Home Literacy Environment and Interventions for Children With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Scoping...

Area of Science:

• Speech and Language Pathology
• Developmental Psychology
• Special Education

Background:

• The home literacy environment significantly impacts child development.
• Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and significant support needs may benefit from targeted home literacy interventions.
• Understanding current research is crucial for developing effective support strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of the literature on the home literacy environment for children and youth aged 3-21 years with IDD.
• To identify research on home literacy practices, parent interactions, and intervention components.
• To map existing research and identify gaps in the literature.

Main Methods:

• Systematic search of four databases.
• Inclusion of peer-reviewed English-language studies.
• Forward and backward citation searching.
• Data charting on participant characteristics, study focus, interventions, design, rigor, and results.

Main Results:

• Sixty studies were included, encompassing intervention and non-intervention research.
• Findings illuminated parent views, practices, and interaction styles during shared reading.
• Gaps identified include limited representation of IDD subgroups, diverse families, and methodological quality concerns.

Conclusions:

• Future research should focus on diverse populations and enhance methodological rigor.
• Family-centered and culturally responsive models are recommended for improving home literacy interventions.
• This review provides directions for future research and intervention design for children with IDD.