Vocabulary difficulties are common occurrences in individuals with identified language impairments; thus, it is important to implement evidence-based interventions that can improve these individuals’ vocabulary skills. This investigation compared two interventions, the Expanding Expression Tool™ (EET) and Naming Therapy application on the iPad, to determine which intervention was more effective for improving vocabulary skills. The EET is a mnemonic device that teaches individuals through visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic strategies, which are designed to increase language skills, while the Naming Therapy application is used on an iPad and helps persons learn strategies to communicate thoughts and needs. The materials used in this study included both independent variables, the EET and the Naming Therapy application, iPad, visual timer on an iPhone, paper and pen for the scoring probes, 6×6 black and white picture cards, tape recorder, and Eetchy. Three participants, two males and one female, ranged in ages from 6:11 to 8:8 years old. The participants were seen individually for five 15-minute sessions per week. The dependent variable was the number of descriptors the participant could provide to define a vocabulary word. The investigation utilized an adapted alternating treatment research design and the data was collected in three phases: a) initial probe, b) intervention, and c) superior treatment phase. A trend line, descriptive statistics, and a stability band were used to analyze the data by slope, trend, and variability. The results of this study indicated that the EET is a more effective tool than the Naming Therapy application for improving vocabulary skills in individuals with language impairments.
