The Acceptability and Efficacy of Helping Parents to Support Early Child Language: Evaluating the BBC Tiny Happy People text messaging service

Join us for the next seminar, featuring an in-person talk on Tuesday, 7th October 2025 (11 am UK time - in-person). Prof. Danielle Matthews (University of Sheffield) will talk about " The Acceptability and Efficacy of Helping Parents to Support Early Child Language: Evaluating the BBC Tiny Happy People text messaging service"

Abstract: Socio-economic disadvantage increases the risk of children starting school without the language skills that help them thrive. A common argument is that intervening early can help break the cycle of disadvantage. Parent-delivered interventions have sometimes been found to be effective but evidence is mixed, meaning we need design studies that test steps along the hypothesised causal pathway. I will report on a series of studies that evaluated a text-message service for parents of infants that shared links to short BBC Tiny Happy People videos about supporting early language development. A first evaluation found 91% of parents said they would recommend the service to a friend. The service promoted parental linguistic responsiveness but not toddler vocabulary. Parents suggested increasing individualised support. We are currently evaluating an improved service and exploring acceptability with a wider range of families including those whose children have Special Educational Needs and/or are multilingual with English as an Additional Language. Overall, the studies suggest that digital information services are a popular and effective means of sharing information about child language. To meaningfully impact access to education, they need to match children’s level and context of development with additional support for those at risk of Speech Language and Communication Needs.

How to join the seminar: This seminar will take place in person at the University of Manchester, but we will provide a blended approach for anyone who is unable to attend in person. The details will be sent to the LuCiD mailing list. If you wish to be added to the mailing list, please contact us.