title: Effect of foster care on young children's language learning.
abstract: This report examines 174 young children's language outcomes in the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, the first randomized trial of foster placement after institutional care. Age of foster placement was highly correlated with language outcomes. Placement by 15 months led to similar expressive and receptive language test scores as typical age peers at 30 and 42 months. Placement from 15 to 24 months also led to dramatic language improvement. In contrast, children placed after 24 months had the same severe language delays as children in institutional care. Language samples at 42 months confirmed that placement after 24 months led to lower expressive skill.
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. windsor@umn.edu
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Windsor
authors.forename: Joann P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Benigno
authors.forename: Christine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Wing
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Carroll
authors.forename: Sebastian F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Koga
authors.forename: Charles A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Nathan A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.forename: Charles H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Zeanah
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005581:Foster Home Care / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D057194:Intention to Treat Analysis; D007804:Language Development; D007807:Language Tests; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D012383:Romania; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome