Predicting Language at 2 Years of Age: A Prospective Community Study (original) (raw)
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International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 2009
The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the methods and preliminary findings from the Early Language In Victoria Study (ELVS) a prospective, longitudinal study of child language impairment. Specifically, we provide a summary of early communication and vocabulary development and examine the contributions a range of risk factors and predictors make to these outcomes. The sample was a community-ascertained cohort of 1911 infants, recruited at 8 months and followed at ages 12 and 24 months. The main outcomes of interest were parent reported infant and toddler communication (Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales, CSBS) and expressive vocabulary (MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories, CDI). Predictors included gender, preterm birth, birth weight, multiple birth, birth order, socioeconomic status, maternal mental health, maternal vocabulary and education, maternal age at birth of child, non-English-speaking background, and a family history of speech and/or language difficulties. Results demonstrated rapid development in communication skills measured by the three CSBS domains (social, speech and symbolic) and in vocabulary development (CDI). There was rapid growth in gesture use between 8 and 12 months and symbolic use of objects between 12 to 24 months. At approximately 24 months, 19.7% had delayed expressive vocabulary. Male gender and family history were associated with poorer outcomes on the CSBS and the CDI at 8, 12 and 24 months, although the regression models explained only a small amount of the variance in outcome. In summary we measured rapid growth in communication skills and vocabulary between 12 and 24 months, but the hypothesized early risk factors and predictors explained little of the variation in these outcomes. We conclude that the risk factors/predictors examined in this study therefore seem unlikely to be helpful in screening for early language delay.
The paper reports on a prospective longitudinal study with 1917 children (973 boys and 944 girls) designed by a multidiscipline team of researchers to investigate if risk factors for language delay at four years can be reliably identified at 8, 12, 24 or 36 months. Previous research has suggested that predictors for language delay can be identified in the first year (eg, Smith, 1998), and that gesture use is a good predictor of later language (Thal, Tobias & Morrison, 1991). Late talkers are at risk for language impairment; however, while some late talkers identified at age 2 are impaired in language at age 4, not all are (Rescorla, Roberts & Dahlsgaard,1997). The value of the current study is its scope and depth. The children in the study have been recruited through Maternal and Child Health Centres in six districts of Melbourne; these represent three socioeconomic levels. Data from just two of the measures used will be reported in the current paper: the Communicative and Symbolic ...
Growth of infant communication between 8 and 12�months: A population study
Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 2006
1 There is a dramatic explosion in communication skill development between 8 and 12 months of age. 2 Communication skills achieved at 8 months was the strongest predictor of further communication development at 12 months. 3 Environmental factors appeared to have minimal impact on communication skills at 8 and 12 months. Aim: To describe changes in infant prelinguistic communication skills between 8 and 12 months, and identify factors associated with those skills. Methods: Design: Parent questionnaire data for a prospective population-based cohort of infants in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. Participants: 1911 infants born November 2002-August 2003. Outcome: Infant communication (Communication and Symbolic Behaviour Scales (CSBS)) at 8 and 12 months. Potential risk factors: sex; prematurity; multiple birth; sociodemographic indicators; maternal mental health, vocabulary and education; non-English speaking background; and family history of speech-language difficulties. Linear regression models were fitted to total standardised CSBS scores at 8 and 12 months.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 2008
The Communicative Development Inventories (CDIs) are parent report measures of vocabulary and other aspects of language development in very young children. They have evolved over the past 20 years to be one of the most well recognised assessments of infant language. Of particular significance is the fact that the CDIs are the first measures of their kind to be widely translated and adapted for use in many different languages. The inventories have served a variety of functions including measuring early language acquisition, deriving normative data on language acquisition, and both identifying and describing children whose early language is significantly delayed. This review describes the development of the CDIs, summarises the volume of research that has been generated in a range of applications of the measures, and evaluates their current standing both as a research tool and as a clinical measure. Issues around the sensitivity and predictive value of the CDIs are also considered.
