Association of Age of Enrollment in Early Intervention with Emergent Literacy in Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.
Jareen Meinzen-Derr, Mekibib Altaye, Wendy Grove and 2 others
PMID 34086635WHAT IT FOUND
Children who entered early intervention before 6 months had higher emergent literacy scores than those who entered later.
The gap in picture naming, rhyming, and alliteration persisted over time, with later entrants failing to catch up.
Key findings
01Early enrollment was associated with significantly higher mean scores for picture naming, rhyming, and alliteration.
02The rate of change over time did not differ between groups, meaning children who entered later started with lower skills and did not close the gap.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study could not account for current hearing levels or the use of hearing aids and cochlear implants, as this data was not available in the records. Assessments did not provide standard scores, making it difficult to compare the absolute level of ability to national norms. The study did not measure current language skills in preschool, so it is unclear if the literacy gaps were driven by broader language delays. Children in private educational settings without an Individualized Education Program were excluded from the data.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the U.S. Government and P.H.S. (Public Health Service).
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the small numerical differences in scores as trivial. The study reports these gaps as academically meaningful and notes that children who entered later did not close the gap over time, suggesting early intervention timing has a lasting impact on literacy foundations.