The strong association of early language skills to later reading ability suggests that supporting the development of these skills in children who enter school with below average language abilities may lead to stronger literacy development. Despite this, few evidence-based supplemental language interventions exist for school-based implementation. The current paper reports on 2 large-scale randomized trials of 5 small-group, intensive language-focused interventions implemented in preschool and kindergarten settings. After screening on an expressive language measure, 342 preschool children were randomized to either business-as-usual general education or to 1 of 3 10- or 12-week interventions. Comparably, after screening, 905 kindergarten children were randomized to business-as-usual or to 1 of 4 8-12-week interventions. Children were assessed pre- and post-intervention on a battery of distal standardized language, including listening comprehension, and early literacy measures. Results indicated significant impacts for 3 of the 5 interventions in 1 or 2 grades, on at least 1 standardized measure, although none of the interventions directly impacted listening comprehension measures. Implications for supporting language development and for the early prevention of reading comprehension difficulties are discussed.

早期语言技能与后期阅读能力之间的强烈关联表明，支持语言能力低于平均水平的入学儿童发展这些技能可能会促进读写能力的发展。尽管如此，很少有基于证据的补充语言干预措施可用于学校实施。目前的论文报告了 2 项大规模随机试验，这些试验涉及在学前和幼儿园环境中实施的 5 项小组、强化语言干预措施。在对表达性语言测量进行筛选后，342 名学龄前儿童被随机分配接受常规通识教育或 3 个 10 周或 12 周干预措施之一。相比之下，在筛选后，905 名幼儿园儿童被随机分配到一切照旧或 4 项 8-12 周干预措施中的一项。儿童在干预前和干预后接受了一系列远端标准化语言的评估，包括听力理解和早期识字措施。结果表明，1 级或 2 级的 5 项干预措施中的 3 项对至少一项标准化措施产生了显着影响，尽管没有一项干预措施直接影响听力理解措施。讨论了支持语言发展和早期预防阅读理解困难的意义。