The role of wearable technology in a community-based program for language development and the impact of virtual program delivery.

The proposed research project is the virtual delivery of an existing program provided by the partner organization, Calgary Reads. LENA Start is a group program offered to parents of children aged 6 months to 3 years. The goal of the program is the provide parents with information regarding language development in the home and practical strategies to both increase parent language and conversational turns between the caregiver and child as well as increase parent knowledge and child language outcomes. Along with weekly sessions, parents complete a day-long recording of their child’s language environment using LENA devices. With this information, parents receive practical feedback about their child’s specific language environment. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, group programs are not feasible and therefore the goal of this research project is to deliver the program via a virtual delivery, i.e., Zoom, and compare it to previously delivered programs in person to determine the costs/benefits of a virtual group program.

Faculty Supervisor:

Penny Pexman

Student:

Lorraine Reggin

Partner:

Calgary Reads

Discipline:

Psychology

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Calgary