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A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, MPH; Frederick J. Zimmerman, PhD; Michelle M. Garrison, PhD

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161(10):967-971.

Objective  To test the hypotheses that block play improves language acquisition and attention.

Design  Randomized controlled trial.

Setting  Pediatric clinic.

Participants  Children aged 1 to 2 years.

Intervention  Distribution of 2 sets of building blocks.

Main Outcome Measures  Scores on the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories, television viewing based on diary data, and the hyperactivity domain of the Child Behavior Checklist.

Results  Of 220 families approached in the clinic waiting room, 175 (80%) agreed to participate in the study. At least 1 diary was returned from 92 of the 175 families (53%). A total of 140 families (80%) completed exit interviews. Of the children in the intervention group, 52 (59%) had block play reported in their diaries compared with 11 (13%) in the control group (P < .01). The linear regression results for language acquisition were as follows: entire sample—raw score, 7.52 (P = .07); percentile, 8.4 (P = .15); low-income sample—raw score, 12.40 (P = .01); percentile, 14.94 (P = .03). For attention the results were as follows: entire sample—odds ratio, 0.49 (P = .29); low-income sample—odds ratio, 0.48 (P = .26) There were no statistically significant differences with respect to hyperactivity scores.

Conclusions  Distribution of blocks can lead to improved language development in middle- and low-income children. Further research is warranted.

Author Affiliations: Departments of Pediatrics (Drs Christakis and Zimmerman) and Health Services (Drs Christakis and Zimmerman) and Child Health Institute (Drs Christakis, Zimmerman, and Garrison), University of Washington, Seattle.

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