Preschool Project. Third Year Program. Summative Report.

This final report summarizes the activities and findings of a research project which developed a model program for preschoolers "at risk in language." A total of 22 children, including 17 children "at risk" and 5 peers, participated in the program; the children served by the project showed increased facility with language in the form of improved test scores for language processing, oral expression, and other language skills. The program components included an enriched preschool environment emphasizing language remediation, home visits by a speech-language pathologist, support group meetings, workshops, parent consultation, and dissemination activities. The program also provided consultation to public school personnel and followup services for program participants as they were mainstreamed into public schools. Several language evaluation instruments were administered and analyzed in the project's efforts to develop and standardize the "Children's Language Institute Preschool Placement Test." Another component of the project was the development of a model program for replication in public settings; the model program was published as "A Classroom-Home Language Intervention Program for Preschool Children 'At Risk' for Language/Learning Disabilities." Appendices to the report contain newspaper articles about the project, the final social service report, and materials from a project-sponsored workshop. (JDD)