# Improving Social-Emotional, Behavioral, and Gross-Motor Skill Development in Young Children: Preliminary Testing of an Integrated Intervention

> **NIH NIH P20** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AT COLUMBIA · 2020 · $203,181

## Abstract

Young children who exhibit difficulties with social-emotional, behavioral, and gross motor development in the
early years face elevated risk for emotional and physical health problems in later childhood and adolescence.
This compounded risk can be exacerbated further by adverse conditions associated for example with poverty.
From a prevention perspective, there is a need for integrative interventions to address multiple critical
developmental processes (e.g., gross motor development and social-emotional adjustment) in early childhood
as these factors are established precursor for physical, behavioral, and emotional health. This study will
investigate the immediate and sustained effects of an integrative intervention on social-emotional, behavioral,
and gross motor development in preschool-age children from predominantly low-SES households. The
intervention combines a classroom program, focused on promoting positive behavior and social interactions,
with a gross motor skills training program, and tests it in a randomized controlled design. The specific aims are
to: 1) examine the immediate post-intervention effect of the integrative intervention, compared with the control
condition, on social-emotional, behavioral, and gross motor outcomes in preschool-age children; 2) evaluate
six-month follow-up impact of the intervention (compared with controls) on the same outcomes, controlling for
baseline levels; and 3) explore the moderating effects of baseline social-cognitive skills (e.g., executive
function, working memory, self-regulation) on post-intervention effects. It is hypothesized that children exposed
to the integrative intervention, compared with controls, will demonstrate higher levels of social-emotional and
behavioral adjustment, and gross motor skills, at post-intervention and six-month follow-up assessments. The
study tests the intervention with a sample of ≈360 children (approximately 50% female) in Title 1 pre-
Kindergarten classrooms located in a rural community in relative proximity to a metropolitan area. Data will be
collected on: a) social-emotional and behavioral skills, b) gross motor skill competence and c) process
assessments regarding all intervention fidelity and control group integrity (via systematic observation). Positive
outcomes for the early childhood integrative intervention will add to the proposition that these kinds of
prevention strategies are likely to bolster children’s overall healthy development.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9852061
- **Project number:** 1P20GM130420-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AT COLUMBIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Ali Brian
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $203,181
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9852061

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9852061, Improving Social-Emotional, Behavioral, and Gross-Motor Skill Development in Young Children: Preliminary Testing of an Integrated Intervention (1P20GM130420-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9852061. Licensed CC0.

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