Adapting Curricula for Children With Language Comprehension Deficits

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Implementation Science

Background:

• Language comprehension is crucial for academic success.
• Children at risk for low language comprehension, including those with developmental language disorder (DLD), benefit from targeted interventions.
• Adapting existing curricula can be an efficient strategy to meet these needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the adaptation of a Tier 1 whole-classroom language comprehension curriculum for use as a Tier 2 small-group intervention.
• To identify and apply guiding principles for curriculum modification for children at risk for low language comprehension, including those with DLD.

Main Methods:

• A multisite research team modified a language-focused curriculum.
• Five guiding principles were used: increased professional development, simplified language input, enhanced scaffolding, distributed practice, and inclusive materials.
• The curriculum was adapted from a Tier 1 whole-classroom model to a Tier 2 small-group intervention.

Main Results:

• A popular, widely-used language-based curriculum was successfully modified.
• The adaptation process yielded a curriculum suitable for small-group intervention targeting children with or at risk for language comprehension difficulties.

Conclusions:

• Guiding principles from implementation science can effectively direct curriculum adaptation for specific populations.
• Speech-language pathologists and educators can utilize these frameworks to scale up or modify interventions for diverse learners.
• This approach supports evidence-based practices for improving language comprehension in at-risk children.