Sydney, July 24 - Children grappling with language and literacy problems are better off with intense daily therapy rather than extended therapy, according to a recent study.

The study, led by Ron Gillam, professor at Curtin University of Technology (CUT), is

based on children aged six to nine with primary language disorders, but no problems in cognition or hearing.

'The group of kids in the study had 100 minutes of therapy each day, over a period of six weeks. We followed their progress for six months,' Gillam said.

'Our results proved six times more successful than a different study in which children

received therapy twice a week for 20 minutes each day, over a two-year period.'

Gillam reviewed studies in which speech-language pathologists worked with teachers in a classroom setting.