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Training Morphosyntactic Skills in Dutch Preschoolers with (Presumed) Developmental Language Disorder: A Novel Group-Based Intervention

Training Morphosyntactic Skills in Dutch Preschoolers with (Presumed) Developmental Language Disorder: A Novel Group-Based Intervention

Authors :
Iris Duinmeijer
Lisanne Geurts
Inge van Dijke
Anouk Scheffer
Sybren Spit
Luisa de Heer
Source :
International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders. 2024 59(6):2580-2604.
Publication Year :
2024

Abstract

Background: Morphosyntactic problems are a core symptom of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). In the Netherlands, children with (presumed) DLD can receive special care in language-focused treatment groups. The focus of these groups mainly lies in improving communicative intentions, vocabulary and phonology. Morphosyntactic skills receive less attention. Aims: The authors developed a scripted group-based intervention targeting morphosyntactic skills in young children with DLD. In this study, the effect of the intervention on the morphosyntactic skills of preschoolers with (presumed) DLD was tested and the usability for pedagogical practitioners (PPs) was evaluated. Methods & Procedures: Twenty-seven preschoolers with DLD (aged 2;10-3;10 [years;months]) participated in an A-B group study in which the development of grammatical structures was monitored with a morphosyntactic task and language sample analyses (LSA). Progression during 8 weeks usual care (UC) and 8 weeks morphosyntactic intervention was examined using Bayesian mixed effects models. In LSA, structures that were targeted were compared to control structures. The intervention consisted of a weekly script-based group session in which morphosyntactic structures were targeted, and daily activities in which these target structures were repeated. The intervention was provided by trained PPs, who were coached by a speech-language therapist. An early indication of usability and feasibility was evaluated using an online questionnaire. Outcomes & Results: The analyses show that morphosyntactic skills improved during the intervention period, with strong evidence for growth in the production of target structures on the morphosyntactic task and target and control structures in LSA, while barely any evidence was found for growth in the use of these structures in UC. However, target structures and control structures seem to develop at the same rate. General measures of morphosyntactic ability showed improvement both during UC and the intervention phase. Evaluation among practitioners suggested that the intervention is regarded as usable and feasible. Conclusions & Implications: Growth in morphosyntactic skills of children in the intervention period was demonstrated, but this could not be proven to be related to the intervention because both target and control structures improved during the intervention. This growth might be due to maturation instead of the intervention. Nevertheless, our study demonstrates that the morphosyntactic skills of preschoolers with DLD can show considerable improvement over a period of 8 weeks. Furthermore, our study underlines the importance of using LSA measures when monitoring the morphosyntactic development of children, as they might be more sensitive to change than standardised tests.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1368-2822 and 1460-6984
Volume :
59
Issue :
6
Database :
ERIC
Journal :
International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders
Notes :
https://osf.io/5fzdq/?view_only=3ba88632d88c41afb9f61911f64ff06c
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
EJ1448859
Document Type :
Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.13102