Child Development ETDs
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Item Growing With Your Toddler: A Relationship-Based Approach to Healthy Child Development(2016-05-01) Weiss, Anna KriegelAs an intern at the Chances for Children Institute, I have spent two years coleading a parent-child playgroup known as “Growing with Your Toddler.” This playgroup is a relationship-based intervention that strives to strengthen the attachment bond between caregivers and their children, increase affect attunement and regulation between each dyad, and generally help children move towards healthy development. This thesis focuses on the conceptual underpinnings of the Growing with Your Toddler playgroup, including attachment theory and child-parent psychotherapy, as well as the history and evolution of these theories. Using the KIPS analysis, which is conducted by Chances for Children each year, I evaluate the ways in which the 2014-2015 group intervention affected 12 key parenting behaviors in caregiver members, as well as discuss the theoretical implications of the results.Item Assessing Latino Caregiver’s Knowledge and Understanding of Medication Management for Children and the Use of Health Technology to Gather Information(2016-05-01) Johal, Kamal JenniferFor people with low literacy who come from other cultures, accessing, understanding and using the United States healthcare system is challenging. Existing literature states that low parental health literacy among the Latino population is related to poor health outcomes for their children. This project explores Latino caregiver’s health practices and the possible uses of technology, specifically Smartphone applications (apps), to provide information about their child’s health care. The project included two focus group sessions (one in English, one in Spanish) with a total of 17 caregivers who attend a Head Start Program. The focus groups addressed two aims: (1) to understand caregivers' current knowledge and issues concerning medication management for their children; (2) to assess the current use and effectiveness of existing technology by caregivers to obtain health information. The findings suggest that caregivers are interested and could benefit from a culturally appropriate and linguistically responsive Smartphone health app. While both focus groups discussed features they would like to see in a health app, the Spanish-speaking group emphasized their personal experiences with access, communication with providers, and challenges with navigating the health care system. Caregivers identified a lack of trust that they have with the medical system which suggests the need for education of health care providers to improve their communication skills and understanding of the needs of the Latino population.Item The Effects of Praise and Motivational Interviewing on Fostering Intrinsic Motivation in Youth(2016-05-01) Platt, EliannaTechniques for fostering intrinsic motivation in children have been investigated. However, far less research has been done on adolescents. Motivational Interviewing (MI) is one tool that has been explored for fostering intrinsic motivation in adolescents. In this thesis, I draw on reflections from my clinical social work internship to demonstrate how MI may serve as a beneficial tool for fostering positive behavior and belief changes related to adolescents’ typical daily challenges. Specifically, I use case studies to explore the impact of MI on adolescents’ 1) self-esteem, 2) resiliency in the face of hardship 3) academic performance and 4) relationships.Item Leadership skills through Mixed Age Programming(2025-05-01) Luchkiw, AlexandraWhile children have access to social engagement with their peers at school and extracurricular programming, it is rare that they interact in a mixed age group. However, it has been seen that mixed age play can promote a growth in social competence. Much of the former research on this topic is focused on the benefits that mixed age groupings have on younger children. It was my goal to delineate the benefits that mixed age groupings could have on older children and specifically on the growth of their leadership skills. This project aims to understand the benefits mixed age programming has on the creation of leadership skills and social competence. Moreover, it was my intention to study the ways in which the creation of leadership or authority in children may have an impact on the social-cognitive development of the participants of mixed age programs. In order to conduct this research, I observed a two hour after school program with children ages eighteen months to five years old over a three month period. I looked for evidence of teaching and nurturing behavior, verbal accommodations and conflict resolution in the behavior of older students. I also interviewed the parents of these students to understand any modifying factors these children may have in their environment. Finally, I interviewed teachers from this program and others in the area in order to broaden the scope of the project to differently structured programs and understand teacher perspectives. From this research, I found that mixed age programming allows for a range of capacities of children which lets them grow socially at their own pace. I also found that mixed age groupings allow older children the opportunity to grow in their leadership skills and fosters social gain in this way.Item Exploring the Role of Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) Following Childhood Trauma: Play Modalities, Therapeutic Outcomes, and Key Gaps(2025-05-01) Malapatti, GitanjaliChild-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) is a widely utilized therapeutic approach that facilitates children's emotional processing and resilience following traumatic experiences (Ogawa, 2004). Despite its effectiveness, research and practice gaps remain regarding its application for children who have experienced trauma. This study examines the perspectives of CCPT practitioners on the therapist’s role in supporting children, especially those who have experienced trauma, in their emotional healing and psychological well-being, addressing key limitations in existing research. A qualitative research design was employed, using semi-structured interviews with six practicing CCPT therapists to explore their experiences, insights, and challenges regarding CCPT’s effectiveness for children exposed to trauma. The findings highlight that CCPT encourages and supports self-expression and coping skills but is affected by treatment duration, therapist training, and caregiver or parental involvement. Additionally, participants highlighted the lack of standardized assessment tools to measure therapeutic progress consistently and pointed out the need for trauma-informed competencies among CCPT practitioners. These findings suggest that integrating trauma-sensitive techniques within CCPT, along with structured caregiver engagement models, long-term follow-ups, and enhanced practitioner training, could improve its effectiveness in supporting children’s emotional adjustment post-trauma. Addressing these gaps through targeted research and protocol development will contribute to making CCPT a more comprehensive and inclusive intervention for children who have experienced trauma.