Intervention in Time Processing Ability and Everyday Functioning for Preschool Children in Need of Special Support: A Randomized Controlled Study

Children in need of special support in preschool (INS) often exhibit delayed time processing ability (TPA) which can significantly impact their everyday functioning (EDF).This study evaluates whether the MyTime intervention could improve TPA and EDF in preschool children aged five to six-year INS. A registered randomized controlled trial (ISRCTN85136134) using a waiting-list control group investigated the effectiveness of MyTime, an occupational therapy intervention program given to preschool children INS in their classrooms for 8 weeks. Data collection included KaTid-Child (R) for the assessment of TPA, the Time-Parent scale, the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, and the Autonomy scale for assessing EDF. To evaluate between-group differences, data were analyzed using linear regression.The results show that both groups improved from baseline to post-intervention in TPA and everyday functioning but at the post-intervention, there were no between-group differences. To summarize, the MyTime intervention, indicated an increase in TPA and EDF but no between-group differences were found. Early cognitive levels of TPA in preschool children INS advocate for a longer intervention period. It is possible that long-term follow-up or additional measuring of the teacher's attitudes and the children's engagement in the preschool context could have yielded other results.