Intervention studies with group design targeting expressive phonology for children with developmental speech and language disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Background: Phonological difficulties are prevalent in children with speech and/or language disorders and may hamper their later language outcomes and academic achievements. These children often form a significant proportion of speech and language therapists’ caseloads. There is a shortage of information on evidence-based interventions for improving phonological skills in children and adolescents with speech and language disorder.
Aims: The aim of this systematic literature review and meta-analysis was to systematically examine the effects of different intervention approaches on speech production accuracy and phonological representation skills in children with speech and language disorders.
Methods: A preregistered systematic review (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews ID: CRD42017076075) adhering to Preferred Reporting items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines was completed. Seven electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, ERIC, PsychINFO, Cochrane Library, SCOPUS and Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts) were searched for studies related to oral language interventions with children with developmental speech and/or language disorder (mean age ranging from 3–18 years) published between January 2006 and August 2022. The included articles reported intervention studies with a group design in which speech production accuracy was the outcome measure. Studies were appraised using the Cochrane risk of bias tool, and individual effect sizes were calculated using standardised means differences when enough data was available. A meta-analysis was conducted obtaining the average standardised mean difference d. Heterogeneity, influence of possible moderator variables and publication bias were explored.
Results: The 23 studies that met the inclusion criteria presented low-medium risk of bias. Nine effect sizes were obtained from seven of these studies that presented a pre-post-test with a control group design. Medium-high average effect sizes were found in phonological accuracy. Heterogeneity was found between individual effect sizes. Significant moderator variables and publication bias were not detected.
Conclusions: The results of this meta-analysis indicate positive effects on speech production accuracy. Based on this review, further improvements in the quality of reporting for intervention research are required in developing the evidence base for practice.
History
Publication
International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 2024Publisher
Wiley and Sons LtdOther Funding information
The systematic review was part of the work of the Cost Action IS1406 network entitled Enhancing Children’s Oral Language Skills Across Europe and Beyond—A Collaboration Focusing on Interventions for Children with Difficulties Learning Their First Language. The network was supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology), funded by the European Union (Grant COST 106/14). This work was also supported in part by the Chilean national projects FONDECYT Regular 2019, Government of Chile, Chile [1190945], the Operational Program ERDF Andalusia 2014–2020, Government of Andalusia, Spain [US-1263096], the grant PID2020-115486GBI00 funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033, and by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT,Foundation for Science and Technology), grant UIDB/00214/2020.Sustainable development goals
- (10) Reduced Inequality
- (4) Quality Education