SBIR-STTR Award

Language delay is pervasive among preschool children. Early intervention is crucial since the consequences of language delay can be serious and cumulative, yet research shows that most preschoolers do not receive language intervention services. We propose to develop an Internet-based early language intervention system designed specifically for the remediation of language disorders in three to five-year-old children with language function in the range of 24 to 42 months. The curricular design will be based on contemporary linguistic research. On-line delivery of the intervention curriculum will be individualized and controlled by an artificial intelligence system that tracks ongoing performance. By combining Internet accessibility with centralized curricular control and data collection, it will become possible to implement and easily manage coordinated school and home language intervention strategies. It will also be possible to provide services to more children without further taxing limited professional resources. Our Phase I goal is to test the feasibility and technical merit of our plans. A prototype internet-based language intervention system will be developed and placed on- line in an Early Essential Education classroom, and students with language delays will be given an opportunity to use the system. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: Speech-language pathologists, teachers, and parents recognize the importance of early intervention when a child's language status is impaired, and Federal law mandates such intervention. We anticipate that a highly accessible Internet-based language intervention system for three to five year olds will fulfill an unmet need for individualized services and will be a commercial success

This proposal requests SBIR Phase II support to complete and field test an Internet-based language intervention system designed to promote language development in preschool children with language disorders. Language delays are pervasive among school-age children. Early intervention is crucial since the consequences of language delay can be serious and cumulative. Yet research shows that most children with language delays never receive language intervention services during their preschool years. We propose to complete an Internet-based early language intervention system designed specifically for the remediation of language disorders in 3-5 year old children with language function in the range of 24-42 months. The curricular design will be guided by contemporary linguistic research. Online delivery of the intervention curriculum will be individualized and controlled by an artificial intelligence system that tracks performance and adjusts instructional support. By combining easy access via the Internet with centralized data collection and curricular control, it will become possible to implement and easily manage coordinated school and home language intervention strategies, and to provide services to more children without further taxing limited professional resources. In Phase I we tested the feasibility and technical merit of this objective. A prototype program module was developed and tested with 23 students who were enrolled in an Early Essential Education program, including 19 preschoolers with language delays. Data were collected over the Internet while testing six of these children. In Phase II we plan to fully develop and field-test this Internet-based language intervention system.

Thesaurus Terms:
Internet, computer assisted instruction, computer program /software, computer system design /evaluation, education evaluation /planning, educational resource design /development, language development, language disorder, preschool child (1-5), speech disorder, speech therapy curriculum, data collection, sociolinguistics, syntax behavioral /social science research tag, clinical research, human subject