Language development in early childhood (0 to 4 years) in socioeconomically diverse children, and linguistic responsiveness on the part of their caregivers Other
Conditions
Interventions
This study is designed to evaluate a text-message service for parents that delivers BBC Education's Tiny Happy People video content (https://www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people) with the goal of promoting
Sponsors
University of Sheffield
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: In order to be invited to take part, the child must meet the following criteria: 1. Age: 1.1. Infant group, date of birth between 1st February 2023 - 18th November 2023 (i.e.,10-20 months on 17th September) 1.2. Toddler group, date of birth between 3rd August 2021 - 15th May 2022 (i.e. 28-38 months on 17th September) 2. Birth weight must not be below 2.5 kg (5 lb 8 oz) 3. Must not have been born more than 3 weeks premature (full term is 37-42 weeks - anything 36+6 or earlier is preterm) 4. Child hears English spoken in the home at least 50% of the time 5. Postcode must have an Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) of 1-5 or country equivalent 6. Must not have any known significant disability themselves, or on the part of their parent, that would significantly affect language development (decided before randomisation) Families must have access to the internet and a device to watch videos (via smartphone, tablet or computer/laptop). In order to be offered follow-up calls with an SLT, families must meet one of the following criteria: 1. Baseline score on the communication subset of the ASQ that falls within the grey (monitoring zone, 1-2 SD from mean) or black zone (at risk, 2+ SD from mean) 2. PaRRiS score below 3 (if volunteering to send home video)
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: Current key exclusion criteria as of 22/10/2025: 1. Infant had a condition known to affect child language development at the point of recruitment 2. Child did not hear English at home more than 50% of the time 3. Child premature or low birth weight 4. Family IMD 6 or above NB. Children may receive a diagnosis of a medical condition after the study starts and they will remain in the study even if this is the case. Previous key exclusion criteria: 1. Caregiver or infant had a condition known to affect child language development at the point of recruitment 2. Child did not hear English at home more than 50% of the time 3. Child premature or low birth weight 4. Family IMD 6 or above NB. Children may receive a diagnosis of a medical condition after the study starts and they will remain in the study even if this is the case.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Child language. Confirmatory factor analysis will be used to derive a composite measure of language ability for each age group from the following measures: Infant group (three variables): 1. Real word repetition measured using the Early Repetition Battery (PSRep Real-Word scale) subscale at study completion, which will be 9-12 months after baseline when children are aged 19-33 months old 2. Expressive vocabulary measured using the Early Language Identification Measure - Word List score at study completion, which will be 9-12 months after baseline when children are aged 19-33 months old 3. Receptive vocabulary measured using the receptive vocabulary subscale from Preschool Language Scales – 5th Edition (PLS-5) at study completion, which will be 9-12 months after baseline when children are aged 19-33 months old Toddler group (six variables): 1. Language ability measured using the Language Screen score on all four subscales at study completion, which will be 9-12 months after baseline when children are aged 37-51 months old 2. Word and sentence repetition ability measured using the Early Repetition Battery on two subscales (real-word PSREP and full-sentence SIT) at study completion, which will be 9-12 months after baseline when children are aged 37-51 months old | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Parent linguistic responsiveness measured using the Parental Responsiveness Rating Scale (PaRRiS) at study completion, which will be 9-12 months after baseline when children in the infant group are aged 19-33 months old and children in the toddler group are aged 37-51 months old | — |
Countries
England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, United Kingdom, Wales
Contacts
Public ContactKiera Solaiman
Outcome results
None listed