The Legacy for Children™ Randomized Control Trial: Effects on Cognition Through Third Grade for Young Children Experiencing Poverty.
Ruth Perou, Lara R Robinson, Melissa L Danielson and 6 others
PMID 30921105WHAT IT FOUND
A parenting intervention improved cognitive scores for children in Los Angeles but not Miami.
The LA site showed higher IQ and reading math scores through third grade. Differences between sites mean the specific curriculum or local context drove the effect, not the program alone.
Key findings
01Children in the LA intervention group had significantly higher unadjusted cognitive scores at age 3 and third grade compared to the comparison group.
02There were no statistically significant cognitive findings in the Miami sample.
03Adjusted analysis showed LA intervention children had higher scores on specific reading and math tests at age 5 and third grade.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The two sites implemented different curricula and schedules, making it impossible to separate the effect of the program content from the local community context. The intervention showed no cognitive benefit in Miami, raising questions about generalizability to all low-income populations. Attrition occurred over time, with only about 60-65% of participants completing the third-grade follow-up, though baseline demographics did not differ significantly between completers and non-completers.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this parenting program will improve cognitive outcomes for all families in poverty. The benefits were seen only in the Los Angeles site and not in Miami, where the implementation and community context differed.