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Benefits of language intervention diminish in toddlers after 1 year
Although benefits of short-term Enhanced Milieu Training were observable in an analysis of toddlers with language delays — especially for those with receptive-expressive delays at 6 months — these benefits were not sustained after 12 months due to the likelihood of reactivity and spontaneous recovery of children with expressive-only delays, according to findings published in Pediatrics.
“Although as many as 60% of [children with language delays of unknown etiology] may catch up to their typically developing peers’ language abilities by 4 years, a considerable percentage of children will demonstrate persistent, long-term, language-related deficits in academic and social skills,” Lauren H. Hampton, PhD, from Vanderbilt University, and colleagues wrote. “Because of the apparent spontaneous recovery in some children, there is a tradition of delaying language intervention for this population until it is clear that the delays are persistent.”
To assess data previously collected from a randomized controlled trial, which included toddlers with language delays receiving Enhanced Milieu Teaching (EMT), the researchers examined language outcomes and parent intervention implementation at 6 and 12 months after the study was completed. In this study, 97 pairs of parents and toddlers were assigned to either usual community treatments or 3 months of EMT with parent training.
Hampton and colleagues then used multiple regression analyses to evaluate discrepancies between the two groups at 6 and 12 months. In a post hoc moderator analysis of treatment outcomes, the researchers used a subgroup of toddlers with both receptive and expressive language delays.
When the EMT and community treatment groups were compared in follow-up, the researchers observed no differences at either 6 or 12 months. Although no discrepancies were noted in these groups, persistent delays were detected in toddlers with both receptive and expressive delays who received short-term intervention.
“Children with receptive-expressive delays in the treatment arm, on average, moved into the normative range by the end of the follow-up period, indicating a small but potentially meaningful boost from receiving the intervention,” Hampton and colleagues wrote. “These results may indicate that across multiple outcomes, the intervention may be relatively more effective in supporting communication development in children with receptive and expressive language delays than in children with expressive-only delays.” – by Katherine Bortz
Disclosure: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
