Intervention effects on phonological processing in children with developmental speech and/or language disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies with group design

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dc.contributor.authorLaasonen, Marja
dc.contributor.authorSanduvete-Chaves, Susana
dc.contributor.authorChacón-Moscoso, Salvador
dc.contributor.authorAlves, Dina C.
dc.contributor.authorOzbič, Martina
dc.contributor.authorPetinou, Kakia
dc.contributor.authorTolonen, Anna-Kaisa
dc.contributor.authorZajdó, Krisztina
dc.contributor.authorFrizelle, Pauline
dc.contributor.authorMurphy, Carol-Anne
dc.contributor.authorSaldaña, David
dc.contributor.authorKunnari, Sari
dc.contributor.funderFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, FCT
dc.contributor.funderFCT
dc.contributor.funderEuropean Cooperation in Science and Technology, COST
dc.contributor.funderDifficulties Learning Their First Language
dc.contributor.funderEuropean Commission, EC, COST 106/14
dc.contributor.funderFondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico, FONDECYT, 1250316-PID2020‐115486GB‐I00
dc.contributor.funderFoundation for Science and Technology, FST, UIDB/00214/2020
dc.contributor.funderMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, MCIU, MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033
dc.date.accessioned2026-05-26T15:00:05Z
dc.date.available2026-05-26T15:00:05Z
dc.date.issued2026-05-11
dc.description.abstractBackground: Challenges in phonological processing are prevalent in children with developmental speech and/or language disorders and are associated with their language acquisition and later reading skills. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis from the same project of studies with a group design on the effects of interventions on output phonology, found that oral language interventions have a positive effect on output phonology, specifically speech production accuracy. These interventions are expected to impact the phonological representational level as well and, thus, also affect phonological processing skills in this population. However, no prior systematic reviews or meta-analyses have been conducted on this topic. Aims: We conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to investigate the effectiveness of oral language interventions on children and adolescents with developmental speech and/or language disorders, focusing on phonological processing as the primary outcome measure, including phonological awareness, phonological retrieval efficiency, and short-term memory. Methods and Procedures: The systematic review was pre-registered (PROSPERO ID: CRD42017076075) and followed the PRISMA guidelines. A search for oral language interventions in children and adolescents with developmental speech and/or language disorders (mean age, 3–18 years) was conducted across seven databases (PubMed, Web of Science, ERIC, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, Scopus, LLBA) for studies published between January 2006 and May 2023. We included studies with a group design and phonological processing as the outcome measure. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used for study appraisal. Individual and average standardised mean differences g were used in the meta-analysis. We also explored the influence of various moderators. Outcomes and Results: We identified 22 studies that met the inclusion criteria. Overall, the risk of bias was low to moderate. Significant and large effect sizes were found in pre-post studies with control groups, showing improvements post-intervention in phonological awareness, g = 0.710, p < 0.001, 95% CI [0.504, 0.917], and phonological short-term memory, g = 0.785, p = 0.010, 95% CI [0.192, 1.279]. Some moderator variables emerged, for example, larger effects when the interventions were based on an integrated theoretical approach, applied in small groups, or when they had processing targets. Conclusions and Implications: The results demonstrate that oral language interventions can effectively improve specific phonological processing skills in children and adolescents with developmental speech and/or language disorders. The identification of key moderating factors provides valuable guidance for clinical practice.en
dc.description.sponsorshipCOST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology), funded by the European Union (Grant COST 106/14). This work was also supported in part by the research project ANID, Governmentof Chile, the National Scientific and Technological Development Fund-FONDECYT- [1250316], by the research project PID2020-115486GB-I00 funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, Government of Spain, and by theFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, Foundation for Science andTechnology), grant UIDB/00214/2020
dc.description.versionPublished Version
dc.format.extent21
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.articleide70252
dc.identifier.authororcidLaasonen, Marja
dc.identifier.authororcidSanduvete-Chaves, Susana
dc.identifier.authororcidChacón-Moscoso, Salvador
dc.identifier.authororcidAlves, Dina C.
dc.identifier.authororcidOzbič, Martina
dc.identifier.authororcidPetinou, Kakia
dc.identifier.authororcidTolonen, Anna-Kaisa
dc.identifier.authororcidZajdó, Krisztina
dc.identifier.authororcidFrizelle, Pauline§0000-0002-9715-3788
dc.identifier.authororcidMurphy, Carol-Anne
dc.identifier.authororcidSaldaña, David
dc.identifier.authororcidKunnari, Sari
dc.identifier.citationLaasonen, M, Sanduvete-Chaves, S, Chacón-Moscoso, S, Alves, D C, Ozbič, M, Petinou, K, Tolonen, A-K, Zajdó, K, Frizelle, P, Murphy, C-A, Saldaña, D & Kunnari, S 2026, 'Intervention effects on phonological processing in children with developmental speech and/or language disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies with group design', International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, vol. 61, no. 3, e70252, pp. 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.70252
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/1460-6984.70252
dc.identifier.endpage21
dc.identifier.issn1368-2822
dc.identifier.issued3
dc.identifier.journaltitleInternational Journal of Language and Communication Disorders
dc.identifier.otherRIS: urn:BB2D9BAE4C207CC09B65E55F89B0B0A8
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-9715-3788/work/215853294
dc.identifier.startpage1
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/18900
dc.identifier.volume61
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherWiley-Blackwell
dc.relation.urihttps://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105038133630
dc.relation.urihttps://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105038133630?origin=resultslist
dc.rights© 2026, the Author(s). International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.
dc.rights.accessrightsopen access
dc.rights.licensenameAttribution 4.0 International
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.statusPeer reviewed
dc.subjectIntervention
dc.subjectLanguage disorder
dc.subjectMeta-analysis
dc.subjectPhonological processing
dc.subjectSpeech disorder
dc.subjectSystematic review
dc.subject[ClinicalTherapies]
dc.titleIntervention effects on phonological processing in children with developmental speech and/or language disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies with group designen
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)
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