The Treatment Effects of Frequency of Speech Therapy in Early Intervention: A Program Evaluation

Abstract

A program evaluation of 395 children ages 8 months to 3.4 years ( M age = 2.2) who received speech therapy through the NYC Early Intervention Program via a contracted service provider agency was conducted to examine the link between frequency of speech therapy and outcomes. Significant effects were observed for frequency and discharge outcome. Frequency was found to be the only significant predictor of the need for continued speech therapy after being discharged from the NYC Early Intervention Program specifically. It was speculated that frequency of speech therapy would be negatively correlated with the total hours of treatment received. Results revealed that children who received treatment once a week received fewer total hours of treatment than children who received treatment either twice or three times a week; however these children were also more likely to need speech therapy after discharge from the NYC Early Intervention Program. Findings show that frequency may be related to speech therapy outcomes.