The purpose of this project is to develop Language and Play Every Day en español Online (LAPE-e Online). LAPE-e Online is an innovative, adaptive naturalistic communication intervention that will utilize new technology to coach historically underserved Spanish-speaking Latinx caregivers to facilitate the language development of young children with language disorders (LD), the most prevalent developmental condition in early childhood. Specifically, LAPE-e Online will provide opportunities for caregiver skill-building via engagement in independent online lessons and live video coaching sessions tailored to each family’s unique needs through ongoing digital assessments, delivered through a web-based application (app). The growing population of Latinx children under age 3 with LDs in the United States is at significant risk for later developmental and academic challenges without access to high-quality early interventions (EI) in Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C settings.

The research team will use an iterative process to develop LAPE-e Online as an intervention that is feasible, useful, and acceptable for Spanish-speaking Latinx families who speak varied Spanish dialects, and is affordable, sustainable, and scalable for delivery in IDEA Part C settings. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be used to pilot test the promise of the intervention for improving caregiver use of language facilitation strategies and child language abilities, as well as analyze the cost of the intervention. Part C EI providers, administrators, and Spanish-speaking families will consult with the research team throughout the project.

This project will result in a fully developed, stakeholder-informed, adaptive early language intervention with evidence of promise for supporting caregiver and child communication outcomes in Spanish-speaking Latinx families receiving IDEA Part C services. The project will also result in peer-reviewed publications and presentations aimed at enhancing equity in EI service provision, direct community outreach to Latinx families, and open science.