Creating Connections Australia (CCA) is an Australian adaptation of an evidence-based program called Parents and Children Making Connections – Highlighting Attention (PCMC-A), a “two-generation” program, which means that it involves integrated activities for both children and parents.  PCMC-A is based on research on neuroplasticity and specifically the development of attention, self-regulation, language, and other early learning skills, as well as parenting and family dynamics. "This program didn't come out of thin air," Dr. Neville once said. "It came out of basic research on neural plasticity that we have done in our lab for many decades." Neural plasticity refers to the brain's ability to shape and reshape itself over a lifetime.

 

As a hybrid version of various models of PCMC-A, CCA is a 9-week, school- and family-based training program designed to improve kindergarten and lower primary school-aged children’s brain systems for self-regulation and support academic readiness, using information from research on the neuroplasticity of selective attention and the central role of successful parenting in child development. The program is highly flexible and once mastered, its games and activities can be embedded into daily classroom routines and become BAU!

 

As a two-generation program, PCMC-A has two integrated components, one for children and one for parents. The child component, called Brain Train, provides specific attention-training exercises through group activities, play, and sensory stimulation, which aim to build on perseverance and emotional regulation while developing skills to maintain attention with increasing levels of distraction. Brain Train is delivered once a week for 60 minutes by teachers who have completed training to deliver CCA, but once mastered, activities can be embedded into daily routines as needed. 

 

Parents receive access to the CCA training via weekly scaffolded as well as self-paced online training sessions that focus on strategies for family stress regulation, contingency-based discipline, parental responsiveness and language use, and facilitation of child attention through links to child training exercises. These modules are a great way for parents to be actively included in the program and support the children's Brain Train learning concurrently happening at school. The modules are also an opportunity to create an inclusive and supportive community of practice with other parents and caregivers. 

 

Previous research has shown positive effects for families who participate in PCMC-A for eight weeks.  Specifically, children showed improved brain function for attention compared to children in comparison groups.  Parents reported less parenting stress and made positive changes in their language use with children, and children’s language and thinking skills improved more than children in comparison groups.  Children’s social skills also improved, and problem behaviours decreased.  The CCA is an adaptation for the Australian context and is the focus of Marghi Ghezzi's PhD research project at Griffith University (Ethics ID Number: GU 2024/237).  

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To access full materials for Brain Train (teacher training, schedules, activities, and parent training), contact Marghi Ghezzi to discuss: m.ghezzi@griffith.edu.au 

 

PCMC-A has been culturally adapted and translated for Spanish-speaking families in the US and Colombia.  It has also been adapted for yearlong integration into preschools, with this model renamed Creating Connections:  Strong Families, Strong Brains.  PCMC-A is also currently being adapted and translated for French-speaking families in Paris, France, and for Swedish-speaking families in Stockholm, Sweden.