Interactive Book Reading to Accelerate Word Learning by Kindergarten Children With Developmental Language Disorder: Incorporating Retrieval-Based Practice Into Training.
Katherine R Gordon, Danielle Moss, Rebecca E Swinburne Romine and 2 others
PMID 40802500WHAT IT FOUND
Adding more retrieval practice to interactive book reading did not significantly improve word learning or long-term retention for children with developmental language disorder.
The intervention was effective overall, but varying the testing proportion made no statistical difference.
Key findings
01Children with DLD learned more treated words than untreated words, demonstrating the intervention was effective.
02The proportion of retrieval opportunities during treatment (low, mid, high) did not significantly affect the number of word meanings and forms learned.
03The proportion of retrieval opportunities during treatment did not significantly affect posttraining retention of word meanings and forms.
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 final sample size was smaller than planned due to exclusions related to the 2020 pandemic, which may have reduced statistical power to detect small differences between conditions. All children were tested at least once per session regardless of condition, which may have obscured differences between the low, mid, and high retrieval groups. The study did not assess whether the number of sessions with successful retrieval, rather than the proportion within a session, drives retention.
Declared interests
This research was supported by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Grant R01DC012824. The opinions expressed are the authors' own and do not reflect the view of the NIH or the US government.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that retrieval practice is ineffective. The study found that varying the proportion of retrieval opportunities within a session did not create significant differences, but all groups benefited from the intervention overall. The null finding for the specific manipulation does not negate the value of active engagement in therapy.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →