Home-Based Language and Cognitive Intervention for Arab Toddlers in Israel
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Culturally Adapted Parent-Implemented Intervention, Child Health Education Sessions.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Enhancing Early Language and Cognitive Development in Toddlers Through a Culturally Adapted Home-based Parent Intervention. Basic parameters: 18 months — 36 months · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Israel
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Culturally Adapted Home-Based Intervention to Improve Language and Cognitive Development in Arab Toddlers in Israel: A Randomised Controlled Trial
Overview
This study evaluates the effectiveness of a culturally adapted, home-based program designed to improve language and cognitive development in Arab toddlers in Israel. Families with children aged 18-36 months will participate in eight weekly sessions delivered in their homes. The intervention teaches parents strategies to enhance their child's language, communication, and problem-solving through play, daily routines, and story time. A comparison group will receive eight sessions on child health promotion (nutrition, sleep, safety, etc.). Child outcomes will be assessed using the Clinical Adaptive Test/Clinical Linguistic and Auditory Milestone Scale (CAT-CLAMS) and the Arabic Communicative Development Inventories (CDI). This research aims to provide an evidence-based, scalable model for early childhood interventions in disadvantaged populations.
Detailed description
Arab children aged 0-3 years in Israel are considered at high risk for cognitive, linguistic, and educational disadvantages due to structural and socio-cultural factors, including poverty, geographic and social marginalisation, and underutilization of daycare and health services. Despite evidence that early intervention supports language and cognitive development, few culturally adapted, evidence-based programs have been evaluated in this population.
This study evaluates a home-based, culturally adapted early childhood intervention designed to enhance language, communication, and problem-solving skills in Arab toddlers (18-36 months). The intervention is guided by Bronfenbrenner's ecological framework and emphasises caregiver responsiveness, considering the child's developmental characteristics, the caregiver's behaviour, and the family's physical and social environment.
The program consists of eight weekly sessions delivered in the family's home, focusing on three contexts: play, daily routines, and shared story time. Parents are guided to optimise the home environment, follow the child's interests, and use responsive behaviours such as joint attention, labelling, expansions, imitation, questioning, and scaffolding. Sessions progress from play-based strategies to generalisation in routines and storybook reading.
Families randomised to the control arm receive eight home-based health-promotion sessions, matched in frequency and duration, covering topics such as nutrition, sleep routines, vaccinations, and toilet training. This serves as an attention-control condition without direct cognitive or language stimulation.
Participants include children aged 18-36 months with no severe medical conditions, birth weight ≥1500g, and scores at the lower end of the normative range on the CAT-CLAMS (approximately -1 to -2 SD below the mean). Caregivers must agree to participate and must not show moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 ≥10). Recruitment will occur via community healthcare centres ("well-baby" clinics).
Primary outcomes are changes in language and cognitive development, assessed with the CAT-CLAMS and the Arabic adaptation of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDI). Secondary outcomes include caregiver-reported developmental concerns measured by the Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS). Assessments occur at baseline and one month post-intervention by blinded evaluators.
This trial will provide critical evidence regarding culturally adapted, parent-implemented interventions in marginalised populations. By addressing the ecological context of Arab families in Israel, the program aims to strengthen early language and cognitive skills, reduce risk of later academic and social difficulties, and contribute to the evidence base for scalable early developmental interventions.
Interventions
- Behavioral Culturally Adapted Parent-Implemented Intervention
A culturally adapted, parent-implemented home program designed to enhance toddlers' language, communication, and problem-solving skills. Trained facilitators deliver eight weekly 30-45-minute sessions in the family's home. Sessions focus on three everyday contexts-play, daily routines, and shared story time. Parents are guided to optimise the home environment, follow the child's interests, and use responsive interaction strategies such as joint attention, labelling, expansions, imitation, questi - Behavioral Child Health Education Sessions
Eight weekly home-based sessions delivered by trained facilitators, focusing on child health and wellbeing (nutrition, sleep, safety, vaccination, and toilet training). Sessions match the intervention arm in frequency, duration, and contact time but do not include language or cognitive stimulation components.
Primary outcome measures
- Change in Arabic-CDI total vocabulary score [Time frame: Baseline to 1-month post-intervention]
- Change in the CAT-CLAMS total score [Time frame: Baseline to 1-month post-intervention]
Secondary outcome measures (1)
- Change in PEDS parental concern score [Time frame: Baseline to 1-month post-intervention]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Age 18-36 months
- Birth weight ≥1500 g
- No significant sensory impairments or severe medical conditions
- CAT-CLAMS scores at the lower end of the normative range (approximately -1 to 1.5 SD below mean)
- Caregiver willing to participate in eight home sessions
- Caregiver without moderate or severe depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 < 10)
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Single blind
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
Israel · 1 center
- Community Health Centres - Northern, Central, and Southern Israel — Beersheba
Publications
- Slobodin O, et al. (2021). Cultural adaptation of early childhood interventions: A systematic review. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 57, 1-14.
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07233525 · 0159-22-HYMC