Purpose: Speech and communication impairments or delays are the most frequently reported reason for need of early intervention services. To enable teachers and other service providers to target instruction to young children's specific needs, valid and sensitive assessments are needed that measure incremental growth in early language skills, accurately predict early literacy development, and are easily administered.

To address this need, researchers are evaluating a progress monitoring measure of early communication skills called the Early Communication Indicator (ECI). The ECI is intended to be used with infants and toddlers, including those who have disabilities or developmental delays. The purpose of this study is to assess whether the ECI is sufficiently sensitive for use as a progress monitoring assessment and to determine whether performance on the instrument predicts subsequent and important early literacy outcomes when the children are 4 years old.

Project Activities: The researchers are following four cohorts of children until they are 48 months old. The youngest group begins when they are 6 months old; cohort 2 begins at 24 months old; cohort 3 at 36 months; and cohort 4 is over 36 months at the start. All children are enrolled in Kansas Early Start and Head Start Programs. Nine percent of the children receive early intervention or childhood special education services.

Data on children's communication skills will be collected quarterly using the ECI along with other early language and early literacy measures. The researchers will use these data to determine relationships among key communication skills measured by the ECI and subsequent early literacy skills over time.

Products: Reports on the use of the ECI as a progress monitoring assessment of the development of young children's communication skills and its usefulness for predicting early literacy outcomes.

Structured Abstract

Purpose: Speech and communication impairments or delays are the most frequently reported reason for need of early intervention services. To enable teachers and other service providers to target instruction to young children's specific needs, valid and sensitive assessments are needed that measure incremental growth in early language skills, accurately predict early literacy development, and are easily administered.

To address this need, researchers are evaluating a progress monitoring measure of early communication skills called the Early Communication Indicator (ECI). The ECI is intended to be used with infants and toddlers, including those who have disabilities or developmental delays. The purpose of this study is to assess whether the ECI is sufficiently sensitive for use as a progress monitoring assessment and to determine whether performance on the instrument predicts subsequent and important early literacy outcomes when the children are 4 years old.

Setting: The research will take place in Kansas.

Population: Historical data previously collected and prospective new samples will be utilized. All participating children are enrolled in Kansas Early Head Start and Head Start Programs. Of these children, 9 percent also receive early childhood special education services.

Assessment: The ECI is a play-based progress monitoring assessment that uses standard toy sets as alternate test forms to monitor children's growth in expressive communication. The ECI focuses on four key skill elements: gestures, vocalizations, and single and multiple word utterances.

Research Design and Methods: This study will utilize a sequential cohort longitudinal design with repeated measurements of participants. The researchers are following four cohorts of children until they are 48 months old. The youngest group begins when they are 6 months old; cohort 2 begins at 24 months old; and cohort 3 at 36 months. Cohort 4 is over 36 months at the start of the study, and it will be comprised of children from a historical data sample. Cohorts 1-3 will be followed longitudinally to 48 months of age. Child progress monitoring data will be collected at least quarterly, and child outcome language and early literacy data will be collected at 12-, 24-, 36-, and 48-month age points. Cohort 4 will be assessed only at 48 months of age.

Control Condition: Due to the nature of this study, there was no control condition was utilized.

Key Measures: A set of measures that reflect growth in young children's language and early literacy proficiency is planned. The ECI will be administered at least quarterly for early screening and progress monitoring of children 6 to 36 months of age. Other progress monitoring and norm-referenced measures of children's receptive and expressive language, cognitive ability, and early literacy skills will be administered. Finally, sociodemographics information related to participating children and their families will be collected.

Data Analytic Strategy: Structural equation modeling will be used to examine direct, mediational, moderational, and recipriocal effects over time. Data from the historical sample will be analyzed to derive initial growth models and dynamic over-time relationships among the ECI four key skill elements. Data from the new sample will be used to cross-validate the relationships derived by analyses of the historical sample.

Products and Publications

Book

Carta, J.J., Greenwood, C.R., Walker, D., and Buzhardt, J. (2010). Using IGDIs: Monitoring Progress and Improving Intervention Results for Infants and Young Children. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.

Book chapter

Buzhardt, J. and Walker, D. (2010). General Guidelines for IGDI Training and Certification. In J.J. Carta, C.R. Greenwood, D. Walker, and J. Buzhardt (Eds.), Using IGDIs: Monitoring Progress and Improving Intervention Results for Infants and Young Children (pp. 145–458). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.

