Emotion recognition/understanding (ERU), which is the ability to correctly identify emotional states in others as well as one's self, plays a key role in children's social-emotional development and is often targeted in early intervention programs. Yet the extent to which young children's ERU predicts their intervention response remains unclear. The current study examined the extent to which initial levels of ERU and changes in ERU predicted intervention response to a multimodal early intervention program (Summer Treatment Program for Pre-Kindergarteners; STP-PreK). Participants included 230 young children (M_age = 4.90, 80.0% male) with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who participated in the 8-week STP-PreK. Children's ERU was measured via a standardized behavioral task. Similarly, standardized measures of academic achievement (Woodcock-Johnson-IV), executive functioning (Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders-Task), and social-emotional functioning (Challenging Situation Task) were obtained pre- and post-intervention. Parents and teachers also reported on children's behavioral functioning pre- and post-intervention. Children with better initial ERU made greater improvements in academic, executive functioning (EF), and social-emotional domains, along with decreases in inattention symptom severity. However, pre-intervention levels of ERU were not associated with improvements in parent/teacher report of hyperactivity, oppositional defiant disorder, and overall behavioral impairment. Lastly, changes in ERU only predicted improvement in EF, but not any other school readiness outcomes. We provide preliminary evidence that initial levels of ERU predict intervention response across school readiness domains in a sample of preschoolers with ADHD.

情绪识别/理解 (ERU) 是正确识别他人和自己情绪状态的能力，在儿童的社会情绪发展中起着关键作用，并且通常是早期干预计划的目标。然而，幼儿的 ERU 预测其干预反应的程度仍不清楚。目前的研究检查了 ERU 的初始水平和 ERU 的变化在多大程度上预测了对多模式早期干预计划（学前儿童夏季治疗计划；STP-PreK）的干预反应。参与者包括 230 名幼儿（M_年龄 = 4.90, 80.0% 男性) 患有注意力缺陷/多动障碍 (ADHD)，他们参加了为期 8 周的 STP-PreK。通过标准化行为任务测量儿童的 ERU。同样，在干预前后获得了学术成就（Woodcock-Johnson-IV）、执行功能（Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders-Task）和社会情绪功能（Challenging Situation Task）的标准化测量。家长和教师还报告了干预前后儿童的行为功能。初始 ERU 较好的儿童在学业、执行功能 (EF) 和社会情感领域取得了更大的进步，同时注意力不集中症状的严重程度也有所降低。然而，干预前的 ERU 水平与家长/教师多动症报告的改善无关，对立违抗障碍和整体行为障碍。最后，ERU 的变化只能预测 EF 的改善，但不能预测任何其他入学准备结果。我们提供的初步证据表明，ERU 的初始水平可以预测 ADHD 学龄前儿童样本中跨学校准备领域的干预反应。