School readiness in children with language delay: What is the influence of speech-language pathology services before kindergarten

Background. Vygotsky proposes that language development takes place in the context of interactions in adult-child dyads with adults providing experiences which are in their zone proximal of development that supports children to attain developmental steps in an attainable fashion. This perspective is central to the speech-language pathology intervention offered to young children with language delays or impairments and their family. This project thus focusses on language as a key determinant of early development and school readiness in children with language delay or impairment.  To overcome these developmental difficulties, the implementation of early intervention including the expertise of a speech language pathologist is recommended. However, the problem of access to speech-language pathology services for children aged 0 to 5 years is marked in several regions of the province of Quebec. Objectives. This study aims to optimize speech-language pathology services in order to support the preparation of kindergarten children who had language difficulties before school entry. The first objective is to measure the links between the type of services received, school readiness and language skills of kindergarten children who experienced language difficulties before school entry. The second objective is to identify solutions for improving speech-language pathology services in 0-5 years and support school readiness of children with language difficulties. Methods. 70 kindergarten children whose parents have requested services for language difficulties before entering school will be recruited and divided into two groups according to the intensity of the services received. School readiness and language skills will be measured through different questionnaires. Analyses. A Mann-Whitney test and factor analysis will measure the differences between the groups and the effect of each variable in the model. Conclusion. The nature of the link between language development and school readiness will support recommendations for better services for children with language difficulties.