Randomized Comparison of Augmented and Nonaugmented Language Interventions for Toddlers With Developmental Delays and Their Parents

TLDR

The study compared language performance in toddlers with developmental delays who were randomly assigned to one of three parent‑coached interventions. Sixty‑eight toddlers with fewer than ten spoken words were randomized to augmented communication input, augmented communication output, or spoken communication interventions, and their symbolic language was assessed via transcripts from sessions 18 and 24 and target vocabulary coding. Children in the augmented groups produced more target vocabulary and had larger vocabulary sizes than those in the spoken communication group, demonstrating that parent‑coached augmented interventions enhance communication without hindering speech production.

Abstract

Purpose This study compared the language performance of young children with developmental delays who were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 parent-coached language interventions. Differences in performance on augmented and spoken word size and use, vocabulary size, and communication interaction skills were examined. Method Sixty-eight toddlers with fewer than 10 spoken words were randomly assigned to augmented communication input (AC-I), augmented communication output (AC-O), or spoken communication (SC) interventions; 62 children completed the intervention. This trial assessed the children’s symbolic language performance using communication measures from the language transcripts of the 18th and 24th intervention sessions and coding of target vocabulary use. Results All children in the AC-O and AC-I intervention groups used augmented and spoken words for the target vocabulary items, whereas children in the SC intervention produced a very small number of spoken words. Vocabulary size was substantially larger for AC-O and AC-I than for SC groups. Conclusions This study found that augmented language interventions that include parent coaching have a positive communication effect on young children with developmental delays who begin with fewer than 10 spoken words. Clinical implications suggest that augmented communication does not hinder, and actually aids, speech production abilities in young children with developmental delays.