Developing Parents Plus

Abstract

In this article, we describe the development and investigation of the social validity of Parents Plus, a parent-implemented intervention for preschool children with developmental language disorder. Parents Plus is a fully online intervention that is delivered through three components: (a) training delivered through an app that educates parents on how to use focused stimulation (FS), a language facilitation strategy; (b) parent implementation of FS during naturally occurring routines; and (c) remote practice-based coaching provided by a coach via Zoom. Parents Plus was developed in three steps: (a) initial content development with input from parents and professional advisory board members, (b) brief field test with five parent–child dyads, and (c) full-length field test with seven parent–child dyads. Throughout the development process, we collected social validity data on the intervention's goals, procedures, content and outcomes. Each step was followed by revisions to Parents Plus. Findings suggest that Parents Plus has strong social validity. Recommendations for early intervention practice are provided based on lessons learned, such as different methods to scaffold learning experiences for parents.