title: Texts for Talking: Evaluation of a Mobile Health Program Addressing Speech and Language Delay.
abstract: Speech and language delays are common developmental disorders that can lead to long-term academic and psychosocial impairments. Affected families often benefit from instruction in cultivating a language-rich home environment. This study investigated the feasibility of utilizing text messaging to deliver developmental education to families. Parents of children aged 11 to 36 months with concerning language development were enrolled in a 3-month text messaging program. Pre-program and post-program telephone surveys were completed. All enrolled parents were of low socioeconomic status, and 48% were monolingual Spanish speakers. A total of 27 parents (87%) completed the program and follow-up survey. After program completion, parents reported increased awareness of language-promoting activities and local child development resources (P = .002; P = .005). Parents also reported increased engagement in language-promoting activities (P = .004). The marginal program cost was 37 cents per participant. Findings from this pilot study indicate that text messaging is a feasible, engaging, and inexpensive platform for delivering developmental education to families.
authors.affiliation: University of California San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital, CA, USA University of Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Kaitlyn B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.affiliation: University of California San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital, CA, USA Boston Children's Hospital, MA, USA carol.wilkinson@childrens.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Carol L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.affiliation: Kinsights, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: M Jackson
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.affiliation: University of California San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Jamal
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: University of California San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Whittle
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012495:San Francisco; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods*; D060145:Text Messaging; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: SMS; child development; early childhood; low income; parent education; text messages