This study reported the development and initial validation of the Survey of Parent/ Provider Expectations and Knowledge (SPEAK), a self-administered questionnaire assessing expectations and knowledge about early childhood cognitive and language development. Development of the SPEAK was guided by the theory emphasizing the role of language input quality in young children's language development. Items were refined through cognitive interviews (N = 29), expert consultations, and the first field test (N = 131). Rasch analysis following the second field test (N = 346) resulted in a 17-item SPEAK (α = .84); expert review confirmed its content validity. A third field test with low-income caregivers (N = 103) showed that higher SPEAK scores were correlated with higher education, receptive language ability, stronger endorsement of incremental mindset, and more language stimulation available to the child at home, supporting its concurrent validity. Findings provided preliminary evidence supporting the reliability and validity of the SPEAK to assess expectations and knowledge of early childhood cognitive and language development.
A total of 427 women (aged 18-45 years) who delivered a singleton neonate without serious medical complications were randomized to watch either an educational intervention (n = 225) or the sudden infant death syndrome (n = 202) video. Linear mixed models showed that the intervention women significantly gained knowledge over time. Knowledge gain was largest among high-socioeconomic status (high-SES) and middle-SES English-speaking, smaller among low-SES Spanish-speaking, and nonsignificant among low-SES English-speaking women. Analysis of deviance revealed that the intervention women of all SES learned strategies fostering secure attachment and language acquisition. Participants considered watching an educational video alongside the universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) conveniently timed. The intervention women were more likely than the control women to recognize the importance of timely UNHS follow-up.
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