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Do home visiting programmes improve children's language development? A systematic review
Tom Henwood1, Sue Channon1, Helen Penny1
1Cardiff University, Tower Building, 70 Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, United Kingdom.
International Journal of Nursing Studies
|June 26, 2020
Summary
Home visiting programs can improve child language development, especially when started prenatally. However, not all programs show positive results or consistently measure impact.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Public Health
- Early Intervention
Background:
- Home visiting programs offer support to vulnerable pregnant women and new mothers.
- These programs aim to improve various child and maternal outcomes.
- Child language development is a key area of focus for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the effectiveness of home visiting programs on young children's language development.
- To identify factors influencing program success in improving language outcomes.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive literature search was conducted across four databases (Embase, Emcare, Psycinfo, Medline) from 1990-2020.
- Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria, with risk of bias assessed and data extracted.
- An adapted Cochrane template was used for data extraction to enable program comparisons.
Main Results:
- Six of the eleven reviewed home visiting programs reported positive language outcomes for children.
- Effect sizes were generally small where statistical data was provided.
- Nine different language measures were used, hindering cross-program comparisons; prenatal initiation showed promise.
Conclusions:
- Home visiting programs have the potential to positively impact child language development, particularly for socially disadvantaged families.
- Program effectiveness varies, with not all achieving positive language outcomes or consistently measuring impact.
- Prenatal initiation of home visits may enhance language development; further research is recommended.
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