a specialist for the first time. In the process of diagnosing dyslexia, attention should be paid to the delay in the child’s speech development, cases of speech and language development disorders and specific learning disabilities among family members. It is necessary to consider possible comorbidity of dyslexia in a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyscalculia, developmental dyspraxia, disorders of emotional control and brain executive functions. Timely diagnosis determines the effectiveness of early intervention programs based on an integrated multimodal approach.

The Effectiveness of Early Intervention Programs for Children with Disabilities from 0 to 8 years: A Systematic Review

The Effectiveness of Early Intervention Programs for Children with Disabilities from 0 to 8 years: A Systematic Review

Absenteeism and Presenteeism Among American Workers

Recent policy proposals for early intervention argue that health and workplace supports may be more effective if they are provided soon after the onset of a disabling condition, before an individual has completely stopped working. One challenge in developing effective early intervention programs, however, is identifying workers who may benefit from this type of assistance. Chronic absence from work or presenteeism (working while sick) could signal a worker has begun transitioning out of the labor force and may benefit from early intervention. We analyze the relationship between absences, presenteeism, and work outcomes using data from the American Working Conditions Survey. We find absences and productivity losses when working while sick are quite low on average, and absenteeism and presenteeism are highly positively correlated. We find no relationship between subsequent work outcomes and either absences or presenteeism except for individuals in the extreme right tail (95th percentile) of the absence distribution, who also engage in presenteeism. Those workers with extremely high absence rates and presenteeism have an 80% higher probability of labor force exit 3 years later. Our findings suggest that workers with many absences could be a useful group to target for early interventions and accommodations.

The Effects of Early Intervention Programs on the Social Communication Skills of Young Children with Autism: A Systematic Review

The Effects of Early Intervention Programs on the Social Communication Skills of Young Children with Autism: A Systematic Review

저소득 가정 영유아의 조기개입 프로그램이 영유아 발달에 미치는 영향 - 드림스타트 대상 아동의 2년간의 변화 중심으로 -

본 연구의 목적은 가정의 경제적 빈곤이 영유아의 발달에 미치는 부정적인 영향을 방지하기 위한 드림스타트 사업의 조기개입 프로그램이 효과가 있는지 영유아 발달적인 측면에서 살펴보고자 한다. 본 연구 대상자는 드림스타트 사업에 참여한 영유아를 대상으로 99개 시군구 드림스타트에서 2015년부터 드림스타트 프로그램에 참여한 영아 703명, 유아 580명을 추적 조사한 내용으로 분석대상은 영아 263명, 유아 452명의 자료다.BR 주요 분석 결과, 가족구성형태에 따라 영유아의 발달 상태에서 차이가 나타났으며, 정부의 지원형태에 따라서도 영유아의 발달 상태에서 차이가 나타났다. 또한, 드림스타트 사례관리 등급에 따라서도 영유아 발달 상태에서 차이가 나타났다. 특히, 2015년에는 드림스타트에서 개입하지 않았지만, 2016년부터 드림스타트에서 개입한 영유아의 경우, 영유아의 발달에는 통계적으로 유의미한 차이가 나타나지 않았으나, 영아의 대근육 운동, 소근육 운동에서의 발달점수가 다소 상승한 것을 확인할 수 있었고, 드림스타트에서 2015년부터 개입하여 2016년에도 지속적으로 개입하였을 경우, 영아의 신체발달 영역인 대근육 운동과 소근육 운동은 확연하게 발달되었고, 유아는 의사소통, 사회성이 확연하게 발달된 것으로 나타남으로써, 저소득 가정 영유아의 조기개입 프로그램이 영유아 발달에 미치는 영향을 확인할 수 있었다.

Language Experience in the Second Year of Life and Language Outcomes in Late Childhood.

