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Collett BR, Gallagher ER, Johns AL, Trevino CO, Leroux BG, Shic F, Crerand CE, Baylis AL, Cummings CA, Santillan L. Book-Sharing for Toddlers with Clefts (BOOST): Protocol for a randomized controlled trial of a remote intervention to promote language development in children with cleft palate. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0304630. [PMID: 38870107 PMCID: PMC11175488 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Children with cleft palate, with or without cleft lip (CP±L), exhibit language delays on average compared to children without clefts. Interventions to address these disparities are scarce. In this multi-center study, Book Sharing for Toddlers with Clefts (BOOST), we will test a remote, parent-focused intervention to promote language development in children with CP±L. OBJECTIVES The study will test two primary hypotheses. First, toddlers randomized to BOOST will exhibit better language outcomes than children receiving standard-of-care (SOC). Second, we hypothesize that the BOOST program's effect on language outcomes is mediated by the frequency and quality of parent-child reading interactions. METHODS The study is a randomized-controlled trial comparing the BOOST group to a SOC comparison group. We will enroll N = 320 English and/or Spanish-speaking children ages 24-32 months with isolated CP±L (n = 160 per group). Both groups will receive children's books, and parents will record and upload videos of themselves reading the books with their children using a smartphone app developed for the study. Parents will also complete surveys asking whether they read to their children on five randomly selected days each week. In addition, the BOOST group will participate in 3 remote dialogic book-sharing intervention sessions via Zoom. We will code book-sharing videos to assess parents' target skill usage and children's expressive language. End-of-study assessments will include measures of child language outcomes (e.g., clinician-administered measures, parent reports, and naturalistic child language samples). RESULTS Enrollment began in April 2024 and will continue through approximately April 2028. CONCLUSION The BOOST study will address a critical gap in the literature on interventions to improve language in children with CP±L. The results will inform the care for toddlers with oral clefts and have potential applications for other populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent R. Collett
- Center for Child Health, Behavior, and Development, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Emily R. Gallagher
- Seattle Children’s Craniofacial Center, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Alexis L. Johns
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Division of Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Cindy O. Trevino
- Center for Child Health, Behavior, and Development, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Brian G. Leroux
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Department of Oral Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Frederick Shic
- Center for Child Health, Behavior, and Development, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Canice E. Crerand
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
- Center for Biobehavioral Health, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Adriane L. Baylis
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Caitlin A. Cummings
- Department of Speech Pathology, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Lupita Santillan
- Center for Child Health, Behavior, and Development, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
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Verganti C, Suttora C, Zuccarini M, Aceti A, Corvaglia L, Bello A, Caselli MC, Guarini A, Sansavini A. Lexical skills and gesture use: A comparison between expressive and receptive/expressive late talkers. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2024; 148:104711. [PMID: 38520885 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2024.104711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies on late talkers (LTs) highlighted their heterogeneity and the relevance of describing different communicative profiles. AIMS To examine lexical skills and gesture use in expressive (E-LTs) vs. receptive-expressive (R/E-LTs) LTs through a structured task. METHODS AND PROCEDURES Forty-six 30-month-old screened LTs were distinguished into E-LTs (n= 35) and R/E-LTs (n= 11) according to their receptive skills. Lexical skills and gesture use were assessed with a Picture Naming Game by coding answer accuracy (correct, incorrect, no response), modality of expression (spoken, spoken-gestural, gestural), type of gestures (deictic, representational), and spoken-gestural answers' semantic relationship (complementary, equivalent, supplementary). OUTCOMES AND RESULTS R/E-LTs showed lower scores than E-LTs for noun and predicate comprehension with fewer correct answers, and production with fewer correct and incorrect answers, and more no responses. R/E-LTs also exhibited lower scores in spoken answers, representational gestures, and equivalent spoken-gestural answers for noun production and in all spoken and gestural answers for predicate production. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Findings highlighted more impaired receptive and expressive lexical skills and lower gesture use in R/E-LTs compared to E-LTs, underlying the relevance of assessing both lexical and gestural skills through a structured task, besides parental questionnaires and developmental scales, to describe LTs' communicative profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caterina Verganti
- Department of Psychology "Renzo Canestrari", University of Bologna, Italy.
