Impact of supplemental multicomponent early childhood language instruction

The strong association of early language skills to later reading ability suggests that supporting the development of these skills in children who enter preschool or kindergarten with below-average language abilities may lead to stronger reading skills. This study evaluated the efficacy of small-group language interventions for children in preschool and kindergarten who qualified based on having low or below-average language skills at the beginning of the school year. Results indicated moderate-to-large significant impacts on researcher-developed measures and also significant impacts on some standardized language measures. These findings suggest that children with a range of initial language skills can be responsive to intensive language intervention provided in structured, highly interactive lessons by well-trained paraprofessionals.