Comparing Music and Literacy Approaches for Late Talker Language Acquisition
Chelsea Clock Bell, MA, CFY-SLP
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, Grand Rapids, MI *Research Completed at University of Northern Iowa Purpose To investigate the effects of a music-based speech and language therapy approach on late talking toddlers and compare with a literacy-based speech and language therapy approach. Research Questions Do sung lyrics in speech and language intervention promote growth of expressive vocabulary in toddlers who are late talking? Does literacy-based speech and language intervention promote growth of expressive vocabulary in toddlers who are late talking? Does a speech and language therapy approach integrating sung lyrics promote a greater increase in growth of expressive vocabulary in toddlers who are late talking compared to a literacy-based speech and language therapy approach? Literature Review Identification of late talkers is difficult due to: large variability in the rate of development, the fact that many late talkers outgrow their delay (Rescorla et al., 1997; Thal et al., 1997), & lack of efficient standardized methods (Fenson et al., 1993; Rescorla, 1989; Robertson & Ellis Weismer, 1999; Tyler & Tolbert, 2002). Previous research attempts to pinpoint predictor variables (Rescorla et al., 1997; Robertson & Ellis Weismer, 1999; Williams & Elbert, 2003), however inconsistent results. Limited literature regarding music intervention for late talkers; however, it has been used in the past to supplement speech and language therapy and for a variety of populations (Belin et al., 1996; Roper, 2003; Whipple, 2004). Literacy treatment continues to gain acknowledgment in speech and language intervention with several different populations (Gillon, 2000; Kaderavek & Justice, 2002; Kouri et al., 2006); however, research is needed to determine whether it is