Project Activities
The research team will work in partnership with parents, professionals, and experts to iteratively develop an initial version of P+E; assess its usability, feasibility, and social validity; and conduct a small-scale randomized controlled trial to assess the promise of P+E for enhancing Spanish-speaking parents' use of focused stimulation and Spanish language skills for children with DLD.
Structured Abstract
Setting
The study will take place in families' homes in Pennsylvania.
Sample
Latine Spanish-speaking parents and their preschool children (ages 3-5) with DLD will participate in this project. Two advisory boards-one with four to six parents and the other with four to six early intervention professionals who work with Spanish-speaking parents-will guide development. Four parent–child dyads will participate in an initial, abbreviated field test. Twelve parent–child dyads will participate in the full field test and 40 parent–child dyads will participate in the pilot test of P+E.
Intervention
P+E will be a fully or partially online 13-week intervention that trains Latine Spanish-speaking parents of preschool children with DLD to use focused stimulation strategies, with the ultimate goal of promoting children's Spanish language skills. In focused stimulation, the adult repeatedly models specific language targets, the child is given opportunities to produce the targets, and the parent provides responsive feedback. P+Ewill be delivered through three interconnected components: (1) training modules that teach parents to use focused stimulation strategies in their daily routines to improve their children's vocabulary and morphosyntax; (2) parent implementation of these strategies during regularly occurring activities; and (3) practice-based coaching from a Spanish-speaking speech-language pathologist.
Research design and methods
In phase 1, the research team will create an initial culturally and linguistically responsive intervention, P+E, in consultation with parents, professionals, and expert consultants. Then, a small number of Latine Spanish-speaking parents will participate in a brief field test using an early version of the intervention. In phase 2, the research team will assess the usability, feasibility, social validity, and fidelity of implementation of the next version of P+E through a full-length field test with more Latine Spanish-speaking parents of preschoolers with DLD and their children. The research team will revise the intervention based on field test findings and input from the advisory boards and experts. In phase 3, the research team will pilot test P+E through a randomized controlled trial with parent-child dyads. The research team will collect data pre-and post-intervention, as well as 3 months after the post-test.
Control condition
Children in the control group will receive business-as-usual speech-language services based on their Individualized Education Program.
Key measures
: Children will be screened for eligibility using the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children and the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals–Preschool 2 (CELF–P2 Spanish) Core Language Index. Primary child outcome measures include the Core Language Index of the CELF–P2 Spanish, percent accuracy on the morphosyntax subtest of the Bilingual English-Spanish Assessment, and play-based language samples while interacting with a researcher. Parents will complete the Early Intervention Parenting Self-Efficacy Scale. Coaching and parent logs, data collected from the app, and videos of parent–child interactions will be used to measure parents' fidelity of implementation. Videos of coaching sessions and the coaching log will be used to measure coaching fidelity. Feasibility and social validity will be assessed through interviews with parents.
Data analytic strategy
The research team will code the play-based natural language samples, videos of child-parent focused stimulation, and interviews, and will conduct descriptive analyses to examine the usability, feasibility, fidelity, and social validity of P+E. Regression analyses will be used to determine the promise of P+E for improving child language outcomes.
Cost analysis strategy
Researchers will use the ingredients methods to determine the costs of P+E. The research team will determine a national price for each ingredient, adjusting for the research context and testing cost assumptions, and calculate total costs.
Products and publications
Products: Researchers will produce a fully developed intervention, P+E, for Spanish-speaking Latine children with DLD that is usable, feasible, socially valid, and shows promise for improving parent and child outcomes. Information will be disseminated to researchers, practitioners, and community stakeholders through professional organizations, conference presentations, and peer-reviewed publications.
ERIC Citations: Find available citations in ERIC for this award here.
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Supplemental information
Co-Principal Investigator: Scheffner Hammer, Carol
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.