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Effect of Foster Care on Young Children’s Language Learning
Author(s) -
Windsor Jennifer,
Benigno Joann P.,
Wing Christine A.,
Carroll Patrick J.,
Koga Sebastian F.,
Nelson Charles A.,
Fox Nathan A.,
Zeanah Charles H.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01604.x
Subject(s) - foster care , psychology , expressive language , intervention (counseling) , language development , developmental psychology , receptive language , language acquisition , randomized controlled trial , medicine , psychiatry , nursing , linguistics , vocabulary , mathematics education , philosophy , surgery
This report examines 174 young children’s language outcomes in the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, the first randomized trial of foster placement after institutional care. Age of foster placement was highly correlated with language outcomes. Placement by 15 months led to similar expressive and receptive language test scores as typical age peers at 30 and 42 months. Placement from 15 to 24 months also led to dramatic language improvement. In contrast, children placed after 24 months had the same severe language delays as children in institutional care. Language samples at 42 months confirmed that placement after 24 months led to lower expressive skill.