The Turtle Project

Helping Young Inhibited Children Come out of Their Shells

Approximately 15% of young children experience distress and avoidance in the face of new situations that may interfere with social participation at daycare/school, extracurricular activities (e.g., soccer, gymnastics), and social events (e.g., birthday parties). Unfortunately, over time, this temperament style may place them at risk for the later development of anxiety disorders. For decades, we have examined various factors that increase or decrease this risk.

 With funding from the National Institutes of Health and in collaboration with Dr. Ken Rubin in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology at UMD, we developed an intervention for young children with elevated behavioral inhibition and their parents to reduce risk for later negative outcomes. We are now conducting a large-scale clinical trial to compare two active interventions to see which works best for which children and families.

 We are recruiting 3 - 5-year-old children and their parents who are enrolled in a structured daycare, preschool or kindergarten who display inhibition and shyness in social situations. If you are interested in participating in this intervention study, please contact our research team at littleturtles@umd.edu.