Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the “Dialogic Book Reading Program (DBRP)” on the receptive and expressive language skills of 4-5- year-old children who were in need of protection. The study included nine children (4 girls and 5 boys) living in an orphanage and who were identified as developmentally delayed based on the results of Denver Developmental Screening Test II. Children's language skills were pre- and post tested. Results showed that DBRP was effective to improve expressive language skills (number of different words) of participating children. Findings were discussed based on the results of previous research.

Key words: Children in need of protection, dialogic reading, receptive language, expressive language