Table 3. Post-test and follow-up comparisons on language abilities.
| Intervention group, n = 24 | Waiting group, n = 23 | LN group, n = 36 | ANOVA | Comparison of intervention and waiting group | Comparison of intervention and LN group | Comparison of waiting and LN group | |||||||||
| Mean (SD) | 95% CI‡ | Mean (SD) | 95% CI | Mean (SD) | 95% CI | F value§ | p Value | t Score | p Value¶ | d** | t Score | p Value | t Score | p Value | |
| Post-test | |||||||||||||||
| Age in months | 30.5 (0.9) | 31.0 (1.0) | 30.6 (0.6) | F(2,80) = 1.9 | 0.156 | −1.5 | 0.134 | – | −0.2 | 0.844 | 1.6 | 0.115 | |||
| ELFRA-2 (parent report)* | |||||||||||||||
| Vocabulary | 140.7 (57.3) | 117 to 165 | 96.3 (64.0) | 69 to 124 | 219.5 (26.8) | 210 to 229 | F(2,80) = 48.1 | <0.001 | 2.5 | 0.016 | 0.73 | −6.3 | <0.001 | −8.8 | <0.001 |
| Syntax | 22.9 (7.1) | 20 to 26 | 13.5 (9.0) | 10 to 17 | 40.2 (8.9) | 37 to 43 | F(2,80) = 76.3 | <0.001 | 4.0 | <0.001 | 1.16 | −8.4 | <0.001 | −11.2 | <0.001 |
| Morphology | 7.0 (4.2) | 5 to 9 | 4.0 (4.1) | 2 to 6 | 13.9 (2.8) | 13 to 15 | F(2,80) = 58.5 | <0.001 | 2.5 | 0.017 | 0.72 | −7.0 | <0.001 | −10.2 | <0.001 |
| SETK-2† | |||||||||||||||
| Word production | 49.4 (10.2) | 45 to 54 | 41.0 (12.4) | 36 to 46 | 56.9 (8.4) | 54 to 60 | F(2,80) = 17.3 | <0.001 | 2.5 | 0.016 | 0.74 | −3.0 | 0.005 | −5.4 | <0.001 |
| Sentence production | 41.0 (5.3) | 39 to 43 | 35.3 (5.8) | 33 to 38 | 56.8 (11.1) | 53 to 61 | F(2,80) = 52.2 | <0.001 | 3.5 | 0.001 | 1.03 | −7.4 | <0.001 | −9.7 | <0.001 |
| Follow-up | |||||||||||||||
| Age in months | 37.3 (1.3) | 36 to 40 | 38.0 (1.7) | 36 to 42 | 37.4 (1.2) | 36 to 40 | F(2,80) = 2.1 | 0.125 | −1.6 | 0.114 | – | 0 | 0.967 | 1.7 | 0.090 |
| ELFRA-2 (parent report)* | |||||||||||||||
| Vocabulary | 216.9 (36.9) | 91 to 260 | 178.0 (65.6) | 18 to 260 | 246.0 (16.5) | 240 to 252 | F(2,80) = 19.2 | <0.001 | 2.5 | 0.018 | 0.73 | −3.6 | 0.001 | −4.9 | <0.001 |
| Syntax | 43.3 (12.0) | 21 to 59 | 34.4 (18.9) | 0 to 65 | 56.6 (4.0) | 55 to 58 | F(2,80) = 24.7 | <0.001 | 1.9 | 0.062 | 0.67 | −5.2 | <0.001 | −5.5 | <0.001 |
| Morphology | 12.5 (3.3) | 4 to 16 | 9.2 (5.7) | 0 to 16 | 15.5 (1.0) | 15 to 16 | F(2,80) = 22.6 | <0.001 | 2.4 | 0.021 | 0.71 | −4.4 | <0.001 | −5.3 | <0.001 |
| SETK 3–5† | |||||||||||||||
| Encoding Semantic | 51.6 (11.2) | 32 to 81 | 43.9 (9.1) | 27 to 62 | 60.2 (10.4) | 57 to 64 | F(2,80) = 17.8 | <0.001 | 2.6 | 0.013 | 0.75 | −3.0 | 0.005 | −6.3 | <0.001 |
| Information, ESI | |||||||||||||||
| Plural Forming, PF | 48.0 (9.3) | 30 to 67 | 45.5 (10.0) | 30 to 62 | 57.1 (8.9) | 54 to 60 | F(2,80) = 13.0 | <0.001 | 0.9 | 0.376 | 0.23 | −3.8 | <0.001 | −4.5 | <0.001 |
*Raw score; †t score normative means are 50 (SD 10); ‡95% confidence interval; §ANOVA over all three groups; ¶single sided t tests; **effect size, Cohen’s d.31
ELFRA-2, parent report screening questionnaire for early identification of children at risk; LN, language normal; SETK 3–5, [Developmental language test for 3- to 5-year-old children].