Article
Real-World Changes in Preschoolers’ Functional Communication Skills: A Single-Subject Analysis of Two Group Interventions
Preprint
(2024)
Abstract
Purpose: This study analyzed real-world data from two preschool group therapy programs as part of a practice-based research collaboration.
Method: A single-subject experimental design was used to assess changes in the communication skills of eleven preschoolers from two group-based parent-training intervention programs aimed at increasing children’s vocabulary and expressive language skills. Outcomes were assessed using the Focus on the Outcomes of Communication Under Six (FOCUS-34), Communication Function Classification System (CFCS), Communication and Symbolic Behaviour Scales Developmental Profile (CSBS-DP) and MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (MB-CDI). These tools were completed at four points: (1) initial assessment, (2) start of group therapy, (3) end of group therapy and (4) end of a consolidation period.
Results: Most participants made clinically meaningful gains in their communicative participation during intervention (FOCUS-34). Increases in early communicative behaviours (CSBS-DP) were observed during intervention for one program. In the other program, gains in total words produced (MBCDI) were observed for most children, however, changes in utterance length, word forms and grammatical complexity were not observed. Changes in how children’s communicative function was described (CFCS) were not observed for either group though pre-intervention levels were considered age appropriate. Mixed results were also seen across measurement tools for both groups (e.g., score increases, score decreases and stable scores).
Conclusions: Group interventions may produce changes in communicative participation, early communicative behaviours, and total vocabulary, although additional data are needed to better understand effectiveness. The impact of group interventions and associated parent training components on children’s communicative functioning and higher-level expressive language skills also requires further investigation.
Keywords
- practice-based research,
- preschool group therapy,
- preschool group intervention,
- language delay,
- language disorder,
- language difficulty,
- communicative participation
Disciplines
Publication Date
2024
Citation Information
Lewcock, M., Theurer, J., Servais, M., & Cunningham, B. J. (2024, preprint). Real-world changes in preschoolers’ functional communication skills: A single-subject analysis of two group interventions. Preprint available at https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4734266