Outcomes of population based language promotion for slow to talk toddlers at ages 2 and 3 years: Let’s Learn Language cluster randomised controlled trial

Objective To determine the benefits of a low intensity parent-toddler language promotion programme delivered to toddlers identified as slow to talk on screening in universal services

Fostering Children's Alphabet Knowledge at School Entry through Engagement in Family Literacy Activities

The development of emergent literacy skills in early childhood is best conceptualised as a continuum that occurs prior to entry into formal schooling and formal instruction. Thus, the family literacy environment and the activities that parents engage their children in can play a critical role in the development of these skills. Emergent literacy encompasses skills such as print concepts, alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, and oral language. Alphabet knowledge and phonological awareness at entry into school have in particular been found to be strong predictors of decoding and future success with reading acquisition

Social behaviours and phonological awareness

Purpose: This study examined the longitudinal effects of social behaviors in predicting phonological awareness outcomes in 4-year-old children. Method: One hundred two children (52 boys, 50 girls) were recruited from 11 schools serving low-income neighborhoods in a large metropolitan city and were assessed at the beginning and end of the preschool year. All children received assessments of their phonological awareness skills, expressive vocabulary, non-verbal IQ, and teachers completed behavioral ratings at pretest. At the end of the academic year, children participated in tests of phonological awareness using standardized assessments. Results: The results of a multiple regression analysis indicated that being excluded by peers contributed up to 3% of the variance in negatively predicting phonological awareness outcomes after controlling for initial phonological awareness skills, expressive vocabulary, and cognition which is a small effect size. Conclusion: Early peer exclusion can impact negatively on the acquisition of phonological awareness skills in 4-year-old children in preschool. The results of this study suggest that a child's overall behavioral competence and how they are treated by the peer group may play an important role in their ease of academic skill attainment. Given the link between peer exclusion and difficulties with phonological awareness outcomes, additional professional development programs that provide teachers with strategies to create inclusive classrooms may be warranted in preventing against the emergence of maladaptive behaviors at first entry into formal schooling

Fostering Children\u27s Alphabet Knowledge at School Entry through Engagement in Family Literacy Activities

The development of emergent literacy skills in early childhood is best conceptualised as a continuum that occurs prior to entry into formal schooling and formal instruction. Thus, the family literacy environment and the activities that parents engage their children in can play a critical role in the development of these skills. Emergent literacy encompasses skills such as print concepts, alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, and oral language. Alphabet knowledge and phonological awareness at entry into school have in particular been found to be strong predictors of decoding and future success with reading acquisition

Phonological awareness, vocabulary and internalizing behavior:A closer look at the associations in preschoolers using a structural equation modeling approach.

This study examined the associations among phonological awareness skills, expressive vocabulary and children’s internalizing behavior within a preschool setting. Method: Ninetyfour children (48 boys, 46 girls) were recruited from 11 schools serving low-income neighborhoods in a large metropolitan city. All children were assessed at the beginning and end of the preschool year using a mixed-methods approach. Children completed standardized assessments of phonological awareness skills and expressive vocabulary. Teacher reports were used to assess children’s internalizing behavior. A structural equation model was estimated to test for moderating effects of children’s sex. Results: The model fit the data well and revealed that poorer phonological awareness skills at the beginning of the year, but not vocabulary, predicted increased internalizing behavior at the end of the year, even after accounting for initial internalizing behavior. The association was moderated by the child’s sex and was significant for boys only. Conclusion: Poorer phonological awareness skills are associated with increased solitary behavior over time, with the association already present in the preschool years. However, the association at this age was only found for boys. These results might suggest that for boys, the academic skill level that they enter into preschool with may exert a small role in their ease of social engagement with peers within a classroom setting

Peer-mediated intervention for pre-schoolers with ASD: Effects on responses and initiations

<div><p></p><p><i>Purpose</i>: This study investigates the effects of peer-mediated intervention on the responses and initiations of pre-schoolers (aged 4;2–5;1) with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).</p><p><i>Method</i>: A speech-language pathologist and three early childhood educators trained typically-developing peers to facilitate responses and initiations from three pre-schoolers with ASD during playtime. A multiple baseline design across subjects was used to determine the effects of the intervention. Play sessions between the children with ASD and their typically-developing peers were videotaped. Videotapes were analysed using an interval coding system in order to collect information regarding responses and initiations.</p><p><i>Result</i>: All three target children demonstrated improvements in their responses and initiations to their peers during intervention. Moreover, they maintained these gains 4 weeks later and generalized their response and initiation skills to an untrained peer. Social validity data, obtained using unbiased, independent, lay, observers to rate the children's performance provided external validation of an observable treatment effect (i.e. increased responses and initiations) following intervention.</p><p><i>Conclusion</i>: The results suggest that training typically-developing peers to implement intervention strategies using the collaboration between a speech-language pathologist and early childhood educators may be an effective model of service delivery to enhance peer interaction skills of pre-schoolers with ASD.</p></div