Rhythm and Movement for Self-Regulation: An introduction

Associate Professor Kate Williams is a Principal Research Fellow [ARC DECRA funded] and Associate Professor in the School of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), and intervention leader of the QUT Childhood Adversity Research Program. Her research focuses on children’s development of self-regulation and the parenting, educational, and intervention contexts that support such, along with the developmental outcomes associated with children’s self-regulatory functioning. This includes children’s regulation of sleep, attention, emotion, and behavior. Kate primarily uses structural equation modeling and large longitudinal datasets such as the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children to achieve her research aims. Kate is also an interventionist, having designed and tested several early childhood and parenting interventions.

In late 2019 Kate was awarded the only ARC DECRA fellow for Education in that year. In this project she is currently leading a randomized control trial of a group self-regulation intervention for kindergartens in disadvantaged communities. Kate has used her background as a pediatric Registered Music Therapist to design the intervention that capitalizes on the neuropsychological benefits of rhythmic movement to stimulate outcomes. Kate has extensive project expansion management skills having taken a small Federally funded early intervention program from a South-East Queensland to National expansion as National Director for a not for profit organisation in 2005.