Buzhardt, J., and Walker, D. (2010). Web-Based Support for Decision Making Using IGDIs. In J.J. Carta, C.R. Greenwood, D. Walker, and J. Buzhardt (Eds.), Using IGDIs: Monitoring Progress and Improving Intervention Results for Infants and Young Children (pp. 127–142). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.

Carta, J.J., and Greenwood, C. (2010). Background and Overview of IGDIs. In J.J. Carta, C.R. Greenwood, D. Walker, and J. Buzhardt (Eds.), Using IGDIs: Monitoring Progress and Improving Intervention Results for Infants and Young Children (pp. 3–8). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.

Carta, J.J., and Greenwood, C. (2010). New Applications and Considerations. In J.J. Carta, C.R. Greenwood, D. Walker, and J. Buzhardt (Eds.), Using IGDIs: Monitoring Progress and Improving Intervention Results for Infants and Young Children (pp. 203–208). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.

Greenwood, C., and Carta, J.J. (2010). Conceptual Background. In J.J. Carta, C.R. Greenwood, D. Walker, and J. Buzhardt (Eds.), Using IGDIs: Monitoring Progress and Improving Intervention Results for Infants and Young Children (pp. 9–21). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.

Greenwood, C., and Walker, D. (2010). Development and Validation of IGDIs. In J.J. Carta, C.R. Greenwood, D. Walker, and J. Buzhardt (Eds.), Using IGDIs: Monitoring Progress and Improving Intervention Results for Infants and Young Children (pp. 159–177). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.

Missall, K., and McConnell, S. (2010). Early Literacy and Language IGDIs for Preschool-Age Children. In J.J. Carta, C.R. Greenwood, D. Walker, and J. Buzhardt (Eds.), Using IGDIs: Monitoring Progress and Improving Intervention Results for Infants and Young Children (pp. 181–201). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.

Walker, D., and Buzhardt, J. (2010). IGDI Administration: Coding, Scoring, and Graphing. In J.J. Carta, C.R. Greenwood, D. Walker, and J. Buzhardt (Eds.), Using IGDIs: Monitoring Progress and Improving Intervention Results for Infants and Young Children (pp. 23–35). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.

Walker, D., and Carta, J.J. (2010). The Communication IGDI: Early Communication Indicator. In J.J. Carta, C.R. Greenwood, D. Walker, and J. Buzhardt (Eds.), Using IGDIs: Monitoring Progress and Improving Intervention Results for Infants and Young Children (pp. 39–56). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.

Journal article, monograph, or newsletter

Buzhardt, J., Greenwood, C., Walker, D., Carta, J., Terry, B., and Garrett, M. (2010). A Web-Based Tool to Support Data-Based Early Intervention Decision Making. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 29(4): 201–213. doi:10.1177/0271121409353350

Buzhardt, J., Greenwood, C.R., Walker, D., Anderson, R., Howard, W.J., and Carta, J.J. (2011). Effects of Web-Based Support on Early Head Start Home Visitors' Use of Evidence-Based Intervention Decision Making and Growth in Children's Expressive Communication. NHSA Dialog: A Research-to-Practice Journal for the Early Childhood Field, 14(3): 121–146. doi:10.1080/15240754.2011.587614

Buzhardt, J., Walker, D., Greenwood, C.R., and Carta, J.J. (2011). A Study of an Online Tool to Support Evidence-Based Practices With Infants and Toddlers. NHSA Dialog: A Research-to-Practice Journal for the Early Childhood Field, 14(3): 151–156. doi:10.1080/15240754.2011.590243

Greenwood, C., Thiemann-Bourke, K., Walker, D., and Buzhardt, J. (2011). Assessing Children's Home Language Environments Using Automatic Speech Recognition Technology. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 32(2): 83–92. doi:10.1177/1525740110367826

Greenwood, C.R., Buzhardt, J., Walker, D., Howard, W.J., and Anderson, R. (2011). Program-Level Influences on the Measurement of Early Communication for Infants and Toddlers in Early Head Start. Journal of Early Intervention, 33(2): 110–134. doi:10.1177/1053815111403149

Greenwood, C.R., Walker, D., and Buzhardt, J. (2010). The Early Communication Indicator for Infants and Toddlers: Early Head Start Growth Norms From Two States. Journal of Early Intervention, 32(5): 310–334. doi:10.1177/1053815110392335

Walker, D, Carta, J.J., Greenwood, C.R., and Buzhardt, J. (2008). The Use of Individual Growth and Developmental Indicators for Progress Monitoring and Intervention Decision Making in Early Education. Exceptionality, 16(1): 33–37. doi:10.1080/09362830701796784