Time Timer® Can Increase Self-Regulation in Children, New Research From Florida Atlantic University Demonstrates
CINCINNATI, March 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent study by investigators at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) found that children ages 2-4 years old showed a significant increase in self-regulation skills when Time Timer® was used to facilitate their activity. Time Timer ® is a visual timer that displays the passage of time with a disappearing colored disk. Used in classrooms and special needs settings for two decades, it serves as a tool for visual thinkers of all ages and abilities.
The children, who were at risk of developmental delays, were observed performing typical individual or group activities such as reading picture books or playing with blocks. When a Time Timer® was utilized during their activity, each child's accuracy and engagement in the activity increased dramatically.
"The Time Timer was truly an excellent way to promote self-regulation among these children," stated Kalynn Hall Pistorio, M.S. and doctoral candidate, who served as primary investigator of the study. "Using literacy-based behavioural interventions to teach self-regulation skills to young children," that was recently published in Early Child Development and Care. The study was also conducted by Michael P. Brady, Ph.D., chair of the faculty of the Department of Exceptional Student Education at FAU, and Cindy Morris, M.S.
The research also found that Time Timer ® had a positive impact on all children, stating that "learning to use the timer to self-regulate had a positive impact on all of the children's engagement in the play and activity centers."
Brady added, "Children as young as 2 years old used the timers to learn to self-regulate, and increased their participation in learning center activities."
A group of special educators from Florida Atlantic University discovered Time Timer ® at a vendor exhibition. Explains Brady, "When we saw the Time Timers, imaginations ran wild. As former teachers, we saw the obvious potential, but as academics, we began to wonder how these tools might hold up to empirical scrutiny. This study was the first to incorporate the timers into our research on Literacy Based Behavioral Interventions (LBBIs). The results were better than we had hoped for. We are now incorporating Time Timers into other LBBI studies, and the results show just how valuable these timers can be for children who need that extra boost to help them learn."
The study concluded that "All children showed a dramatic increase in activity engagement while using the Time Timer" and that "all students increased their accuracy and independence in performing the new self-regulation skill, and increased their play and early literacy engagement in classroom and public settings."
Research is underway on a second study examining the effect of using the Time Timer ® in early childhood development.
Read the full study here:
Hall Pistorio, K., Brady, M. P., & Morris, C. (2017). Using literacy-based behavioural interventions to teach self-regulation skills to young children. Early Child Development and Care, DOI: 10.1080/0304430.2017.1406483
For b-roll, click here.
Contact:
Kalynn Hall Pistorio, M.S.
Florida Atlantic University
[email protected]
(561) 313-3816
SOURCE Time Timer
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