Objective: The purpose of this investigation was to examine the impact of training at-risk early learners on emotional vocabulary. The investigation explored whether this training would increase participant use of emotional vocabulary when speaking about feelings. Method: The experimental design consisted of a multiple baseline across participants format (MBAP) with baseline and intervention sessions administered consecutively. Participants were required to fulfill specific criteria in order to participate. Data were analyzed post-intervention to determine impact of intervention. Results: All three participants experienced improvement in the use of emotional vocabulary following training on affective words using age-appropriate picture books. Positive features in qualitative use of emotion vocabulary were also noted. Conclusion: This investigation demonstrated an increase in emotional vocabulary use in early learners at-risk for adverse childhood experiences, following training on affective language. This study suggests that early at-risk learners may benefit from training on emotional vocabulary which could be used to express or label feelings in other contexts. Additional investigation is needed to determine the impact on generalized use of emotion words, identify other group of individuals who would benefit from this type of training including children in other age ranges, non-English speakers, and those for whom adverse childhood experiences has been documented, and to determine the benefits of using culturally responsive literature within this framework. Speaking about feelings is a critical part of social pragmatic language and needed for a variety of interactions in different settings.
