Maternal communicative behaviours and interaction quality as predictors of language development: findings from a community‐based study of slow‐to‐talk toddlers

Conway, Laura; Levickis, Penny; Smith, Jodie; Mensah, Fiona; Wake, Melissa; Reilly, Sheena

doi:10.1111/1460-6984.12352

Cited by 38 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…The supporting role of child‐directed speech for children's advances in language has been reported widely (e.g., Conway et al . 2018, Hoff and Naigles 2002, Mermelshtine 2017, Newman et al . 2016, Paavola et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal input to children with sex chromosome trisomies

Zampini

Ferrante

Silibello

et al. 2020

Intl J Lang & Comm Disor

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Background Although language difficulties are one of the most distinctive characteristics of the neuropsychological profile of children with sex chromosome trisomies (SCT), the analysis of the maternal input addressed to them is a neglected topic. Aims The present study aims to analyse the lexical, morphosyntactic, and functional features of the input addressed to children with SCT comparing them with those of the input directed to typically developing children (TD). Methods & Procedures Participants were 38 mothers and their 8‐month‐old children, 19 with SCT and 19 TD children. Maternal utterances, collected during video‐recorded play sessions, have been transcribed and coded. Outcomes & Results No significant differences between groups have been found in the lexical and syntactic characteristics of maternal input. However, considering the input functional features, the proportion of directives and questions was significantly higher in the maternal input addressed to children with SCT than in the input addressed to TD children whereas the opposite pattern was found in the proportion of affect‐salient speech. Conclusions & Implications The awareness of a possible delay in their children's language development could influence the way the mothers speak to them. In particular, the functional features of maternal input could be affected. Support groups for parents of children with SCT at the preverbal stage could be useful to reassure the mothers about their role in their children's language development.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal input to children with sex chromosome trisomies

Zampini

Ferrante

Silibello

et al. 2020

Intl J Lang & Comm Disor

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“…According to the social interactionist perspective (Snow, 1972), which emphasizes the environmental role and the value of daily interactions for language development, the linguistic environment's features were widely explored and were found to be predictors of children's linguistic skills (Mol et al, 2008; Farrant and Zubrick, 2012; Rowe, 2012; Weisleder and Fernald, 2013; Levickis et al, 2014; Tamis-LeMonda et al, 2014; Hudson et al, 2015; Sandbank and Yoder, 2016; Conway et al, 2018; Paavola-Ruotsalainen et al, 2018; Smith et al, 2019). Within the twin population, several characteristics of the linguistic environment were explored and compared with those of singletons to highlight variables potentially associated with the lower linguistic skills found among twins: input quantity, input complexity, child-directed speech (CDS) linguistic features, parental responsiveness and directiveness, joint attention (JA), and book reading.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, parental responsiveness and directiveness were shown to be related, in opposite directions, with the children's linguistic skills (Murray and Hornbaker, 1997; Paavola et al, 2005; Levickis et al, 2014; Hudson et al, 2015; Conway et al, 2018; Paavola-Ruotsalainen et al, 2018; Smith et al, 2019). Parental responsiveness refers to parenting behaviors and communicative acts that follow linguistic input and actions produced by the child (Paavola et al, 2005; Tamis-LeMonda et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, directiveness is characterized by the parental inclination to redirect the infant's attention to control the child's behavior (Murray and Hornbaker, 1997; Smith et al, 2019). Several studies identified a negative association between parental directiveness and children's receptive and expressive language skills at 24 (Murray and Hornbaker, 1997), 36, and 48 months (Conway et al, 2018; Smith et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Twins' and Singletons' Linguistic Environment: A Systematic Review

et al. 2019

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Background: Among twins, lower linguistic skills emerged when compared with singletons. Considering the association found between parental linguistic input and children's language development, exploring the differences between twins and singletons' linguistic environments could find variables that are potentially associated with the lower linguistic skills of twins.Aim: The current systematic review aims to analyze and systematize the existing literature focused on the comparison of twins' and singletons' linguistic environments within their first 3 years of life. Methodological issues (i.e., the procedure used to assess the linguistic environment, the coding of the linguistic environment's features, the computational method employed to assess the parental linguistic input, and participant characteristics) and differences found among twins and singletons regarding their linguistic environment (i.e., linguistic input quantity, linguistic input complexity, linguistic features of child-directed speech, parental responsiveness, and directiveness, joint attention, and book reading) were highlighted.Method: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement was followed. Eligible studies were searched through EBSCO, PubMed, and Web of Science. From this search, 1,347 study results emerged, and 8 studies were included.Results: To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review focused on the comparison of twins' and singletons' linguistic environments. Differences between the groups were found in all of the included studies. Data against twins were generally identified regarding all the considered linguistic environment's features. However, conflicting results within and between the included studies emerged, mainly according to the computational method employed (i.e., twin moms value, twin direct dyadic value, twin direct dyadic + both value, and input directed toward both children simultaneously).Conclusion: The disadvantaged linguistic environment of twins is likely due to limited parental resources and demands associated with the management of two children of the same age. However, the limited and conflicting data found did not allow for a firm conclusion to be drawn on the differences in the twins' and singletons' linguistic environments. Further studies on the topic are needed.

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“…Although fluency and connectedness has been investigated in diverse samples, there have been mixed results as to its relation to language outcomes. Some studies find a relation between fluency and connectedness and later language (Conway et al, 2018; Smith et al, 2018), and others find a relation in some groups but not all (Adamson et al, 2019). Given the diversity of findings, it is essential to examine this construct across varying levels of household income among children who are diverse in terms of language outcomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond talk: Contributions of quantity and quality of communication to language success across socioeconomic strata

Masek

Paterson

Golinkoff

et al. 2020

Infancy

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Infants from low‐socioeconomic status (SES) households hear a projected 30 million fewer words than their higher‐SES peers. In a recent study, Hirsh‐Pasek et al. (Psychological Science, 2015; 26: 1071) found that in a low‐income sample, fluency and connectedness in exchanges between caregivers and toddlers predicted child language a year later over and above quantity of talk (Hirsh‐Pasek et al., Psychological Science, 2015; 26: 1071). Here, we expand upon this study by examining fluency and connectedness in two higher‐SES samples. Using data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, we sampled 20 toddlers who had low, average, and high language outcomes at 36 months from each of 2 groups based on income‐to‐needs ratio (INR; middle and high) and applied new coding to the mother–toddler interaction at 24 months. In the high‐INR group, the quality of mother–toddler interaction at 24 months accounted for more variability in language outcomes a year later than did quantity of talk, quality of talk, or sensitive parenting. These results could not be accounted for by child language ability at 24 months. These effects were not found in the middle‐INR sample. Our findings suggest that when the quality of interaction, fluency and connectedness, predicts language outcomes, it is a robust relation, but it may not be universal.

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Maternal communicative behaviours and interaction quality as predictors of language development: findings from a community‐based study of slow‐to‐talk toddlers

Cited by 38 publications

References 47 publications

Maternal input to children with sex chromosome trisomies

Maternal input to children with sex chromosome trisomies

Twins' and Singletons' Linguistic Environment: A Systematic Review

Beyond talk: Contributions of quantity and quality of communication to language success across socioeconomic strata

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