Abstract:

While typically developing children learn language skills naturally by interacting with the social elements around them (e.g., adults or peers), children with special needs may not acquire these skills at the same rate without additional support (Harlaar et al., 2008). Delays in language development impact children’s daily lives and success in school. Moreover, children with language delays tend to experience greater difficulties in socializing and communicating with their peers and adults (Snow & Powell, 2012). To remediate the adverse effects of language delays, early intervention programs focused on enhancing language skills of young children should be offered as early as possible (Rakap, 2014). The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a parent training intervention on Turkish parents’ use of Milieu Teaching (MT) strategies and corollary relationships between parents’ implementation of MT strategies and child language outcomes. An adapted-multiple-probe across participants single-case experimental research design (Horner & Baer, 1978) was used in the present study. Three mother–child dyads were recruited to participate in this study through a local parent organization. Baseline, intervention (including parent training and coaching sessions), and maintenance sessions were conducted in the homes of participants. Data were graphed to conduct visual analysis to evaluate the effects of parent training intervention on Turkish mothers’ implementation of MT practices and corollary child outcomes. Parent training followed by home-based coaching offered twice a week resulted in more accurate use of MT strategies for all three parents and participating parents maintained high levels of correct use of MT strategies after home-based coaching support was over. As parents’ accurate use of MT strategies increased, percentage of children’s correct responses regarding their language targets increased. Moreover, both participating mothers and their spouses found the parent training intervention and MT strategies acceptable.The results of this study demonstrate that a brief, home-based, parent training intervention may be effective in increasing mothers’ accurate implementation of MT strategies during everyday home activities and routines, and training parents to implement MT strategies in home environments is associated with increases in their children’s performance regarding language targets.

Keywords:

Milieu teaching, parent training, parent-implemented.