Improving Language and Literacy Outcomes for Kindergarten Children with Language Impairment:A Behavior Regulation Intervention

University Of Texas At Austin, Austin TX

Investigators

Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract The primary aim of this study is to determine the feasibility of an intervention for improving the behavior regulation skills of kindergarten children with language impairment (LI). Behavior regulation refers to a child's ability to attend to a task or activity, remember the rules and directions of that task, and inhibit their preferred actions or desires in favor of the expectations for the current task. This topic is significant as children with LI tend to have weaker behavior regulation skills than their typically-developing peers, and strong behavior regulation skills have been linked to improved language and literacy outcomes. As reported in a sparse corpus of intervention studies, researchers have identified behavior regulation as a malleable construct and that children who receive behavior regulation interventions show gains not only in their behavior regulation abilities, but also in their language and literacy outcomes. However, these studies addressed behavior regulation for typically-developing and at-risk children alone and were embedded within the regular classroom curriculum, making it difficult to isolate the unique contribution of behavior regulation on outcomes for children with LI. Therefore, the proposed study has the primary aim of assessing the feasibility of a behavior regulation for kindergarten children with LI and improves upon the existing intervention literature by 1) conducting the intervention in a pull-out setting rather than in a classroom curriculum, 2) utilizing a clinically-identified sample of kindergarten children with LI currently receiving language therapy in the public schools, and 3) utilizing an innovative battery of assessment measures across study constructs to fully capture change in children?s skills. Two research aims are addressed in the current study: 1) Evaluate the feasibility of a behavior regulation intervention which promotes the attention, memory, and inhibitory control of kindergarten children with LI, and 2) Evaluate the mediation and moderation effects of improved attention, memory, and inhibitory control on the language and literacy outcomes of kindergarten children with LI receiving language therapy in the public schools. A pre-test/post-test design will be used in which kindergarten children with LI (N = 72) will be randomly assigned to a treatment group (behavior regulation intervention) or a control group (fine motor learning). The treatment group will engage in two, 30- minute sessions each week for 8 consecutive weeks. During these sessions, children will receive explicit instruction in attention, memory, and inhibitory control in the context of child-appropriate games and activities (e.g., Simon Says). Children in the control group will also engage in two, 30-minute sessions each week for 8 consecutive weeks; however, their time will be spent in fine motor activities (e.g., tracing, lacing) not related to the outcomes of the study. Children's behavior regulation, language, and literacy will be assessed prior to and following intervention to determine the feasibility of this intervention at improving children's direct (attention, memory, inhibitory control) and indirect (language and literacy) outcomes.