| | - Chiara Suttora
- Department of Psychology "Renzo Canestrari", University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Mariagrazia Zuccarini
- Department of Education Studies "Giovanni Maria Bertin", University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Arianna Aceti
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Bologna, Italy; Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Luigi Corvaglia
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Bologna, Italy; Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy
| | | | | | - Annalisa Guarini
- Department of Psychology "Renzo Canestrari", University of Bologna, Italy
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Hodges R, Baker E, Munro N, Masso S. The emergent literacy skills of 4- to 5-year-old children with and without a history of late talking. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2024; 26:96-104. [PMID: 36537839 DOI: 10.1080/17549507.2022.2152866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To explore the emergent literacy skills of 4- to 5-year-old children with a history of late talking (H-LT) and a history of typical development (H-TD) by: (1) determining if the two groups differ on measures of emergent literacy, and (2) identifying the proportion in each group presenting with weak emergent literacy profiles. METHOD The emergent literacy skills of 4- to 5-year-old children with a H-LT (n = 13) and a H-TD (n = 11) were compared on measures of phonological awareness, print awareness (including print concepts and letter-sound knowledge), and narrative. Cut-off scores reflecting weak performance for each measure were determined. Children scoring below the cut-off on at least two measures were identified as having a weak emergent literacy profile. RESULT Group means indicated poorer emergent literacy performance in children with a H-LT compared to a H-TD, however, comparisons were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Proportionally, more children with a H-LT had a weak emergent literacy profile (8/13; 62%) compared to children with a H-TD (2/11; 18%). CONCLUSION Children with a H-LT may be more vulnerable for emergent literacy difficulties. By assessing multiple emergent literacy skills, individualised profiles for children can be determined and reported alongside between-group comparisons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosemary Hodges
- Western Sydney Speech Pathology, Blacktown, Australia
- School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
| | - Elise Baker
- School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
- School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
- South Western Sydney Local Health District, Liverpool, Australia, and
- Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, Australia
| | - Natalie Munro
- School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
| | - Sarah Masso
- School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
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Zuccarini M, Guarini A, Gibertoni D, Suttora C, Aceti A, Corvaglia L, Bello A, Caselli MC, Sansavini A. Describing communication profiles of low-risk preterm and full-term late talkers. JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2023; 104:106336. [PMID: 37257297 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2023.106336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Late talkers represent a heterogeneous population. We aimed to describe communication profiles of low-risk preterm and full-term late talkers according to their receptive and expressive vocabulary size, considering communicative, linguistic, cognitive, and motor skills, as well as biological and environmental risk factors. METHODS Sixty-eight late talkers (33 born low-risk preterm and 35 full-term) were identified through a language screening at 30 months. Parents filled out the Italian Short Forms of the MacArthur Bates Communicative Development Inventories and the Socio Conversational Skills Rating Scales. Children were assessed with the Picture Naming Game test and the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development. RESULTS A two-step cluster analysis identified three distinct profiles among late talkers according to their receptive and expressive vocabulary size. Severe late talkers (25%) showed less frequent use of pointing, limited verbal imitation, receptive vocabulary size, lexical and sentence production, responsiveness and assertiveness, and lower cognitive scores than mild late talkers (40%). Moderate late talkers (35%) showed less frequent verbal imitation, limited lexical and sentence production and lower cognitive scores than mild late talkers. Male gender was significantly more represented in the severe late profile, whereas other biological and environmental factors did not differ among the three profiles. CONCLUSIONS Findings highlighted the relevance of assessing communicative, lexical, grammar, pragmatic, and cognitive skills to describe late talkers' profiles. A deeper investigation of phonological skills might also contribute to a further understanding of interindividual variability in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariagrazia Zuccarini
- Department of Education Studies "Giovanni Maria Bertin", University of Bologna, Italy.
