Efficacy of a Parent Based Group Language Intervention in Preschool Children with Developmental Language Disorder: A Pilot Study

Introduction:

Children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) are at risk for continued significant impairments. Long wait times for treatment have limited access to intervention. Parent-Based Group Language Intervention (PBGLI) has been reported but there is no literature for efficacy in a Hebrew-speaking population. The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of a PBGLI for children with DLD as compared to standard speech language therapist(SLT)-child treatment.

Materials & Methods:

Thirty-one children, aged 2-4 years, referred for language delay and with expression language more than 1.5 SD < mean and receptive language better than 1.5 SD < mean on the Preschool language scale, 4th Edition (PLS-4) and their parents participated in this nonrandomized pair matched controlled study. Children with autism spectrum disorder, cognitive delay (IQ<80), or cerebral palsy were excluded. Eighteen children received PBGLI (age months±SD, gender) 34±5.4; 14 boys and 13 children received the standard treatment 33±4.7; 11 boys, No significant differences were found for age, gender, or baseline cognitive scores. The PBGLI consisted of 12 weekly sessions over a 3-month period with 9 group sessions, each lasting 90 minutes, guided by two licensed language therapists. Three sessions consisted of direct child-parent-SLP, with the goal of verifying proper implementation of goals presented in the parent group sessions. Outcome measures reported presently included the comprehension and expression components of the Preschool language scale – 4 Edition (PLS-4).

Results:

MANOVA showed a main effect for time, both on the PLS comprehension, F (1,27) =9.336, p <.01, η ²=.257, PLS expression measures, F (1,27) =18.947, p <.01, η ²= .412 . No main effect was found for group, indicating that both groups demonstrated a similar improvement in size.

Conclusions:

PBGLI demonstrated similar efficacy to traditional SLT weekly intervention and can be used to address long wait times for language treatment services.