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We are all placed in and influenced by time and how we adapt to time affects our everyday functioning. Time-related difficulties are common among preschool children, and these challenges become more pronounced in those with cognitive disabilities or special needs due to developmental delay. In Sweden, all preschool children, regardless of cognitive abilities, are included in the same preschools. Children in need of special support (INS) often display delays in Time-Processing Ability (TPA), which impacts their everyday functioning. Even their typically developing peers are not yet mature enough to fully understand and use the information from a clock. Delays in TPA can negatively affect later school adjustment.

The overall aim of this doctoral thesis is to evaluate an intervention to increase Time-Processing Ability facilitating everyday functioning in preschool children in need of special support and typically developing children 5-6 years of age. The thesis includes four studies. Studies I, II, and IV have been published and study III is submitted.

The aim of Study I was to explore the feasibility of the intervention program MyTime in the preschool environment for children in need of special support and typically developing children 5-6 years of age. Study I is a feasibility study in a preschool setting in Dalarna including 20 preschool children (children in need of special support n = 4, typically developing children n = 16) 5-6 years of age and their preschool teachers. The results show that the MyTime intervention program and assessments were feasible with preschool children  in need of special support, typically developing in the preschool environment. Further the study indicated an increase in TPA and everyday functioning.

The aim of Study II was to evaluate if the intervention program MyTime can increase Time-Processing Ability, facilitating everyday functioning in preschool children INS 5-6 years of age. Study II is a randomized controlled study. In total 56 children INS are included in the analysis. The results showed no significant increase in TPA or everyday functioning. A secondary finding was that most of the recruited preschool children in need of special support had a TPA two standard deviations below the norm.

The aim of Study III was to evaluate if the intervention program MyTime can increase TPA, facilitating everyday functioning in typically developing preschool children 5-6 years of age. Study III is a randomized controlled study. In total 73 typically developing children were included. The manuscript is submitted. Preliminary results showed no significant increase in Time-Processing Ability. The secondary outcome measure of everyday functioning showed a significant increase in the scales of daily time management, and in the cognitive and social scale of adaptive behavior.

The aim of Study IV was to explore the experience and the meaning of using MyTime from the perspective of preschool children in need of special support. Study IV is an interview study that included 21 preschool children in need of special support in analysis. The results showed the preschool children´s experiences and expressions that uncovered their meaning of using the MyTime intervention to know and to understand time by doing.

The results from the studies in this thesis will contribute to knowledge about the possibilities of increasing Time-Processing Ability and therefore also everyday functioning. Further, the thesis also contributes to knowledge of how preschool children experience the MyTime intervention. MyTime could be used by professionals e.g. occupational therapists at habilitation centers and preschool teachers to increase the development of TPA and therefore facilitate everyday functioning, affecting their academic achievement positively in further education.