Att underlätta tidig språkutveckling : Barnhälsovårdssjuksköterskans erfarenhet av att delta i Språkstegen vid åttamånadersbesöket – en intervjustudie

Sammanfattning: Background:  Existing research shows that both biological and social factors contribute to early language development. Reading out loud and active interplay with infants and toddlers have been highlighted as positive factors for development of understanding and vocabulary. The preschool functions as an equalizing environment, as it provides equal opportunities for children with various life conditions to develop their language skills. However, there are notable differences in language development in children from homes with low and high income and education levels, respectively. The Språkstegen project has therefore been implemented as an intervention. The basic idea of Språkstegen is that the child service nurses, who conduct the home visits at month 8, introduce a book gift, which is read aloud for the child in active interplay. The nurses also provide parents with tools and information to support the activity. Aims: The aim is to understand child service nurses’ experiences of participating in a project that seeks to improve the language development of infants and toddlers. Method: Data collection has been conducted through semi-structured interviews of child service nurses. The collected data have been transcribed and analyzed using conventional qualitative content analysis. The collection was delimited to public and private health care facilities in Blekinge county, Sweden. Results: The respondents are positive towards Språkstegen as intervention. They report that parents and children are satisfied, and that parents are inspired by the possibilities with early reading and the tools available for stimulating interplay during reading. Conclusions: Språkstegen makes it possible to reach more parents and provide knowledge and tips to support early language development through active interplay and reading aloud.