"Better Conversations With Developmental Language Disorder": Feasibility and Findings From an Initial Evaluation of a...

Developmental language disorder (DLD) affects around 7.5% of children and can impact education and social well-being. Thus far, interventions for school-aged children with DLD have been targeted at single-word or sentence level. This article evaluates "Better Conversations With Developmental Language Disorder" (BCDLD), a coproduced, conversation-focused intervention grounded in communication partner training and parent-child interaction therapy, both evidence-based approaches used globally across populations with communication difficulty.

Six children with DLD (6;06-8;02 [years;months]) participated in BCDLD with their mothers. Each completed three baseline assessments and six conversation-focused therapy sessions. Video feedback was used to highlight facilitative and barrier strategies within their talk and to agree targets for change. Posttherapy and follow-up measures evaluated progress in response to intervention. The study employed conversation-based outcome measures, which were novel for this client group. Feasibility of the approach was explored with regard to recruitment, retention, and acceptability. The practicality of using conversation-based outcome measures was evaluated.

There was significant change in targeted conversation behaviors, the primary outcome measure, for five dyads after intervention. Secondary indicative outcomes demonstrate a significant increase in children's average utterance length for the group. Numerical change in child-to-adult ratio of speech was achieved, in line with intervention targets, and for five children, there was a numerical change in functional communication on the Children's Communication Checklist-2. Feasibility results demonstrate good retention and acceptability, including time taken to transcribe and analyze conversation-based measures.

The results suggest that school-aged children with DLD can benefit from direct intervention to improve their everyday conversation, and the approach can produce change on targeted communication behaviors and conversation measures. Feasibility findings provide support for the further development of BCDLD. Further coproduced research is necessary to refine the intervention, explore active ingredients, and consider issues of candidacy and implementation within clinical services.

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.29464619.