Current Projects

START is an enjoyable, light-touch programme that empowers caregivers to support children to develop the emotion regulation, cognitive control and attention skills they need to thrive.

We are currently in the final stages of a feasibility Randomised Controlled Trial, evaluating START for families with a connection to autism and/or ADHD, funded by NIHR. Find out more about this on the START project website. We have also recently finished piloting a version of START for Childminders, funded by the Education Endowment Foundation. Find out more at https://startproject.info/

Funded by:

The Reconceptualising Early Executive Functions project considers early executive functions from a new perspective, by asking Is it possible to reliably characterise the diverse response styles toddlers show when tackling executive function tasks? Do toddlers’ response styles have coherence across tasks and over time? By reconceptualising how to measure executive functions in toddlerhood we may be able to better chart the development of these important skills.

Being a parent to a young child can be tough. Parenting in a pandemic is tougher still. In September 2021, Dr Alexandra Hendry from University of Oxford and Dr Nayeli Gonzalez-Gomez from Oxford Brookes University ran a series of online workshops to share some early results of the research into the impacts of social distancing measures on children’s development. We shared what we have found out about how important parent-child play is for children’s development, and we asked parents what they are already doing that works well, and what barriers they face. It was clear from our workshops that lots of parents are looking for ideas and practical support for simple, engaging activities that are quick to set up, and quick to clear up. So, with help from our partners at National Literacy Trust, Peeple, Home-Start Oxford and Oxfordshire County Council, we put together 3 packs filled with ideas for toddler-friendly activities, and all the resources needed to do the activities. The ideas are deliberately simple, because parent-child play doesn’t have to be complicated to make a massive difference to child development. We shared the packs with families across Oxfordshire to help parents and carers do even more of what they’re great at: helping children learn through play. Find out more at https://playfulpacks.uk

The Born in Covid Year – Core Lockdown Effects (BICYCLE) study.

The first years of life are crucial for the development of children’s talking and thinking skills. Lockdowns meant that family life was very different. The BICYCLE study is mapping out whether being born-in-lockdown may have had effects on later talking and thinking. The study looks at children as they reach four years old, and compares them to children of the same age who were born-after-lockdown. Find out more at https://blogs.city.ac.uk/bicycle/

The Studying Autism and ADHD in earRly yearS (STAARS) project researches the early development of baby brothers and sisters of children who are autistic, have ADHD, or are typically developing. Find out more at https://www.staars.org/

The aim of the Early Development in Tuberous Sclerosis (EDiTS) Study is to better understand how the development of children with TSC differs to typically developing children, and how sudden changes in seizure severity and treatment affect development. Find out more at https://edits-study.org/