Oregon Research Institute

Parents Plus: Language Coach

Investigators are teaching parents to use evidence-based language techniques so as to improve the language outcomes of preschool children with language impairment (LI).

Details

Children’s language skills are robustly related to future academic performance. Preschool children who qualify for speech-language services almost universally receive speech- language services in a preschool setting, and it is beyond the scope of speech language pathologists (SLPs) with their large caseloads to sufficiently train parents. Parents are an untapped resource that can potentially assist children with LI to improve their language skills and prepare their children for school success.

In this subcontract from Lehigh University, Feil and his team are developing an internet-based platform which will include training modules,  exemplar video clips of best practice, implementation guides, and a community chat room for parents and language coaches.