Exploring parent–child interactions during a parent-implemented language intervention for children who are late-to-talk

Supportive parent–child interactions are critical for facilitating typically developing children's language and social skill development. For children who are late-to-talk, parent–child interactions may be particularly important to address as a means of supporting growth in children's early language abilities. Target Word is one parent-implemented intervention for children who are late-to-talk that teaches parents strategies for facilitating more meaningful communicative interactions with their children, but little is known about the impact of this program on parent–child interactions. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the nature of parent–child interactions changed during the virtual Target Word program and whether changes in parent–child interaction were associated with parents’ participation in the virtual Target Word program. A total of 40 children between 16 and 27 months of age who were identified as late-to-talk and their caregivers were assigned to a treatment or wait-list control group. Parent–child interactions were captured virtually using Zoom at four time points and measured using the Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes (PICCOLO). Families completed book reading, pretend, and manipulative play tasks. While 16 of the 20 families in the treatment group completed the study, only 5 of the 20 families in the wait-list control group completed the entire study. Data were analyzed using a constrained longitudinal data analysis approach. Group differences in parent–child interactions were not statistically different at any time point. Further research is necessary to evaluate whether parent–child interactions are in fact impaired in late talkers, the psychometric properties of the PICCOLO for late talkers, and whether parent–child interactions may be assessed differently in virtual versus in-person environments.