The Effectiveness of the Expansions Method in Improving Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) in Children with Communication Disorders

Authors

  • Luthfiyyah Harmi Speech and Language Therapy Applied Bachelor's Degree Program, Poltekkes Kemenkes Surakarta  Indonesia
  • Anggi Resina Putri Speech and Language Therapy Applied Bachelor's Degree Program, Poltekkes Kemenkes Surakarta  Indonesia
  • Gunawan Gunawan Speech and Language Therapy Applied Bachelor's Degree Program, Poltekkes Kemenkes Surakarta  Indonesia

DOI:

10.37985/jer.v7i1.3453

Keywords:

communication disorders, Mean Length Utterance, Expansions method

Abstract

One of the problems experienced by children with communication disorders is language disorders. An important indicator in a child's language development is Mean length of utterance (MLU), which measures the average length of a child's utterances. There are various techniques or methods that can be used to increase the length of utterances, including the expansions method. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of the expansions method in improving MLU in children with communication disorders at SLBN Surakarta. This is a quantitative study with an experimental research design using a one-group pre-test post-test, involving 8 students (n=8) with 8 treatments and data analysis using the Shapiro-Wilk normality test and the Paired T-Test statistical test. A p-value (sig.) of 0.013 (p < 0.05) was obtained, indicating a significant difference between MLU scores before and after the application of the expansions method. Thus, the results of this study indicate that the application of theexpansions method has the potential to positively influence MLU improvement in children with communication disorders at SLBN Surakarta.

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Published

2026-03-10

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How to Cite

Harmi, L., Putri, A. R., & Gunawan, G. (2026). The Effectiveness of the Expansions Method in Improving Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) in Children with Communication Disorders. Journal of Education Research, 7(1), 201–207. https://doi.org/10.37985/jer.v7i1.3453

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 1 (2026)

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