title: Impacts of parent-implemented early-literacy intervention for Spanish-speaking children with language impairment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Children with language impairment (LI) often have lags in development of print knowledge, an important early-literacy skill. This study explores impacts of a print-focused intervention for Spanish-speaking children with LI in Southeastern Mexico.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Aims were twofold. First, we sought to describe the print knowledge (print-concept knowledge, alphabet knowledge) of Spanish-speaking children with LI. Second, we determined the extent to which print-referencing intervention delivered by children's parents could improve print knowledge.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a pre-test-post-test delayed treatment research design, 13 parent-child dyads were assigned to an intervention (n = 8) versus control (n = 5) condition. Children were drawn from a speech-language clinic and all were receiving services for LI. Caregivers in the intervention group implemented an 8-week home-reading programme following a systematic scope and sequence for improving children's print knowledge.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children showed individual differences in their print knowledge based on three baseline measures examining print-concept knowledge, alphabet knowledge and letter-sound knowledge. Those whose caregivers implemented the 8-week programme showed statistically and practically significant gains on two of the three measures over the intervention period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results presented here may stimulate future research on the print knowledge of Spanish-speaking children with LI. Sources of individual differences are important to determine. Caregivers may use the intervention presented here as a potential avenue for improving children's print knowledge.
authors.affiliation: The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Amy S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Pratt
authors.affiliation: The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Laura M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Justice
authors.affiliation: Dimeterapia, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico.
authors.forename: Ashanty
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.affiliation: Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA.
authors.forename: Lillian K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Duran
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000628:therapy*; D007808:Language Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D000067010:Literacy; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education*; D011932:Reading
keywords: Spanish-speaking children; early literacy; intervention; language impairment