Background: Previous research has examined the impact of early language interventions on the linguistic skills of late-to-talk children. However, we have little understanding of how such interventions impact communicative participation (i.e., the ability to communicate in real-world contexts) or what factors influence individual response to these interventions. Aims: (1) To evaluate the effectiveness of Target WordTM – The Hanen Program® for Parents of Children Who are Late Talkers, for improving the communicative participation skills of children who are late-to-talk. (2) To explore predictors of Target Word participation-based outcomes. Methods & Procedures: We conducted a retrospective clinical chart review for 76 families who participated in the Target Word program at a publicly-funded clinic. Families completed the Focus on the Outcomes of Communication Under Six (FOCUS) and MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories at three time points: pre-intervention, post-intervention, and after a 3-month consolidation period. Regression analysis explored the relation between children’s communicative participation outcomes and potential predictors of change identified by 26 Target Word certified speech and language therapists/pathologists. Outcomes & Results: At the end of intervention, 75% of children had made a clinically significant change on the FOCUS. Clinicians proposed verbal imitation, language development stagnation, and parent interaction style as the top predictors of communicative participation outcomes. Of these, only verbal imitation pre-intervention predicted communicative participation change following the Target Word program. Conclusions & Implications: The Target Word program can facilitate the development communicative participation skills in late-to-talk children. Modifications to the intervention may be needed in order to maximize outcomes for children with limited verbal imitation.
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