A feasibility study of Watch Me Play! for parents of young children with developmental delay

Children with developmental delay experience elevated rates of behavioural and mental health difficulties, often within the context of strained parent–child relationships. Early, accessible interventions targeting relational processes are therefore critical, yet remain limited. We evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of Watch Me Play! (WMP), a child-led, relationship-focused intervention, delivered remotely to parents of young children with developmental delay. Parents of 0–6-year-old children with a confirmed or suspected developmental disability participated in a five-week programme comprising practitioner-facilitated and independent sessions. Thirty-eight parents expressed an interest in the study and 15 parents consented (39.5% recruitment rate). Of those, 53% completed WMP within five weeks, while 73% completed over seven weeks. Outcome measure completion was high at 80%. Although the study was not powered to assess effectiveness, clinically significant change was seen for parenting efficacy, parenting stress, parent-child relationship quality, child behaviour and emotional problems, social and communication skills. This study is the first evaluation of WMP with families of young children with developmental delay. Findings demonstrated WMP’s potential as a low-intensity, scalable, remotely delivered early intervention and provided preliminary support for its mechanisms of change. Future research needs to test the fit of WMP with current early intervention services and the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial.