Research
Achiya is at the forefront of efforts to professionalize education in the Charedi sector. To meet this goal, Achiya works closely with academic advisors from Israeli universities.
Achiya’s research initiatives – conducted in collaboration with experts from Bar-Ilan University, the School of Occupational Therapy of Hadassah and the Faculty of Medicine Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the JDC Brookdale Institute – are helping create new, more effective strategies for meeting the changing needs of the Charedi population.
Evaluation of the electronic version of Achiya’s Corrective Reading Method
Evaluation of an early intervention program for at-risk preschool boys
Long term efficiacy of an early intervention program among preschool boys
Short-term efficiacy of an early intervention program among preschool girls
Efficiacy of program for advancing language skills amongst preschool children
With Bar-Ilan University – researchers Dr. Yitzchak Weiss, Dr. Cheftziba Lipshitz, Dr. Rachel Schiff
Evaluation of the electronic version of Achiya’s Corrective Reading Method
(Funded by the NII and the Ministry of education)
Between 2005-2008, a Bar-Ilan University study evaluated the impact of Achiya’s Corrective Reading software on learning disabled children. They were compared to learning disabled children who were given traditional remedial instruction without the use of the program.
Results: Children in the experimental group using the software program had shown significant progress in reading punctuated words and unpunctuated words, as well as in reading comprehension, enabling them to integrate in regular classrooms.
With School of Occupational Therapy of Haddasah and the Faculty of Medicine Hebrew University:
Evaluation of an early intervention program for at-risk preschool boys
(Funded by the Bernard van Leer Foundation)
Read research results- Published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy 2011
In 2005-2008, Hadassah – Hebrew University researchers (from the School of Occupational Therapy) evaluated the impact of Achiya’s developmental intervention program in Charedi kindergartens for boys in the city of Elad. ( Maagan Achiya ) The researchers measured the children’s level of function in various developmental areas, (i.e., visal-motor, motor, cognitive) as well as performance and participation in daily activities. The impact was measure both with regards to direct intervention in the kindergarten, as well as the satisfaction level expressed by the teachers.
Results on the direct impact on children will be published in 2011 in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy and the journal of Occupational Therapy International.
The following is the summary of Dr. Michal Weill MD., Pediatrician, and Developmental Medicine who conducted the research in collaboration with Naomi Weintraub, OT., PhD., Aviva Yochman, OT., PhD., and Anat Golos, OT., MSc.School of Occupational Therapy of Hadassah and the Hebrew University. of Jerusalem, Israel.
“The study results provide the tools needed to build intervention programs, and future training to the educational teams for adapting the educational settings of the preschools and Talmud Torahs to the children’s developmental needs. In addition, the study produced an advanced training program for the educational team in several developmental areas, and emphasized fine and gross motor fields, visual-motor integration, linguistic abilities, and social and emotional abilities for preschoolers.
This study’s results support the finding by other studies, which found that well-designed and well-executed preschool educational programs promote child development. It seems that when the program is extensive and encompasses several areas of intervention, it is more likely to deliver the needed results, more than an intervention program, which focuses solely on one area. An extensive intervention program, such as the program provided by Achiya assisted in meeting the children’s needs in a most comprehensive manner.
The working relationship which was based on trust, allowed for maximum cooperation between the Achiya staff, the educational team and the researchers. We believe that this was a major contributor to the satisfaction of the educational team and parents, and to the improvement of the children’s performance and participation.
Finally, it appears that the Achiya for Preschoolers Intervention Program was successful because it combined structure and content that coincided with the values and needs of the ultra-orthodox population. These created a real and productive partnership, which benefited the team, children and parents. This cooperation is necessary to allow continuation of execution of similar intervention programs in the field of preschool development.”
Long term efficacy of an early intervention program among preschool boys
(Funded by the Bernard van Leer Foundation)
In 2009, an additional Hebrew University study began tracking the long-term effects of the Achiya intervention on the participants’ achievement in school. The research was concluded in June 2010.
The study results showed that both in first and in second grades, the school achievement of the boys who participated in the intervention program in years 2005-2008, were significantly better than that of the boys in the control group in most learning areas. These results are encouraging because they suggest that the early intervention program that focuses on improving skills and participation of preschool and kindergarten boys from low SES who attended ultra- orthodox educational settings was successful not only in the short term, but was carried over into the school setting and seen in their reading and writing performance (as reported by their Melameds).
It appears that a multidisciplinary team, in which occupational therapists and educational staff worked together, each contributing their unique knowledge, may have facilitated the ability to address the needs of the children and specifically the children at-risk with developmental delays.
Short-term efficacy of an early intervention program among preschool girls
(Funded by the Bernard van Leer Foundation)
In 2009, an additional Hadassah-Hebrew University (School of Occupational Therapy) study evaluated the effects of Achiya’s early intervention program among preschool ultra-orthodox girls, in improving their performance skills and participation in the preschool’s daily activities.
The study results showed that as compared to the control group, the intervention program assisted in improving the girl’s graph motor and non-verbal abilities, and to a lower degree, their motor cognition. Yet in motor skills, the intervention program did not seem to be effective. It may be that a 1-year intervention program is not suffcient in changing teachers’ perceptions and practices, relating to the importance of incorporating gross-motor activities into the preschool activities, and thus, a second year of intervention may yield better results.
Efficacy of program for advancing language skills amongst preschool children
(funded by JDC)
Research will track the influence of the Language Enrichment Program on the development of language skills among 3-6 year old kindergarteners participating in the Program during years 2010-2013.
