A social communication intervention to increase validating comments by children with language impairment

Area of Science:

• Child language development
• Social communication interventions
• Language impairment (LI)

Background:

• Children with language impairment (LI) often face challenges in social communication.
• Developing skills like making positive statements and asking questions is crucial for peer interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a social communication intervention for children with language impairment (LI).
• To increase the production of validating comments in young children with LI.

Main Methods:

• A case study design was employed with four children diagnosed with language impairment (LI).
• Intervention involved 10 weeks of group instruction, peer play, and clinician review.
• Data on validating comments were collected during novel peer play interactions.

Main Results:

• One child showed a significant increase in validating comments, with two others showing modest gains, all maintained at follow-up.
• The remaining child demonstrated little change in comment production.
• No significant changes were observed in peer acceptance or friendship, though teachers noted improved sociable behavior in two children.

Conclusions:

• The social communication intervention yielded varied results in improving validating comments among children with language impairment (LI).
• Factors influencing intervention success require further investigation.