JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) often experience language difficulties that hinder their ability to acquire emotional competence. Emotional competence is associated with emotional and behavioral problems in young children. Teleinterventions are a cost-effective medical approach that offers high-quality care and flexibility in health and social services.

Objective:

This research involved 2 studies focusing on (1) the emotional competence of children aged 5 to 7 with DLD and (2) the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of a teleintervention designed to enhance their emotional competence.

Methods:

In Study 1, we compared the emotional skills of 20 children with DLD, who were on average 5.79 years old, to 24 typically language developing (TLD) children, who were on average 5.93 years old, using the modified Emotional Lexicon Test (ELT). We also used several tests, including the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (Fourth Edition) and the Child Language Disorder Scale-Revised, to measure the children’s nonverbal IQ, verbal understanding, vocabulary, and expressive language. In Study 2, the same children participated in an emotional competence teleintervention. An interrupted time-series design was used to examine emotional competence. Data on emotional competence, assessed using the modified ELT, were collected at three time points following participation in Study 1 (Time 1). These phases included: baseline (from Time 1 to Time 2), during teleintervention (from Time 2 to Time 3), and at follow-up (from Time 3 to Time 4), spanning approximately 18 to 20 weeks from Time 1 to Time 4. Recruitment, retention, and attendance rates were calculated to evaluate the intervention’s feasibility, and participant mood was evaluated after each session to calculate the intervention’s acceptability.

Results:

In Study 1, children with DLD had a less comprehensive understanding of basic emotional terms and a shallower grasp of complex emotional terms compared with their TLD counterparts, with the mother’s educational level controlled for. In Study 2, piecewise linear growth models revealed no significant changes in their ability to understand basic or complex emotional terms during the baseline period. However, significant changes were observed during the teleintervention period, and these changes remained throughout the follow-up period. With a recruitment rate of 80%, all participants completed 4 intervention sessions, with retention and attendance rates exceeding 95%. More than 90% of the participants deemed each session to be acceptable.

Conclusions:

Children aged 5 to 7 with DLD exhibit lower emotional competence compared with their TLD counterparts. Teleinterventions are effective in enhancing the emotional competence of children with DLD, demonstrating feasibility and acceptability for children with DLD and their parents. Overall, this study elucidates the immediate effects and short-term sustainability of emotional competence teleinterventions for children with DLD and underscores the importance of continually evaluating their intermediate- and long-term efficacy. Clinical Trial: not applicable.