Quantity of talk and interaction in the home during early childhood is correlated with socioeconomic status (SES) and can be used to predict early language and cognitive outcomes. We tested the effectiveness of automated early language environment estimates for children 2 to 36 months old to predict cognitive and language skills 10 years later and examined effects for specific developmental age periods. Daylong audio recordings for 146 infants and toddlers were completed monthly for 6 months, and the total number of daily adult words and adult-child conversational turnswere automatically estimated with Language Environment Analysis software. Follow-up evaluations at 9 to 14 years of age included language and cognitive testing. Language exposure for 3 age groups was assessed: 2 to 17 months, 18 to 24 months, and ≥25 months. Pearson correlations and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted. Conversational turn counts at 18 to 24 months of age accounted for 14% to 27% of the variance in IQ, verbal comprehension, and receptive and/or expressive vocabulary scores 10 years later after controlling for SES. Adult word counts between 18 and 24 months were correlated with language outcomes but were considerably weakened after controlling for SES. These data support the hypothesis that early talk and interaction, particularly during the relatively narrow developmental window of 18 to 24 months of age, can be used to predict school-age language and cognitive outcomes. With these findings, we underscore the need for effective early intervention programs that support parents in creating an optimal early language learning environment in the home.

Harnessing the Power of Administrative Data to Create a Provincial-Level Child Heath Profile and Birth Cohort in New Brunswick (NB) and Prince Edward Island (PEI)

IntroductionEarly-life prevention of chronic diseases is crucial to a healthy adulthood. However, evidence is often lacking to assess the effectiveness of early intervention programs, partly because of failure to make use of existing data. This project aims to capitalize on existing administrative data in two provinces to address this gap.&#x0D; Objectives and ApproachTo identify and evaluate selected administrative databases (AD) from NB and PEI to create an intra-provincial Child Health Profile (CHP) and establish the foundation for a population-based birth cohort database in each province using existing administrative data. Integrated knowledge translation (iKT) was implemented to facilitate the continuous involvement of knowledge users and stakeholders, including provincial government managers/decision-makers, data custodians, health practitioners, parents and community organizations. Consultations were held to identify the AD of interest and develop a roadmap for the CHP. For each dataset, a list and description of data and analytical variables was produced and data access requested.&#x0D; ResultsNot all AD identified are equally complete and accessible to researchers. Data access, preparation and linkage are challenging but feasible. This process was facilitated by iKT, which also contributes to capacity building. Several AD, mainly healthcare AD, including the Healthy Toddler Assessment and NutriSTEP, are currently accessible. An analytic framework was developed for pulling the data together and planning their analyses to produce the CHP. Based on the data currently accessible, the first CHP will focus on data at birth and at 18 months. Other databases (e.g., preschooler assessments) may be included subsequently. Work is underway to create workable datasets from which the CHP and roadmap for the birth cohort are being developed. This approach is scalable and can be extended to other jurisdictions.&#x0D; Conclusion/ImplicationsSelect AD in NB and PEI are rich resources for establishing a comprehensive CHP and population-based birth cohort database in each province. These new tools will enable various stakeholders to monitor and report on child health over the long term, and to evaluate current practices and future health interventions.

Effectiveness of early intervention programs for parents of preterm infants: a meta-review of systematic reviews

BackgroundVarious intervention programs exist for parents of preterm babies and some systematic reviews (SRs) have synthesised the evidence of their effectiveness. These reviews are, however, limited to specific interventions, components, or outcomes, and a comprehensive evidence base is lacking. The aim of this meta-review was to appraise and meta-synthesise the evidence from existing SRs to provide a comprehensive evidence base on the effectiveness of interventions for parents of preterm infants on parental and infant outcomes.MethodsWe conducted a comprehensive search of the following databases to identify relevant SRs: Cochrane library, Web of science, EMBASE, CINAHL, British Nursing Index, PsycINFO, Medline, ScienceDirect, Scopus, IBSS, DOAJ, ERIC, EPPI-Centre, PROSPERO, WHO Library. Additional searches were conducted using authors’ institutional libraries, Google Scholar, and the reference lists of identified reviews. Identified articles were screened in two stages against an inclusion criteria with titles and abstracts screened first followed by full-text screening. Selected SRs were appraised using the AMSTAR tool. Extracted data using a predesigned tool were synthesised narratively examining the direction of impact on outcomes.ResultsWe found 11 SRs eligible for inclusion that synthesised a total of 343 quantitative primary studies. The average quality of the SRs was ‘medium’. Thirty four interventions were reported across the SRs with considerable heterogeneity in the structural framework and the targeted outcomes that included maternal-infant dyadic, maternal/parental, and infant outcomes. Among all interventions, Kangaroo Care (KC) showed the most frequent positive impact across outcomes (n = 19) followed by Mother Infant Transaction Program (MITP) (n = 14). Other interventions with most consistent positive impact on infant outcomes were Modified-Mother Infant Transaction Program (M-MITP) (n = 6), Infant Health and Development Program (IHDP) (n = 5) and Creating Opportunities for Parent Empowerment (COPE) (n = 5). Overall, interventions with both home and facility based components showed the most frequent positive impact across outcomes.ConclusionsNeonatal care policy and planning for preterm babies should consider the implementation of interventions with most positive impact on outcomes. The heterogeneity in interventions and outcomes calls for the development and implementation of an integrated program for parents of preterm infants with a clearly defined global set of parental and infant outcomes.

Outcomes of An Early Intervention Programme on Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is becoming global problem as it is being diagnosed very frequently amongst the non communicable diseases. Lack of socialization, communication skill and behavioural abnormality are the main problem belongs to the disease. Cornerstone of the management is based on early intervention program directed to improve the communication and socialization skill. In Bangladesh different early intervention strategies are implicated adopting from evidence based practices in the developed countries. To determine the effect of early intervention program on the improvement of socialization and communication skills of children with ASD who attended an early intervention programme at the Institute of Autism and Child Development, Chattagram Maa Shishu -O-General Hospital.Methods: This is a quasi experimental study carried out at Institute of Autism and Child Development, Chattagram Maa Shishu-O-General Hospital from January 2015 to December 2015. Children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) aged 1-5 years enrolled as study subjects which is fifty in number. Screening of ASD was carried out by psychological tools like M—Chat (1-3yrs) &amp; ASD assessment scale (&gt; 3yrs). Diagnosis was confirmed by ADOS-G (Autism Diagnosis Observation Schedule- Generic). Internvention was provided on a 1:1 basis which was adopted from various evidence based practices including the ‘More Than Words’. Intervention were given for three subsequent session in one month interval. Level of communications were measured after intervention and compared with pre intevvention level.Results: Significant improvements has been observed in overall level of communication and activities of daily living which included eye contact, attention, joint attention, turn taking, toilet training.Conclusion: A well planned early intervention programme for children with ASD can speed up the social communication development in such a way that gives rise to a hope of mainstreaming these children in future.Chatt Maa Shi Hosp Med Coll J; Vol.16 (2); July 2017; Page 9-13

Reading fluency: normative data for Romanian speaking population

The purpose of this study was to establish reading fluency norms for first grade students at the end of the school year in Romanian language using PEAFC (Proba de evaluare şi antrenare a fluenţei în citire/ The Assessment and Training of Reading Fluency Instrument, Bodea Haţegan &amp; Talaş, 2014). A representative sample of 1977 first grade students (with ages between 7 and 8 years old) was assessed, girls (Ng=954) and boys (Nb=1023), from different counties from Romania (Nc=11), attending rural (Nr= 385) and urban (Nu=1592) elementary schools. Oral reading fluency norms were established on the linguistic structure of the words (monosyllabic, disyllabic, three syllable words and text words). The results of this study offer a new perspective on the reading fluency levels at the end of the first grade and will help the teachers and the specialists to identify students at risk for dyslexia and to start effective early intervention programs to improve reading fluency.

Efficacy of Fun to Learn for the Young Program: Randomized Controlled Trial

Early intervention for children from disadvantaged backgrounds has been found to be effective in improving their learning and psychosocial outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the Fun to Learn for the Young (FLY) program using randomized controlled trial design with no blinding of participants. Participants included 200 Hong Kong Chinese parent–child dyads (intervention:101; control: 99) with children aged 18 months from disadvantaged backgrounds. Participants were recruited from three non-governmental organizations. The intervention group participated in the 60-session FLY program which consisted of direct teaching to children and parent training. Parent participants from both groups completed questionnaires on child learning, child behavior and parenting before the intervention, at the end of 40 sessions, and 60 sessions. The children were individually assessed on their preschool concepts and language skills at these three time points. Results indicated that the children in the intervention group made more gains in preschool concepts, language skills, school readiness and motivation, compared with control group children (η p 2 = .018–.029). The results provided some initial evidence that the FLY program was an effective early intervention program in promoting child learning.