ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of the Teaching Early Literacy and Language (TELL) curriculum package for improving the early literacy and oral language skills of preschoolers from low-income families. METHOD: In a randomized controlled trial (RCT), TELL was implemented in 30 TELL and 28 business-as-usual classrooms. TELL is a Tier 1 whole-class curriculum package that includes a scope and sequence of instruction, lesson plans and materials, high-quality books, curriculum-based measures (CBMs), and professional development training and coaching. RESULTS: Implementation fidelity was high; however, due to COVID-19 school closures, we did not collect end-of-year data for our third cohort of teachers. Results indicated significant TELL effects on all code-related CBMs and two code-related distal measures as well as receptive and expressive vocabulary CBMs. No significant differences were found on distal measures of oral language/vocabulary or listening comprehension. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the present study, paired with findings from an earlier TELL RCT with children with developmental speech and/or language impairments, suggest that children enrolled in TELL classrooms achieve higher outcomes on a variety of code-related and vocabulary measures by the end of their final preschool year. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25345708.
Subject(s)
Curriculum , Literacy , Poverty , Humans , Child, Preschool , Male , Female , COVID-19 , Early Intervention, Educational/methods , Child Language , SARS-CoV-2 , Language Development , Vocabulary , Schools , ReadingABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This article describes how participation in activities/routines can be used as a basis for understanding children's communication and language skills and how that knowledge can be extended to collaborate with families and caregivers to develop meaningful early intervention outcomes. METHOD: The approach is centered on children's use of communication and language skills to participate in typical activities/routines. Implementation of the approach is based on an understanding of children's performance abilities/disabilities and their use of those abilities to participate in family-identified activities/routines in their natural environments. Discussion and case examples illustrate how communication and language skills can enhance or enable participation in such activities. Family-centered procedures for gathering information about activities/routines from caregivers are described, and strategies for developing outcomes in collaboration with caregivers are presented. IMPLICATIONS: Participation-based outcomes offer speech-language pathologists an option for embedding skills within important activities/routines, thereby promoting children's communication and language growth in natural contexts.
Subject(s)
Early Intervention, Educational/methods , Language Development Disorders/therapy , Language Tests , Behavior Therapy/methods , Child, Preschool , Disability Evaluation , Humans , Infant , Language Development Disorders/diagnosis , Mass Screening , Mother-Child RelationsABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This article presents current information on recommended practices related to the delivery of early intervention (EI) supports and services to infants and toddlers with, or at risk for, communication deficits and their families. METHOD: The focus is on presenting the changing paradigm for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working in EI based on the best available research evidence and expert opinion. The article includes a brief review of the recommended and promising practices for early communication intervention and applies the content to the role of the SLP as a consultant to caregivers. It provides strategies for "how to" join into the everyday activities/routines and places with the caregiver and child in order to facilitate caregiver-implemented intervention that will enhance caregiver-child interactions and promote the child's participation and learning. The importance of, and strategies for, collaborative consultation with diverse caregivers within a family-centered approach is presented. IMPLICATIONS: This article provides important and timely information for professionals and families related to family-centered EI practices, caregiver-implemented interventions, adult teaching strategies, and collaborative consultation with families of infants and toddlers with, or at risk for, communication deficits. SLPs can use the information presented to inform their practices when working with these young children and their families.
Subject(s)
Cooperative Behavior , Early Intervention, Educational/methods , Education , Interdisciplinary Communication , Language Development Disorders/diagnosis , Language Development Disorders/therapy , Referral and Consultation , Social Environment , Speech-Language Pathology , Child, Preschool , House Calls , Humans , InfantABSTRACT
The inability to imitate is a salient diagnostic marker for autism. It has been suggested that for children with autism, imitation may be a prerequisite skill that can assist in the development of various skills. Using a multiple baseline design across subjects, the purpose of this research was to determine if two interventions, reciprocal imitation training and video modeling were effective in promoting imitation acquisition in young children with autism. Six boys were matched across various features (i.e., age, language, autism severity) and randomly placed in a treatment condition. Results indicated that all six participants increased their imitation skills to varying degrees in both conditions, and imitation maintained and generalized at higher than baseline levels post treatment.
