Association between interruption of intervention and language performance in young children with language delay—a cohort study during COVID-19 pandemic

INTRODUCTION: To assess the association between a three-month interruption of language intervention programs and the language performance of children with language delay during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify which children are more vulnerable to such interruptions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study involving 33 children with language delay who experienced a three-month suspension of language interventions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We collected their demographic data and language performance scores from the Comprehensive Developmental Inventory for Infants and Toddlers—Diagnostic test (CDIIT-DT) at four different time points. The scores were analyzed using a Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test. RESULTS: The median scores of language comprehension and overall language ability showed a decreasing trend during the interruption period. However, resuming interventions post-interruption showed a statistically significant increase in all language domains. Children in the borderline delay group (CDIIT-DT DQ scores between 71 and 85) were more likely to experience a decline in their language abilities during the interruption. DISCUSSION: This is the first study to reveal a decreasing trend in language performance during interruption periods, and highlighting the significance of post-interruption language interventions in facilitating improvements. Furthermore, our study brings attention to the heightened vulnerability of children exhibiting borderline language delay in overall language ability tests when faced with interruptions in language interventions.