The effectiveness of app-based dialogic reading on children's speech delay

  • Irmawati Irmawati
    Universitas Satyagama
    Indonesia
  • Abdul Hamid Arribathi 
    Universitas Raharja
    Indonesia

Abstract

The prevalence of speech delay in early childhood continues to increase which correlates with high passive screen time and lack of parent-child responsive verbal interaction. This study aims to test the effectiveness of application-based 'dialogic reading' interventions on improving children's expressive language skills with speech delay indications. The research method uses a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design. The sample consisted of 34 children aged 3-5 years with speech delay divided into experimental groups and control groups. The experimental group received an intervention of dialogic reading application for 15 minutes per day for 8 weeks. The measurement instrument used the Early Language Milestone Scale-2 (ELMS-2) and an interaction observation sheet. Data analysis was conducted using Independent Sample T-Test and N-Gain Score. The results showed a significant difference (p<0.001) with the experimental group's N-Gain of 0.71 (high category) higher than that of the control group of 0.32 (medium category). The conclusions showed that application-based dialogic reading was effective in improving vocabulary, Mean Length of Utterance (MLU), and verbal responsiveness as a parent-mediated intervention model.

Keywords
  • Dialogic reading
  • Digital application
  • Speech delay
  • Early childhood
Lisensing Information
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