| | - Annalisa Guarini
- Department of Psychology "Renzo Canestrari", University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Dino Gibertoni
- Research and Innovation Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Italy
| | - Chiara Suttora
- Department of Psychology "Renzo Canestrari", University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Arianna Aceti
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Italy; Department of Medical and Surgery Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Luigi Corvaglia
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Italy; Department of Medical and Surgery Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy
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Farabolini G, Ceravolo MG, Marini A. Towards a Characterization of Late Talkers: The Developmental Profile of Children with Late Language Emergence through a Web-Based Communicative-Language Assessment. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:1563. [PMID: 36674318 PMCID: PMC9862326 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20021563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Children acquire language naturally, but there is variation in language acquisition patterns. Indeed, different internal and external variables play a role in acquiring language. However, there are open research questions about the contribution of different variables to language development. Moreover, with societal changes and due to the pandemic situation, there has been a growing interest in testing digitalization related to indirect language acquisition assessment. In this study, a web-based assessment survey was developed to (1) describe the relation between expressive vocabulary, Socio-Conversational Skills (SCS), gender, parental education, executive functions (EFs), and pretend play; (2) determine whether the survey can detect differences between late talkers (LTs) and children with typical language development; (3) identify children with "overall high" and "overall low" communicative-language scores to test the validity of expressive vocabulary as a main indicator to detect LTs. The parents of 108 Italian children (51 males) aged 24-36 months participated in the study. The results showed that expressive vocabulary correlates with measures of SCS (assertiveness and responsiveness) and is reliable in identifying LTs (d = 2.73). Furthermore, SCS and EFs contribute to better characterizing the developmental profile of children aged 24-36 months.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianmatteo Farabolini
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy
| | - Maria Gabriella Ceravolo
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy
| | - Andrea Marini
- Department of Languages, Literatures, Communication, Education and Society, University of Udine, 33100 Udine, Italy
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Finestack LH, Elmquist M, Kuchler K, Ford AB, Cakir-Dilek B, Riegelman A, Brown SJ, Marsalis S. Caregiver-Implemented Communication Interventions for Children Identified as Having Language Impairment 0 Through 48 Months of Age: A Scoping Review. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2022; 65:3004-3055. [PMID: 35858263 PMCID: PMC9911096 DOI: 10.1044/2022_jslhr-21-00543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Caregiver-implemented interventions are frequently used to support the early communication of young children with language impairment. Although there are numerous studies and meta-analyses supporting their use, there is a need to better understand the intervention approaches and identify potential gaps in the research base. With that premise, we conducted a scoping review to synthesize existing data with an end goal of informing future research directions. METHOD We identified relevant studies by comprehensively searching four databases. After deduplication, we screened 5,703 studies. We required included studies (N = 59) to evaluate caregiver-implemented communication interventions and include at least one caregiver communication outcome measure. We extracted information related to the (a) study, child, and caregiver characteristics; (b) intervention components (e.g., strategies taught, delivery method and format, and dosage); and (c) caregiver and child outcome measures (e.g., type, quality, and level of evidence). RESULTS We synthesized results by age group of the child participants. There were no studies with children in the prenatal through 11-month-old age range identified in our review that yielded a caregiver language outcome measure with promising or compelling evidence. For the 12- through 23-month group, there were seven studies, which included eight communication intervention groups; for the 24- through 35-month group, there were 21 studies, which included 26 intervention groups; and for the 36- through 48-month group, there were 21 studies, which included 23 intervention groups. Across studies and age groups, there was considerable variability in the reporting of study characteristics, intervention approaches, and outcome measures. CONCLUSION Our scoping review highlights important research gaps and inconsistencies in study reporting that should be addressed in future investigations. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.20289195.
