Effects of within-treatment factors on the performance of children with SLI in conversational recasting therapy

Johanna M Hassink, Purdue University

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to identify within-treatment factors that might account for the variability observed in the intervention outcomes of children with specific language impairment (SLI) who received recasting therapy. Audio-recorded sessions of 16 children receiving intervention for third person singular –s were transcribed and coded according to four clinician-related and four child-related parameters. Pearson r correlational analyses and linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship of these parameters with midpoint and final probe scores and to identify short- and long-term predictors of participant progress. Two variables, frequency of noncorrective recasts and grammaticality of child utterances, were found to be positive predictors of outcomes whereas simplicity of recasts and frequency of clinician third person singular subject/bare stem nonfinite verb productions were negative predictors. These results suggest that children who receive more noncorrective recasts and produce more grammatical utterances make better progress in therapy while children who receive a greater number of simple recasts and are exposed to more third person singular subject/bare stem nonfinite verb combinations have poorer outcomes. It appears that gains in therapy are greater when recasts are distinguishable from child platform utterances in meaning and form and when all direct or indirect affirmation of erroneous child productions are eliminated.

Degree

M.S.

Advisors

Leonard, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Speech therapy

COinS