Journal article
Improving outcomes of preschool language delay in the community: Protocol for the Language for Learning randomised controlled trial
M Wake, P Levickis, S Tobin, N Zens, J Law, L Gold, OC Ukoumunne, S Goldfeld, HND Le, J Skeat, S Reilly
BMC Pediatrics | BMC | Published : 2012
Abstract
Background: Early language delay is a high-prevalence condition of concern to parents and professionals. It may result in lifelong deficits not only in language function, but also in social, emotional/behavioural, academic and economic well-being. Such delays can lead to considerable costs to the individual, the family and to society more widely. The Language for Learning trial tests a population-based intervention in 4 year olds with measured language delay, to determine (1) if it improves language and associated outcomes at ages 5 and 6 years and (2) its cost-effectiveness for families and the health care system.Methods/Design: A large-scale randomised trial of a year-long intervention tar..
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Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Acknowledgements
The trial is funded by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC Project Grant 607407). The NHMRC played no role in the trial's design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. We thank all the children, parents, maternal and child health nurses and research assistants (including Jon Quach, Elizabeth Varelias, Liz Varley, Rebecca Nadalin, Hannah Bryson, Laura Punaro, Lisa Quinn, Leah Zelencich, Peta Newell and Jane Sheehan) who took part in the trial. We are indebted to Professor Luigi Girolametto for his central role in the preceding Let's Learn Language trial and the early advice he provided on the structure of the Language for Learning intervention. We especially acknowledge the outstanding contributions of Sherryn Tobin, Natasha Napiza and Ruth Nicholls as Project Managers of the earlier Let's Learn Language and Let's Read trials, without whom our population sample would not have existed. MW was part-funded by NHMRC Population Health Career Development Grants 284556 and 546405; SG, JS and OU by NHMRC Capacity Building Grant 436914; SR by NHMRC Practitioner Fellowship 491210; and LG by NHMRC Capacity Building Grant 425855 and NHMRC Early Career Fellowship 1035100. Murdoch Childrens Research Institute is supported by the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Program.