Virtual delivery of the Target Word parent-implemented language intervention: A pragmatic waitlist control study

Area of Science:

• Speech and Language Pathology
• Child Development
• Telehealth

Background:

• Late-talking children may experience delays in vocabulary, grammar, and communication.
• Parent-implemented programs are crucial for early intervention.
• Virtual delivery models became essential during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a virtual parent-implemented program (Target Word) for children with speech and language delays.
• To evaluate impacts on children's vocabulary, grammar, communicative participation, and phonology.
• To understand the utility of telehealth in early intervention for speech and language skills.

Main Methods:

• A virtual parent-implemented intervention study involving 40 children aged 16-27 months who were late-to-talk.
• Children were assigned to immediate or delayed treatment groups (1:2 ratio).
• Assessments of vocabulary, grammar, communicative participation, and phonology were conducted at four time points.

Main Results:

• Children demonstrated clinically meaningful gains in communicative participation during the Target Word program.
• Statistically significant improvements were observed in phonology skills.
• No statistically significant differences were found between groups for vocabulary and grammar scores, though grammar complexity showed significant differences not aligned with intervention periods.

Conclusions:

• The virtual Target Word program facilitated meaningful improvements in communicative participation for late-talking children.
• Further research is required to interpret findings and determine optimal service delivery pathways for this population.
• Telehealth can be a viable method for delivering early intervention services for speech and language development.