Watch, Wait, and Wonder (WWW)
Note: The WWW program was not responsive to the CEBC's inquiry. The following information was obtained from publicly available sources.
About This Program
Target Population: Parents and their children who are experiencing relational and developmental difficulties
Program Overview
WWW is aimed at parents and their children who are experiencing relational and developmental difficulties. It was designed for children 0 to 4 years of age, but has been used with older children. The focus of the approach is on strengthening the attachment relationship between caregiver and child, in order to improve the child's self-regulating abilities and sense of efficacy and enhance the caregiver's sensitivity. A unique feature of the approach is the use of infant-led play sessions in which mothers are encouraged to observe their infants and allow them to initiate activities.
Education and Training
Education and Training Resources
Publicly available information indicates there is a manual that describes how to implement this program, and there is some training available for this program.
See contact info below.
Training Contact:
- Mirek Lojkasek, PhD
mlojkasek@sympatico.ca
phone: (416) 972-1935 x3313
Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research
This program is rated a "3 - Promising Research Evidence" on the Scientific Rating Scale based on the published, peer-reviewed research available. The practice must have at least one study utilizing some form of control (e.g., untreated group, placebo group, matched wait list study) establishing the practice's benefit over the placebo, or found it to be comparable to or better than an appropriate comparison practice. Please see the Scientific Rating Scale for more information.
Child Welfare Outcome: Permanency
Cohen, N. J., Muir, E., Lojkasek, M., Muir, R., Parker, C. J., Barwick, M. B., & Brown, M. (1999). Watch, Wait, and Wonder: Testing the effectiveness of a new approach to mother-infant psychotherapy. Infant Mental Health Journal, 20(4), 429-451. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-0355(199924)20:43.0.CO;2-Q
Type of Study:
Randomized trial
Number of Participants:
67 infants and their mothers
Population:
- Age — Children: 10-30 months; Adults: 32 years old
- Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
- Gender — Children: Not specified; Adults: 100% Female
- Status — Participants were mothers and children referred to the mental health center for feeding, sleeping, or behavioral regulation problems.
Location/Institution: Hincks-Dellcrest Centre for Children's Mental Health, Ontario, Canada.
Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
The goal of the present study was to test the effects of Watch, Wait, and Wonder (WWW) with clinic infants compared to Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (PPT). Participants were randomized to either the Watch, Wait, and Wonder (WWW) intervention or (PPT). Measures utilized include the Chatoor Play Scale, the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, the Parenting Stress Index (PSI), the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results indicate that both groups showed improvements in infants' problem symptoms, PSI scores and mother-infant interaction (specifically maternal intrusiveness and conflict).The WWW intervention produced significantly greater improvements in attachment, cognitive development, emotional regulation, and maternal depression. Limitations include lack of control group, small sample size, and lack of follow-up.
Length of postintervention follow-up: None.
Cohen, N. J., Lojkasek, M., Muir, E., Muir, R., & Parker, C. J. (2002). Six-month follow-up of two mother-infant psychotherapies: Convergence of therapeutic outcomes. Infant Mental Health Journal, 23(4), 361-380. doi:10.1002/imhj.10023
Type of Study:
Randomized trial
Number of Participants:
58
Population:
- Age — Children: 10-30 months; Adults: 32 years old
- Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
- Gender — Children: Not specified; Adults: 100% Female
- Status — Participants were mothers and children referred to the mental health center for feeding, sleeping, or behavioral regulation problems.
Location/Institution: Hincks-Dellcrest Centre for Children's Mental Health, Ontario, Canada.
Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
Note: This study is a follow-up of 58 mother-infant pairs from the Cohen et al. (1999) study described above. The goal of the present study was to test the effects of Watch, Wait, and Wonder (WWW) with clinic infants compared to Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (PPT). Measures utilized include the Chatoor Play Scale, the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, the Parenting Stress Index (PSI), the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results showed that for both groups, improvements in infant symptoms, parenting stress, and interaction were maintained or strengthened at six-month follow-up. In addition, the PPT group gains in cognitive development, emotional regulation, and attachment similar to those exhibited by the WWW group. At six months, the WWW group still showed better ratings on mothers' comfort in responding to infant behaviors and ratings of parenting stress. Limitations include lack of control group, small sample size, and length of follow-up.
Length of postintervention follow-up: 6 months.
Additional References
Muir, E., Lojkasek, M., & Cohen, N. J. (1999). Watch, Wait and Wonder: A manual describing a dyadic infant-led approach to problems in infancy and early childhood. Ontario, Canada: Hincks-Dellcrest Institute.
Contact Information
- Mirek Lojkasek, PhD
- Title: Lecturer
- Agency/Affiliation: University of Toronto
- Website: watchwaitandwonder.com
- Email: mlojkasek@sympatico.ca
- Phone: (416) 972-1935 x3313
- Fax: (416) 924-9808
Date Research Evidence Last Reviewed by CEBC: November 2016
Date Program Content Last Reviewed by Program Staff: June 2015
Date Program Originally Loaded onto CEBC: December 2009
