Meta-Analysis of Parent Training : Focus on Children with Language Impairment

Jung, Pilyeon; Yim, Dongsun

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Commun Sci Disord. 2011;16(4): 521-539.

Pilyeon Jung^` , and Dongsun Yim^`

정필연(Pilyeon Jung)| 임동선(Dongsun Yim)

ABSTRACT

Background & Objectives
Parents play an important role in their children’s language and communicative development. In order to facilitate the generalization of language intervention, parent training programs have been widely implemented. The purpose of the present metaanalysis study was to systematically investigate the extant literature on parent training and to evaluate its effectiveness on both children’s and parents’ language and communication skills.
Method
Using Meta-Analysis (CMA2, Comprehensive Meta-Analysis-Ⅱ, 2005), a systematic literature review approach was taken to analyze 20 studies which met the inclusive and exclusive criteria of our research. Effect sizes for children’s and parents’ overall language and communicative skills were analyzed via the random effect model.
Results
There were three main findings. First, the Hanen Program was found to be the most utilized parent training program. Additionally, the general target population for parent training was children with language impairment, developmental disorders and autistic spectrum disorders. Second, the meta-analysis results indicated that a parent training program has a positive effect on children’s language and communicative skills, receptive, expressive language, grammaticality, turntaking, responsiveness, and parent interaction. Lastly, three groups, children with language impairment, developmental disorders and expressive language delay, benefited most from the parent training.
Discussion & Conclusion
The results from the present study suggest that parent training programs are effective and helpful for both children and their parents in increasing language and communicative skills. Thus, parent training programs should be actively implemented in the field of speech-language clinics for the best communicative outcome.