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Suttora C, Guarini A, Zuccarini M, Aceti A, Corvaglia L, Sansavini A. Integrating Gestures and Words to Communicate in Full-Term and Low-Risk Preterm Late Talkers. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19073918. [PMID: 35409598 PMCID: PMC8997750 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19073918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Young children use gestures to practice communicative functions that foster their receptive and expressive linguistic skills. Studies investigating the use of gestures by late talkers are limited. This study aimed to investigate the use of gestures and gesture–word combinations and their associations with word comprehension and word and sentence production in late talkers. A further purpose was to examine whether a set of individual and environmental factors accounted for interindividual differences in late talkers’ gesture and gesture–word production. Sixty-one late talkers, including 35 full-term and 26 low-risk preterm children, participated in the study. Parents filled out the Italian short forms of the MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventories (MB–CDI), “Gesture and Words” and “Words and Sentences” when their children were 30-months-old, and they were then invited to participate in a book-sharing session with their child. Children’s gestures and words produced during the book-sharing session were transcribed and coded into CHAT of CHILDES and analyzed with CLAN. Types of spontaneous gestures (pointing and representational gestures) and gesture–word combinations (complementary, equivalent, and supplementary) were coded. Measures of word tokens and MLU were also computed. Correlational analyses documented that children’s use of gesture–word combinations, particularly complementary and supplementary forms, in the book-sharing session was positively associated with linguistic skills both observed during the session (word tokens and MLU) and reported by parents (word comprehension, word production, and sentence production at the MB–CDI). Concerning individual factors, male gender was negatively associated with gesture and gesture–word use, as well as with MB–CDI action/gesture production. In contrast, having a low-risk preterm condition and being later-born were positively associated with the use of gestures and pointing gestures, and having a family history of language and/or learning disorders was positively associated with the use of representational gestures. Furthermore, a low-risk preterm status and a higher cognitive score were positively associated with gesture–word combinations, particularly complementary and supplementary types. With regard to environmental factors, older parental age was negatively associated with late talkers’ use of gestures and pointing gestures. Interindividual differences in late talkers’ gesture and gesture–word production were thus related to several intertwined individual and environmental factors. Among late talkers, use of gestures and gesture–word combinations represents a point of strength promoting receptive and expressive language acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Suttora
- Department of Psychology "Renzo Canestrari", University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Annalisa Guarini
- Department of Psychology "Renzo Canestrari", University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Mariagrazia Zuccarini
- Department of Educational Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Filippo Re 6, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Arianna Aceti
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy
| | - Luigi Corvaglia
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy
| | - Alessandra Sansavini
- Department of Psychology "Renzo Canestrari", University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
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Salerni N, Suttora C. Semantic Contingency of Maternal Verbal Input Directed at Very Preterm and Full-Term Children. Front Psychol 2022; 13:800568. [PMID: 35250736 PMCID: PMC8893162 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.800568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies have testified to the importance of a responsive linguistic input for children’s language acquisition and development. In particular, maternal use of expansions, imitations, interpretations, and labels has been shown to promote both children’s language comprehension and production. From this perspective, the present study examined the semantically contingent linguistic input addressed to very preterm children’s comparing it to that directed to full-term children observed during a semi-structured play session when the children were 24 months of age. The relationships between maternal contingent utterances and children’s communicative repertoires were also investigated. The main results showed that mothers of full-term children produced a higher proportion of semantically contingent utterances than those of very preterm children; moreover, this variable was associated with children’s more advanced communicative-linguistic outcomes. Overall, this study supports the interdependence between mothers’ use of certain linguistic strategies and children’s communicative-linguistic repertoire, extending this evidence to children born very preterm and suggesting the importance of considering the semantic contingency aspect of child-directed speech to support the communicative and linguistic development of these children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicoletta Salerni
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano - Bicocca, Milano, Italy
| | - Chiara Suttora
- Department of Psychology "Renzo Canestrari", University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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