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ERIC Number: EJ1489800
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Nov
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1368-2822
EISSN: EISSN-1460-6984
Available Date: 2025-10-11
The Power of Partnership: Adapting Early Language Intervention for Children with Down Syndrome through Family-Researcher Collaboration
Kirstie Hartwell1; Emma Pagnamenta2; Vesna Stojanovik2; Rebecca Baxter2; Kelly Burgoyne1
International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, v60 n6 e70139 2025
Background: Parents are uniquely placed to support their child's development. Interventions which are designed to be delivered by parents therefore hold considerable promise, particularly for children with neurodevelopmental conditions that are associated with particular developmental strengths and challenges. Aims: This study worked in partnership with families from the Down syndrome community to adapt an evidence-based early language intervention for children with Down syndrome. Methods and Procedures: Six families with a 3- to 5-year-old child with Down syndrome participated in this mixed-methods exploratory study. Guided by aspects of Community-Based Participatory Research and Design-Based Research, iterative cycles of design, implementation, analysis, and re-design were implemented to produce an adapted intervention programme. Data were collected using record forms, surveys, observations, and focus groups. Outcomes and Results: Findings showed many aspects of the original programme were acceptable and feasible for families, but important adaptations were identified, including enhancing repetition and consolidation, reducing time pressures, tailoring to individual needs, smaller steps for learning, supporting engagement, and increasing visual support. Adapting the programme in these ways enhanced adherence, enjoyment and the child's active engagement. Conclusions and Implications: This study is the first to report the process of adapting an existing language intervention for people with disabilities and highlights the value of working with families to identify the best ways to support their needs. Our approach shows promise for supporting language development in this population and serves as a foundation for future research that aims to develop novel interventions.
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www-wiley-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (England)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK; 2School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK