Improving Language and Literacy Outcomes for Kindergarten Children with Language Impairment:A Behavior Regulation Intervention

项目总结/摘要 本研究的主要目的是确定干预的可行性， 用语言提高幼儿园儿童的行为调控技能 损伤（LI）。行为调节指的是孩子的能力，参加一项任务或 活动，记住该任务的规则和方向，并抑制他们的首选 有利于当前任务预期的行动或愿望。本课题是 显著，因为LI儿童的行为调节技能往往比他们的 典型的发展中的同龄人，和强大的行为调控技能已被链接到 改善语言和识字成果。 正如在一个稀疏的干预研究语料库报告，研究人员已经 认为行为调节是一种可塑性结构， 行为调节干预不仅在行为调节方面有所收获， 能力，但也在他们的语言和识字成果。但是这些研究 针对典型发育和高危儿童的行为调节， 嵌入在常规课堂课程中，因此很难将 行为调节对LI儿童结局的独特贡献。因此，我们认为， 这项研究的主要目的是评估一种行为的可行性， 规管幼稚园有LI的儿童，并改善现有的干预措施 1）在拉出式环境中进行干预，而不是在 课堂课程，2）利用临床确定的幼儿园儿童样本 李目前在公立学校接受语言治疗，以及3）利用 跨研究结构的一系列创新评估措施， 改变孩子的技能。本研究的目的有二：1） 评估行为调节干预的可行性， 幼儿园LI儿童的注意力、记忆力和抑制控制能力; 2） 评估改善注意力、记忆力和 抑制控制对幼儿园语言障碍儿童语言和读写能力的影响 在公立学校接受语言治疗 本研究采用前测/后测的方法， = 72）将被随机分配至治疗组（行为调节干预） 或对照组（精细运动学习）。治疗组将进行两个，30- 每周一分钟，连续8周。在这些活动中，儿童 将在上下文中接受关于注意力、记忆力和抑制控制的明确指导 适合儿童的游戏和活动（例如，Simon Says）.对照组儿童 小组还将从事两个，30分钟的会议，每周连续8周; 然而，他们的时间将花费在精细运动活动（例如，追踪，系带）不相关 研究的结果。儿童的行为规范、语言和读写能力将 在干预之前和之后进行评估，以确定其可行性 干预改善儿童的直接（注意，记忆，抑制控制）和 间接（语言和识字）成果。

Project Summary/Abstract The primary aim of this study is to determine the feasibility of an intervention for improving the behavior regulation skills of kindergarten children with language impairment (LI). Behavior regulation refers to a child's ability to attend to a task or activity, remember the rules and directions of that task, and inhibit their preferred actions or desires in favor of the expectations for the current task. This topic is significant as children with LI tend to have weaker behavior regulation skills than their typically-developing peers, and strong behavior regulation skills have been linked to improved language and literacy outcomes. As reported in a sparse corpus of intervention studies, researchers have identified behavior regulation as a malleable construct and that children who receive behavior regulation interventions show gains not only in their behavior regulation abilities, but also in their language and literacy outcomes. However, these studies addressed behavior regulation for typically-developing and at-risk children alone and were embedded within the regular classroom curriculum, making it difficult to isolate the unique contribution of behavior regulation on outcomes for children with LI. Therefore, the proposed study has the primary aim of assessing the feasibility of a behavior regulation for kindergarten children with LI and improves upon the existing intervention literature by 1) conducting the intervention in a pull-out setting rather than in a classroom curriculum, 2) utilizing a clinically-identified sample of kindergarten children with LI currently receiving language therapy in the public schools, and 3) utilizing an innovative battery of assessment measures across study constructs to fully capture change in children’s skills. Two research aims are addressed in the current study: 1) Evaluate the feasibility of a behavior regulation intervention which promotes the attention, memory, and inhibitory control of kindergarten children with LI, and 2) Evaluate the mediation and moderation effects of improved attention, memory, and inhibitory control on the language and literacy outcomes of kindergarten children with LI receiving language therapy in the public schools. A pre-test/post-test design will be used in which kindergarten children with LI (N = 72) will be randomly assigned to a treatment group (behavior regulation intervention) or a control group (fine motor learning). The treatment group will engage in two, 30- minute sessions each week for 8 consecutive weeks. During these sessions, children will receive explicit instruction in attention, memory, and inhibitory control in the context of child-appropriate games and activities (e.g., Simon Says). Children in the control group will also engage in two, 30-minute sessions each week for 8 consecutive weeks; however, their time will be spent in fine motor activities (e.g., tracing, lacing) not related to the outcomes of the study. Children's behavior regulation, language, and literacy will be assessed prior to and following intervention to determine the feasibility of this intervention at improving children's direct (attention, memory, inhibitory control) and indirect (language and literacy) outcomes.