Language Remediation for Children from Low Income Families

Abstract

The purpose of my study was to determine whether chil­ dren from low income families do benefit from language reme­ diation or not. To test the hypothesis that these children do not benefit from language remediation because it is based on the assumption that the language of these children is deficient, twelve three year old children (eight boys and four girls) from low income families were chosen from two preschools and randomly assigned to one of two groups. They were all tested with the Test of Expressive Language (TEL) before the experimental group received three fifteen minute sessions a week from the Peabody Early Experiences Kit for twenty-four weeks. The two teachers of the control and experimental groups were observed with the Behavior Ratings and Analysis of Communication in Education twenty-one weeks after the children were pretested. Seven children were post­ tested with TEL (five dropped out) twenty-four weeks later. The results shmved that there was no significant difference between the two groups. Three plausible explanations were offered. It was suggested that the results should be viewed with caution for several reasons.