A comparison of word learning in 3-year-old children at-risk for language and literacy difficulties in two conditions: dialogic reading and activity-based intervention

Abstract

Existing research suggests a need for an intervention that can accelerate vocabulary acquisition for young children at-risk due to poverty. An adapted alternating treatments design was used to examine the effects of Dialogic Reading and Activity-Based Intervention (ABI) on participants' production of target words. Participants were three 3-year-olds considered at risk due to poverty and limited expressive language who attended a preschool program for at-risk families in a large urban school district. Ten words, randomly assigned to each condition (Dialogic Reading, ABI, control), were taught during alternating 10-min intervention sessions three times per week. Data were analyzed using visual analysis and descriptive statistics. Results suggest ABI was more efficacious and efficient than Dialogic Reading for two of three participants. Maintenance data suggest Dialogic Reading was superior at 1 week post-intervention, while ABI was superior at 2 weeks post-intervention for two of three participants. There were no differences in generalization.