Predictors in Infancy for Language and Academic Outcomes at 11 Years
Pediatrics, 2021
OBJECTIVES: To examine the contribution of early life factors and preschool- and school-aged language abilities to children’s 11-year language and academic outcomes. METHODS: Participants (N = 839) were from a prospective community cohort study of 1910 infants recruited at 8 to 10 months of age. Early life factors included a combination of child (prematurity, birth weight), family (socioeconomic disadvantage, family history of language difficulties), and maternal factors (education, vocabulary, and age). Language (standardized assessment of receptive and expressive skills) and academic (national assessment) outcomes at 11 years were predicted by using a series of multivariable regression models. RESULTS: Early life factors explained 11% to 12% of variance in language scores at 11 years. The variance explained increased to 47% to 64% when language scores from 2 to 7 years were included. The largest increase in variance explained was with 4-year language scores. The same early life fa...
Concurrent and Predictive Validity of Parent Reports of Child Language at Ages 2 and 3 Years
Child Development, 2005
The MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDI; , parent reports about language skills, are being used increasingly in studies of theoretical and public health importance. This study (N = 113) correlated scores on the CDI at ages 2 and 3 years with scores at age 3 years on tests of cognition and receptive language and measures from parentchild conversation. Associations indicated reasonable concurrent and predictive validity. The findings suggest that satisfactory vocabulary scores at age 2 are likely to predict normal language skills at age 3, although some children with limited skills at age 3 will have had satisfactory scores at age 2. Many children with poor vocabulary scores at 2 will have normal skills at 3.
Infant Behavior and Development, 2008
Within a longitudinal study using a large representative, community sample of infants recruited at mean age 8 months, we examined influences on infant communication development at 24 months, including child gender, shy temperament, behavioural and emotional problems, and several variables relating to maternal psychosocial health. On most developmental measures girls were in advance of boys and they also showed shyer temperament. Child gender, shy temperament and maternal psychosocial indices were associated with both vocabulary development as measured by the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory (CDI), and communication and symbolic development assessed via the Communication and Symbolic Behaviour Scales-Developmental Profile (CSBS) at 24 months. No prediction was found using scores at 8 or 12 months, although moderate stability between measures between 12 and 24 months was evident. Predictors of 24 month outcomes were all concurrently measured variables, and included temperamental shyness, but very little variance in communication outcomes was explained. Children whose mothers were experiencing clinical levels of depression and life difficulties reported more child behavioural problems.
Early Human Development, 2020
To date, there are contradictory findings concerning if, at which age, and to what extent children's language development is affected by prematurity at birth. The objective was to compare language skills of extremely preterm (EPT) and very preterm (VPT) girls and boys at 24 months corrected for gestational age (GA) at birth with those of full-term (FT) girls and boys, and to explore the effect of perinatal and demographic factors. Method: Parents of 138 preterm (PT) children born < 32 weeks' gestation (48 EPT with GA below 28 weeks, 90 VPT with GA 28-31 weeks) and of 150 FT controls completed the short Estonian version of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory: Words and Sentences (ECDI-II SF). Language skills of PT children were also assessed with the Bayley-III Language Scale (BSID-III), and compared with data from 152 FT controls. Results: Mean scores of all language measurements were significantly lower in boys (not girls) from both PT groups compared to FT girls and boys, while no significant differences were found between PT groups. Across groups, girls obtained significantly better language scores than boys. In PT children, being a girl, and attending day care at corrected age (CA) 2;0 years, predicted a larger expressive vocabulary (measured by the ECDI-II SF). Bayley language composite scores (sum of expressive and receptive language) were higher in PT girls than in boys, and the scores were negatively affected by the number of severe neonatal morbidities. Conclusions: The findings highlight the importance of systematic language-focused assessments (using parents and trained examiners) of EPT and VPT boys, as well as the need to support their development.