Parental involvement in language intervention: a model

Abstract

ABSTRACT The literature on the use of parental training programmes to help children with various types of learning delays is suggestive that such programmes may be effective in promoting language skills. However, there is a lack of well‐controlled studies. The specific aim of this research was to provide reliable data, by means of a well‐controlled study, concerning the effectiveness of a model of group parent‐based intervention with preschool language‐delayed children, who had been referred for speech and language therapy at a local Health Centre. This parent‐based model of language intervention embodies features of early language learning identified as important by previous research: use of language in familiar contexts, joint focus of attention, turn‐taking and following the child's lead. However, it also involves the setting of specific language objectives. The research comprised two experiments. In Experiment 1 the mothers of children randomly allocated to an experimental group attended fortnightly group parental language training sessions, over a period of six months. These sessions were designed to help them promote the expressive language skills of their children. The mothers of children allocated to a matched control group received no special attention. Formal and informal language assessments were administered to all the children before and after the experimental period. The results showed significantly greater gains in the expressive language skills of the experimental group compared to the control group, thus showing this model of parent‐based intervention to be effective. Experiment 2 was designed to compare the parental involvement approach with individual treatment and to clarify the role of non‐specific ‘Hawthorne‐type’ effects. The experimental group mothers attended parental language training sessions as in Experiment 1. The control group mothers also attended training sessions in this experiment, with the emphasis on general learning skills rather than language. A third group was included, of children who received direct, individual speech therapy. The assessment battery was again given before and after the experimental period. Results showed significantly greater language gains in the parental language training group and the individual speech therapy group in comparison with the non‐specific training group. The two former groups did not differ significantly, indicating that parent‐based language intervention is as effective as individual speech therapy. The results also indicate that individual speech therapy is effective and that the effectiveness of the parental involvement approach cannot be accounted for by nonspecific factors. The research findings are discussed in relation to previous research and methodological issues, with the professional implications of the study.