Enhancing Early Language Disorder Detection in Preschools: Evaluation and Future Directions for the Gades Platform
BackgroundLanguage acquisition is a critical developmental milestone, with notable variability during the first 4 years of life. Developmental language disorder (DLD) often overlaps with other neurodevelopmental disorders or simple language delay (SLD), making early detection...
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JMIR Publications
2025-03-01
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| Series: | JMIR Human Factors |
| Online Access: | https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2025/1/e60424 |
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| author | María Dolón-Poza Ana-Marta Gabaldón-Pérez Santiago Berrezueta-Guzman David López Gracia María-Luisa Martín-Ruiz Iván Pau De La Cruz |
| author_facet | María Dolón-Poza Ana-Marta Gabaldón-Pérez Santiago Berrezueta-Guzman David López Gracia María-Luisa Martín-Ruiz Iván Pau De La Cruz |
| author_sort | María Dolón-Poza |
| collection | DOAJ |
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BackgroundLanguage acquisition is a critical developmental milestone, with notable variability during the first 4 years of life. Developmental language disorder (DLD) often overlaps with other neurodevelopmental disorders or simple language delay (SLD), making early detection challenging, especially for primary caregivers.
ObjectiveWe aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Gades platform, an adaptive screening tool that enables preschool teachers to identify potential language disorders without direct support from nursery school language therapists (NSLTs).
MethodsThe study took place in a nursery school and an early childhood educational and psychopedagogical center in Madrid, Spain, involving 218 children aged 6 to 36 months, 24 preschool teachers, and 2 NSLTs. Initially, NSLTs conducted informational sessions to familiarize teachers with DLDs and how to identify them. Following this, the teachers used the Gades platform to conduct language screenings independently, without ongoing support from NSLTs. The Gades platform was enhanced to collect detailed profiles of each child and implemented an adaptive screening model tailored to account for variability in language development. This setup allowed preschool teachers, who are not language experts, to observe and assess language development effectively in natural, unsupervised educational environments. The study assessed the platform’s utility in guiding teachers through these observations and its effectiveness in such settings.
ResultsGades identified language difficulties in 19.7% (43/218) of the children, with a higher prevalence in boys (29/218, 13.3%) than in girls (14/218, 6.4%). These challenges were most frequently observed in children aged 15 to 27 months. The platform demonstrated a high accuracy rate of 97.41%, with evaluators largely agreeing with its recommendations. Teachers also found Gades to be user friendly and a valuable tool for supporting language development observations in everyday educational settings.
ConclusionsGades demonstrates potential as a reliable and accessible tool for early detection of language disorders, empowering educators to identify DLD and SLD in the absence of NSLTs. However, further refinement of the platform is required to effectively differentiate between DLD and SLD. By integrating Gades into routine preschool assessments, educators can facilitate timely interventions, bridging gaps in early childhood education and therapy.
Trial RegistrationPan-African Clinical Trial Registry (PACTR) PACTR202210657553944; https://pactr.samrc.ac.za/TrialDisplay.aspx?TrialID=24051 |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ce73fdb2eae4408895e2c04234f79b87 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2292-9495 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
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| series | JMIR Human Factors |
| spelling | doaj-art-ce73fdb2eae4408895e2c04234f79b872025-08-20T02:05:27ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Human Factors2292-94952025-03-0112e6042410.2196/60424Enhancing Early Language Disorder Detection in Preschools: Evaluation and Future Directions for the Gades PlatformMaría Dolón-Pozahttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-6050-9878Ana-Marta Gabaldón-Pérezhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3738-3346Santiago Berrezueta-Guzmanhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5559-2056David López Graciahttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5642-3211María-Luisa Martín-Ruizhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-4355-3620Iván Pau De La Cruzhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1183-4401 BackgroundLanguage acquisition is a critical developmental milestone, with notable variability during the first 4 years of life. Developmental language disorder (DLD) often overlaps with other neurodevelopmental disorders or simple language delay (SLD), making early detection challenging, especially for primary caregivers. ObjectiveWe aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Gades platform, an adaptive screening tool that enables preschool teachers to identify potential language disorders without direct support from nursery school language therapists (NSLTs). MethodsThe study took place in a nursery school and an early childhood educational and psychopedagogical center in Madrid, Spain, involving 218 children aged 6 to 36 months, 24 preschool teachers, and 2 NSLTs. Initially, NSLTs conducted informational sessions to familiarize teachers with DLDs and how to identify them. Following this, the teachers used the Gades platform to conduct language screenings independently, without ongoing support from NSLTs. The Gades platform was enhanced to collect detailed profiles of each child and implemented an adaptive screening model tailored to account for variability in language development. This setup allowed preschool teachers, who are not language experts, to observe and assess language development effectively in natural, unsupervised educational environments. The study assessed the platform’s utility in guiding teachers through these observations and its effectiveness in such settings. ResultsGades identified language difficulties in 19.7% (43/218) of the children, with a higher prevalence in boys (29/218, 13.3%) than in girls (14/218, 6.4%). These challenges were most frequently observed in children aged 15 to 27 months. The platform demonstrated a high accuracy rate of 97.41%, with evaluators largely agreeing with its recommendations. Teachers also found Gades to be user friendly and a valuable tool for supporting language development observations in everyday educational settings. ConclusionsGades demonstrates potential as a reliable and accessible tool for early detection of language disorders, empowering educators to identify DLD and SLD in the absence of NSLTs. However, further refinement of the platform is required to effectively differentiate between DLD and SLD. By integrating Gades into routine preschool assessments, educators can facilitate timely interventions, bridging gaps in early childhood education and therapy. Trial RegistrationPan-African Clinical Trial Registry (PACTR) PACTR202210657553944; https://pactr.samrc.ac.za/TrialDisplay.aspx?TrialID=24051https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2025/1/e60424 |
| spellingShingle | María Dolón-Poza Ana-Marta Gabaldón-Pérez Santiago Berrezueta-Guzman David López Gracia María-Luisa Martín-Ruiz Iván Pau De La Cruz Enhancing Early Language Disorder Detection in Preschools: Evaluation and Future Directions for the Gades Platform JMIR Human Factors |
| title | Enhancing Early Language Disorder Detection in Preschools: Evaluation and Future Directions for the Gades Platform |
| title_full | Enhancing Early Language Disorder Detection in Preschools: Evaluation and Future Directions for the Gades Platform |
| title_fullStr | Enhancing Early Language Disorder Detection in Preschools: Evaluation and Future Directions for the Gades Platform |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enhancing Early Language Disorder Detection in Preschools: Evaluation and Future Directions for the Gades Platform |
| title_short | Enhancing Early Language Disorder Detection in Preschools: Evaluation and Future Directions for the Gades Platform |
| title_sort | enhancing early language disorder detection in preschools evaluation and future directions for the gades platform |
| url | https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2025/1/e60424 |
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