Speech-language pathology proposals appropriate for submission to this topic area focus on advancing innovation, knowledge, and clinical practice in communication and language development in early childhood ages birth to preschool with typical hearing, including consultation with and education for families, caregivers, daycare and preschool teachers, and other professionals. Proposals may reflect the range of research and professional services, including, but not limited to: Early language delay (late language emergence, late talking); early language development; preschool language disorders; multilingualism and early childhood development, the nature of early communication and language disorders; prevention; screening, evaluation, and assessment; service delivery models including family-centered practices and early childhood community collaborations; intervention methods; parent and caregiver coaching; communication and language efficacy and effectiveness research; and scientific advances in the knowledge base that have implications for early communication and language development. Interprofessional education, practice, and/or research that addresses the implementation of interprofessional competencies within curricular or practice models or the evaluation of collaborative care outcomes specific to language in infants through preschoolers should be included in this topic area.

Research

• Translational, applied, or implementation research related to language in young children (infants, toddlers, and preschoolers) with typical hearing
• Evidence-based practice and outcomes research for language delays or disorders in young children (infants, toddlers, and preschoolers) with typical hearing
• Quantitative inquiries including, but not limited to, clinical guidelines, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, well-designed case-control/quasi-experimental studies, single subject designs
• Outcomes evaluation/research
• Qualitative inquiries including, but not limited to, ethnographies and narrative descriptions
• Mixed methods research

Professional Education

• Personnel preparation and interprofessional issues specific to language in young children with normal hearing
• Interprofessional or community collaborations to develop language in early childhood
• Developing language systems in young children with normal hearing
• Identifying and appropriately responding to the needs of infants, toddlers, and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
• Social and cognitive bases of communication and language acquisition in young children with normal hearing
• Comparisons of communication and language abilities of young normal hearing children with typical and atypical language
• Prevalence of developmental language disorders (DLD)
  • Screening, evaluation, and/or treatment for developmental language disorders in young children with normal hearing
  • Etiologies of children's language disorders (including genetics) and the association with related conditions
• Service delivery
  • Issues regarding service delivery models for young children with normal hearing
  • Issues related to family systems, receipt of services, and natural environments for young children with normal hearing
  • Psychological impact of early childhood language disorders on normal hearing children and their families
  • Administrative and regulatory issues related to language in young children with normal hearing
  • Ethical considerations for service delivery to young children who have normal hearing with language disorders
  • Technology as it applies to language in infants through preschoolers
  • Trauma-informed practices in early childhood settings

Related Topics

Proposals that address this area but primarily focus on:

• Policy and professional issues when serving diverse populations should be submitted to the Equity, Inclusion, and Cultural–Linguistic Diversity topic area.
• Use of telepractice in service delivery to these populations should be submitted to the Telepractice topic area.
• Individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing (birth to school transition) should submit to the Listening, Language, and Speech in Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing topic area.
• Global aspects of autism outside the narrowed scope of early language assessment and intervention considerations with this population should be submitted to Considerations for Autistic Populations topic area.