Cultural and Linguistic Adaptation of Parent-Implemented Language Interventions for At-Risk Children: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACT

Children from low socioeconomic backgrounds are at an increased risk for delayed language and literacy development. In recognizing the role parents play in children’s language and literacy development, organizations throughout the world are identifying and implementing parent-focused interventions early in children’s lives. Impacting the success of parent-implemented language interventions, however, is the fit with recipient families’ culture. Although cultural and linguistic adaptation is gaining more emphasis in the education field, there is little focus on cultural and linguistic adaptation of parent-implemented language interventions. Twenty-four studies were evaluated for quality and effectiveness and were examined to identify how researchers adapted interventions culturally and linguistically. We further evaluated how researchers addressed social validity in these interventions. Interventions were of medium to high quality and were reported to effectively enhance children’s language and literacy outcomes. Overall, the studies supported the sociolinguistic pride of participants’ culture by using community metaphors and concepts and supported the use of participants’ home language. Twelve studies included an assessment of social validity, primarily in the aspects of intervention procedures and content, and almost exclusively at the end of the intervention. This review emphasizes the importance of adapting parent-implemented language interventions with cultural and linguistic practices of local populations to enhance children’s language outcomes.

KEYWORDS:

• Cultural/linguistic adaptation
• early childhood language/literacy/communication
• development
• parent-implemented intervention
• responsiveness
• social validity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).