Risk calculator and telehealth parenting support to boost toddler mental health in pediatric care
Official title: Innovative risk calculator and telehealth delivered parenting program for early childhood mental health promotion in pediatric primary care: A hybrid type 3 effectiveness-implementation study
Funded at Northwestern University · NIH-11192310 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project pairs a tool that flags toddlers at risk for mental health problems with telehealth and app-based parenting coaching to help families seen in pediatric clinics.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Northwestern University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | September 12, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $345,948 |
| NIH project number | 5P50MH132502-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11192310 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are families of toddlers seen in participating pediatric clinics, especially children showing early behavior or emotional concerns or identified as higher risk by screening.
✕Less likely to help
Children already receiving specialized mental health services, those with severe developmental disabilities requiring other treatments, or families without reliable telehealth/internet access may not benefit from this program.
What this research studies
If you join, clinic staff will use a brief risk calculator to identify toddlers who may be at higher risk for emotional or behavior problems. Families flagged by the tool will be offered the DECIDE decision tool plus FCUOnline, a telehealth and app-based parenting program that teaches skills to improve child self-regulation and parenting strategies. The team will roll this out in pediatric primary care clinics, train clinicians, and use telehealth to make sessions easier to access. Researchers will track child and family outcomes and how well clinics can adopt and keep using these tools.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could help families get early, accessible parenting support that lowers the chance of future emotional and behavioral problems in young children.
How similar studies have gone: The Family Check-Up approach has shown positive effects on parenting and child self-regulation, but combining a risk calculator with telehealth delivery in routine pediatric care is a newer implementation approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Northwestern University
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Smith, Justin D — Northwestern University
- Study coordinator: Smith, Justin D
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.