The Ready CLASS Project: An Examination of a Tier 1 Intervention in the Early Childhood Classroom A Pretest and Posttest Control Group Design

Abstract

Objective. This study explores the effect of an 8-week Tier 1 intervention on self-regulation skills, behavior concerns, and self-regulation knowledge in an early childhood classroom. Method. Researchers recruited children from two early childhood classrooms. One classroom participated in the Ready CLASS Project (RCP), an 8-week Tier 1 intervention. The other classroom acted as the control. The pre and posttest outcomes included the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment-Preschool, Second Edition (self-regulation and behavior concerns) and the RCP Knowledge Assessment. Results. The intervention led to significant changes in self-regulation and behavior concerns in comparing intervention classroom (n=17) to control classroom (n=15). The intervention also resulted in significant changes in self-regulation vocabulary and categorization when comparing intervention to control. No intervention effect was found concerning feeling identification. Conclusions. The data suggests that the intervention positively influences self-regulation, behavior, and knowledge. Occupational therapists can play a role in teaching self-regulation using a Tier 1 framework.