[Implementation and evaluation of a parent training for language delayed children].

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Speech-Language Pathology
• Early Childhood Intervention
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Two-year-old children with limited vocabulary (<50 words) are at high risk for persistent language impairment.
• Early intervention is crucial for addressing language delays and preventing long-term difficulties.
• The Hanen Early Language Parent Program (It Takes Two to Talk) is a widely recognized parent-mediated intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the parent program "It Takes Two to Talk" for language-delayed toddlers in this country for the first time.
• To assess the program's impact on expressive language development and its social validity.
• To provide preliminary data for future research on early language intervention effectiveness.

Main Methods:

• A nonrandomized controlled pre-post study design was employed.
• The study included an experimental group (9 mothers) and a matched waiting-control group (8 mothers).
• Expressive language was measured using ELFRA-2, and intervention quality was assessed via FBB ratings by mothers and therapists.

Main Results:

• No significant interaction was found for vocabulary gains between the groups (p = 0.18).
• The treatment group showed numerically larger average vocabulary gains (13.6 to 62.3 words) than the control group (15.5 to 44.1 words).
• Process and outcome qualities of the parent intervention were rated positively by parents and therapists.

Conclusions:

• Methodological limitations impacted the study's experimental validity.
• Findings suggest the "It Takes Two to Talk" program possesses social validity for early language intervention.
• Further research is necessary to conclusively evaluate the program's effectiveness in improving language outcomes.