Can Increases in Quantity and Quality of Parental Language Behaviors with Their Toddlers be Sustained in Low-SES Families? Findings of a Randomized Controlled Trial

• In Event: Parenting Programs for Young Children Around the Globe: Advances in Modalities, Culturally Sensitive Content, and Effects

Abstract

An extensive amount of research shows both quantity and quality of adult language input during early childhood promote young children’s language learning, which in turn contribute to their long-term developmental outcomes (Hoff et al., 2014; Rowe, 2012; Vernon-Feagans et al., 2019). These findings have strong implications for interventions designed to address disparities in children’s early environments as well as later achievement through promoting parental child-directed language among families of low-SES (Rowe, 2018).

Thus, this randomized-controlled trial examined whether the 3Ts-Home Visiting (3Ts-HV) intervention was efficacious in promoting the quantity and quality of parental language directed to their toddlers, controlling for parental education, parental language skills, child age, and the length of recording. It also examined whether increases in the parental child-directed language sustained over time among socioeconomically disadvantaged families with toddlers

Method. Parent-toddler dyads of low-SES were randomized to receive either the 3Ts-HV intervention (n = 73) or Healthy Lifestyle control (n = 75) curriculum. Through participating in a 20-minute free play at home, the quantity (Tokens) and quality of parental language directed to the toddler were assessed at baseline and again over 12 months post curriculum. Quality captured the diversity (Types) and complexity (MLU, Complex Sentences, and WH-Questions) of parental child-directed language.

The 3Ts-HV curriculum is a six-month parent-directed intervention designed to empower socioeconomically disadvantaged parents with evidence-based knowledge and strategies to foster an optimal environment for their young children’s cognitive and language development. Throughout all 12 modules, the “3Ts”: Tune In, Talk More, and Take Turns are the three key behavior change strategies designed for parents to enrich their child’s language environments. Utilizing scaffolding, social learning and guided practice, quantitative linguistic feedback and goal setting, this intervention supports parents in learning how to apply scientific knowledge and/or implement behavior changes in their everyday lives.

Results. A mixed MANCOVA revealed a significant Time*Condition interaction, indicating a significant 3Ts-HV intervention impact on the five measures of parental child-directed language over time, Pillai’s Trace F(10,127)=4.91, p<.001, ηp2=.28. Subsequent mixed ANCOVAs showed non-significant main effect of Time, significant main effect of Condition, and significant Time*Condition interaction effect on each measure (Table 1). Post hoc pairwise comparisons revealed that the 3Ts-HV parents had significant increases in Tokens, Types, MLU, and Complex Sentences immediately and 6-12 months post intervention. In contrast, the Control parents had no significant increases in Tokens, Types, and MLU until 6-12 months post intervention and no significant increases in Complex Sentences at all. Although both 3Ts-HV and Control parents had significant increases in WH-Questions immediately and 6-12m post intervention, the 3Ts-HV parents had larger increases than the Control parents did (Figure 1).

Discussion. Findings provided empirical evidence supporting the efficacy of the 3Ts-HV intervention in promoting different aspects of parental language directed to their toddlers among socioeconomically disadvantaged families. Importantly, increases in the quantity, diversity, and complexity of parental child-directed language sustained in the context of low-SES households 6 to 12 months after the intervention, indicating the important role of early intervention in narrowing the early language input disparities.

Authors

• Christy YuetYu Leung, University of Chicago
  Presenting Author

• Dana Suskind, University of Chicago
  Non-Presenting Author