References
  1. Al-Qahtani, A. M. (2025). Prevalence and associated factors of speech and language delay among preschool children. Journal of Communication Disorders, 103, 106362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2024.106362
  2. Aminah, S., & Ratnawati. (2022). Mengenal Speech Delay Sebagai Gangguan Keterlambatan Berbicara Pada Anak. JALADRI: Jurnal Ilmiah Bahasa Sunda, 8(2), 79–84. https://doi.org/10.33222/jaladri.v8i2.2260
  3. Angraeni, R. (2024). Faktor dan Cara Mengatasi Speech Delay terhadap Pemerolehan Bahasa Anak. Jurnal Onoma: Pendidikan, Bahasa, Dan Sastra, 10(1), 773–779. https://doi.org/10.30605/onoma.v10i1.3363
  4. Ayuso-Lanchares, A. (2024). The Impact of COVID-19 on Children with Language Developmental Difficulties. International Journal of Diversity in Education, 24(1), 113–133. https://doi.org/10.18848/2327-0020/CGP/v24i01/113-133
  5. Bao, Y. (2024). The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on speech and language development in children. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, 176, 111782. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijporl.2023.111782
  6. Brushe, M. (2024). Associations between screen time, parent–child interaction, and early language development: A systematic review. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 66, 94–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2023.09.006
  7. Capone Singleton, N. (2024). Late talkers: From theory to practice in early intervention. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 55(1), 12–29. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_LSHSS-23-00045
  8. Cartmill, E. A. (2022). Quality of parent input predicts child language outcomes. Developmental Science, 25(4), e13218. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.13218
  9. DeVeney, S. L. (2022). Efficacy of telepractice for speech and language intervention: A systematic review. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 31(6), 2567–2585. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_AJSLP-22-00078
  10. Dykstra, J. (2023). Technology-assisted interventions for children with developmental language disorder. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 25, e45210. https://doi.org/10.2196/45210
  11. Febrianti, J. E., Zusfindhana, I. H., & Ariyanto, D. (2024). The Influence of Audio Flashcard Media on Vocabulary Mastery in Children with Speech Delay Aged Four Years. Teknodika, 22(1), 26–34. https://doi.org/10.20961/teknodika.v22i1.82161
  12. Ghaisani, A. P., Suryani, D., & Handayani, N. (2022). Pola pengasuhan, screen time, dan perkembangan bahasa anak usia dini di Indonesia. Jurnal Psikologi Perkembangan Indonesia, 11(2), 85–98. https://doi.org/10.1234/jppi.v11i2.2022
  13. Handhika, J. (2025). Artificial Intelligence in Speech Delay Interventions: A Scoping Review of Tools and Challenges in the Indonesian Context. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 959, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-493-8_2
  14. Heidlage, J. K. (2024). The effects of parent-implemented dialogic reading on child language: A meta-analysis. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 67, 120–134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2023.12.005
  15. Karrass, J., & Braungart-Rieker, J. M. (2024). Parent responsiveness and child language outcomes in speech delay. Child Development, 95(2), 450–467. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.14025
  16. Law, J. (2022). Early language development 2.5-5 years: The impact of the home environment. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 57(5), 1024–1038. https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.12738
  17. Lei, Z., Jalaludin, N. A., & Rasul, M. S. (2026). Research landscape of PBL-STEM education : a systematic analysis review. 20(3), 1285–1299. https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v20i3.24276
  18. Levickis, P. (2023). The role of maternal responsiveness in early language development. Journal of Child Language, 50(1), 88–110. https://doi.org/10.1017/S030500092200015X
  19. Madigan, S. (2022). Associations Between Screen Use and Child Language Skills: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatrics, 176(11), 1102–1111. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.1701
  20. Massaroni, V. (2023). The relationship between screen time and language development in early childhood: A systematic review. Acta Paediatrica, 112(8), 1612–1625. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.16812
  21. McArthur, B. A. (2023). Screen time and developmental delays in toddlers. JAMA Pediatrics, 177(12), 1292–1300. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.4516
  22. Molina, R. I. R., Ruiz, M. J. S., Castro, L. C. M., Raby, N. D. L., Hinojoza-Montañez, S., & Samper, M. G. (2024). Bibliometric behavior of big data and digital marketing as real-time multimedia. Procedia Computer Science, 241, 526–532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2024.08.075
  23. Mondal, A. (2024). Nutritional deficiencies and speech delay: Role of iron, zinc, and vitamin D. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 12, 1325678. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2024.1325678
  24. Noorhayana, N. (2025). Implementing Applied Behavior Analysis to Improve Verbal Communication Skills in Children with Speech Delay. Journal of Innovation and Research in Primary Education, 4(4), 3378–3387. https://doi.org/10.56916/jirpe.v4i4.2267
  25. Nurkhamidah, N., Mutadho, F., & Rafli, Z. (2024). Speech Delay in Early Childhood: A Case Study of a 3.5-Year-Old Child. IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, 12(2), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.24256/ideas.v12i2.5809
  26. Oktariani, O. (2022). Gadget dan speech delay pada anak usia dini pasca pandemi covid 19. Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan, Psikologi Dan Kesehatan, 3(3), 175–182. https://doi.org/10.1234/jp3k.v3i3.2022
  27. Perdina, S., & Prisuna, B. (2024). Pelaksanaan Treatment Pada Anak Berkebutuhan Khusus: Speech Delay. Early Childhood: Jurnal Pendidikan, 8(1), 58–72. https://doi.org/10.1234/ecjp.v8i1.2024
  28. Pujiati, D., Harmayanthi, V. Y., & Mawarni, V. (2023). Strategi guru mengatasi speech delay: Studi kasus di SD inklusi. Jurnal Holistika, 7(1), 27–33. https://doi.org/10.22373/holistika.v7i1.2023
  29. Roberts, M. Y., & Kaiser, A. P. (2023). Parent-implemented language interventions for children with language delays: A meta-analysis. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 64(4), 567–580. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13730
  30. Romeo, R. R. (2023). Neural correlates of parent-child conversation and child language outcomes. Journal of Neuroscience, 43(15), 2789–2801. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1234-22.2023
  31. Salsabilla, S. R. A., Yuniarti, R., Purwati, P., & Mulyadi, S. (2023). Perkembangan Bahasa Pada Anak Dengan Gangguan Keterlambatan Bicara. PAUDIA: Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 12(2), 307–316. https://doi.org/10.26877/paudia.v12i2.15615
  32. Sansavini, A. (2022). Early language delay and later literacy: A longitudinal study. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 55(6), 456–470. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222194211048615
  33. Singleton, N. C., & Saks, J. (2023). Early identification of speech and language delays. Pediatrics, 151(3), e2022058840. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2022-058840
  34. Suttora, C. (2022). Joint attention and language development in toddlers with language delay. Infant Behavior and Development, 67, 101712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2022.101712
  35. Tseng, Y. L. (2023). Parenting stress and language development in children with speech delay. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 137, 104512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2023.104512
  36. Walquist-Sørli, L. (2025). Are speech sound difficulties risk factors for difficulties in language and reading skills? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 68(1), 164–177. https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_JSLHR-24-00170

Downloads

PDF

Statistic

Abstract Views
: 4 times
PDF
: 3 times