Early Talk Boost is a preschool-based intervention for children with delayed language development aged between 3 and 4 years. It is delivered by early years practitioners to children in groups of six to eight children. The intervention aims to improve children’s oral language development.
The information above is as offered/supported by the intervention provider.
3 to 4 years old
Group
Early Talk Boost is a preschool-based intervention for children with delayed language development aged between 3 and 4 years. Children are selected by early years practitioners.
It is delivered by trained early years practitioners to children in groups of six to eight children in nursery or pre-school. The practitioner provides three weekly sessions of 15 to 20 minutes each, over nine weeks (27 sessions).
During the sessions, the practitioner uses practical activities, games, songs, rhymes, and story books, supported by a planning board, song cards, toys, and other resources. The activities are aimed at developing:
The practitioner can model language through these activities, which are enjoyable and engaging for the children. The Early Talk Boost story books are given to parents so they can also read them with children at home.
The intervention aims to improve children’s oral language development, and consequently social and emotional development and school readiness.
3 to 4 years
Children in nursery or pre-school who are identified as having delayed language development
Disclaimer: The information in this section is as offered/supported by the intervention provider.
Science-based assumption
Delays in early language development, including reduced vocabulary and expressive language skills, can persist throughout school and negatively impact academic achievement.
Science-based assumption
Early language development is an important part of children’s school readiness, and contributes to social and emotional development.
Science-based assumption
Family disadvantage negatively impacts parents’ ability to provide an enriching home learning environment, including for language learning.
Intervention
Early years practitioners work with groups of children to increase their understanding and talking, through rhymes, songs, stories, and games, focusing on attention and listening, learning vocabulary, and building sentences.
Short-term
Improved child language and communication
Improved child confidence and curiosity.
Medium-term
Increased child school readiness
Reduced social and emotional difficulties.
Long-term
Increased child school achievement.
Children identified by early years practitioners as having delayed language development.
Early Talk Boost is delivered in 27 sessions of 15 to 20 minutes’ duration each by a practitioner, to groups of six to eight children.
Early Talk Boost group sessions complement or replace group or circle time in a nursery or pre-school setting.
The sessions consist of practical activities, games, songs, rhymes, and story books.
The practitioner uses a planning board, song card, toys, and other resources to support learning.
The activities are aimed at developing children’s attention and listening skills, sentence building, vocabulary acquisition, and social communication skills.
The practitioner who delivers this intervention is an early years practitioner with QCF-3 level qualifications.
The practitioners have 5 hours of intervention training. Booster training of practitioners is not required.
Supervision of practitioners is not required.
Intervention fidelity is maintained through the following processes:
Organisation: Speech and Language UK
Email address: info@speechandlanguage.org.uk
Website: https://speechandlanguage.org.uk/
*Please note that this information may not be up to date. In this case, please visit the listed intervention website for up to date contact details.
Early Talk Boost’s most rigorous evidence comes from an RCT which was conducted in the UK.
This study identified statistically significant improvements in language and communication skills.
Early Talk Boost has preliminary evidence of improving a child outcome, but we cannot be confident that the intervention caused the improvement.
| Identified in search | 3 |
| Studies reviewed | 1 |
| Meeting the L2 threshold | 1 |
| Meeting the L3 threshold | 0 |
| Contributing to the L4 threshold | 0 |
| Ineligible | 2 |
| Study design | Cluster RCT |
| Country | UK |
| Sample characteristics | 85 children aged 3 to 4 years identified as having delayed language development |
| Race, ethnicities, and nationalities | No information |
| Population risk factors |
|
| Timing |
|
| Child outcomes |
|
| Other outcomes | None |
| Study rating | 2 |
| Citations | Reeves, L., Hartshorne, M., Black, R., Atkinson, J., Baxter, A. & Pring, T. (2018) Early Talk Boost: A targeted intervention for three-year-old children with delayed language development. Child Language Teaching and Therapy. 34 (1), 53–62. |
The following studies were identified for this intervention but did not count towards the intervention’s overall evidence rating. An intervention receives the same rating as its most robust study or studies.
Forest Way Teaching School Alliance. (2017) Early Talk Boost (I CAN) intervention: Improving communication and language in disadvantaged 3-4 year olds.
Note on provider involvement: This provider has agreed to Foundations’ terms of reference (or the Early Intervention Foundation's terms of reference), and the assessment has been conducted and published with the full cooperation of the intervention provider.
Rated 1: Set up and delivery is low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of less than £100.
Rated 2: Set up and delivery is medium-low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £100–£499.
Rated 3: Set up and delivery is medium cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £500–£999.
Rated 4: Set up and delivery is medium-high cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £1,000–£2,000.
Rating 5: Set up and delivery is high cost. Equivalent to an estimated unit cost of more than £2,000.
Set up and delivery cost is not applicable, not available, or has not been calculated.
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Supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
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Enhancing school achievement & employment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
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Rated 2: Has preliminary evidence of improving a child outcome from a quantitative impact study, but there is not yet evidence of causal impact.
Rated 2+: Meets the level 2 rating and the best available evidence is based on a study which is more rigorous than a level 2 standard but does not meet the level 3 standard.
Rated 3: Has evidence of a short-term positive impact from at least one rigorous study.
Rated 3+: Meets the level 3 rating and has evidence from other studies with a comparison group at level 2 or higher.
Rated 4: Has evidence of a long-term positive impact through at least two rigorous studies.
Rated 4+: Meets the level 4 rating and has at least a third study contributing to the Level 4 rating, with at least one of the studies conducted independently of the intervention provider.
Rating has a *: The evidence base includes mixed findings i.e., studies suggesting positive impact alongside studies, which on balance, indicate no effect or negative impact.
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