The Building Resilience Program: Promoting Engagement and Self-Regulation in Preschoolers with Adverse Childhood Experiences

This pilot study examined the effects of an occupational therapy-led Building Resilience Program (BRP) on preschoolers with adverse childhood experiences. Using a randomized waitlist control design, 38 children from an urban Early Learning Center participated in a 7-week trauma-informed intervention targeting classroom behaviors, self-regulation, and engagement. While standardized measures showed medium effect sizes without statistical significance due to limited sample size, Goal Attainment Scaling revealed significant improvements in individualized behavior, engagement, and regulation outcomes with large effect sizes. Results suggest the BRP shows promise for improving outcomes in trauma-exposed preschoolers, with individualized measures proving more viable than standardized assessments.