Does the maturation of early sleep patterns predict language ability at school entry? A Born in Bradford study.

Victoria C P Knowland,Sarah A Walker,Lisa-Marie Henderson,M Gareth Gaskell,Sam Berens

doi:10.1017/s0305000920000677

Abstract

Children's vocabulary ability at school entry is highly variable and predictive of later language and literacy outcomes. Sleep is potentially useful in understanding and explaining that variability, with sleep patterns being predictive of global trajectories of language acquisition. Here, we looked to replicate and extend these findings. Data from 354 children (without English as an additional language) in the Born in Bradford study were analysed, describing the mean intercepts and linear trends in parent-reported day-time and night-time sleep duration over five time points between 6 and 36 months-of-age. The mean difference between night-time and day-time sleep was predictive of receptive vocabulary at age five, with more night-time sleep relative to day-time sleep predicting better language. An exploratory analysis suggested that socioeconomic status was predictive of vocabulary outcomes, with sleep patterns partially mediating this relationship. We suggest that the consolidation of sleep patterns acts as a driver of early language development.

Highlights

Through the infant and pre-school years, children’s vocabulary skills show substantial heterogeneity
indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) is calculated based on factors such as average education and income within a small geographic area, such that these values give an approximation of socio-economic status for each participant relative to the country and the local vicinity of Bradford respectively
155 children were in receipt of free school meals (25% of the sample, and slightly higher than the average for Yorkshire & Humber in 2013, which was 19% see Education DataLab, 2016), 11 had an Education Health and Care Plan, and a further 102 had other support for special educational needs (SEN) in school

Summary

Introduction

Through the infant and pre-school years, children’s vocabulary skills show substantial heterogeneity. Given that early vocabulary ability is predictive of school-age language and reading performance (Duff, Reen, Plunkett & Nation, 2015; Lee, 2011; Psyridou, Eklund, Poikkeus & Torppa, 2018), it is important to explore potential sources of this variability. But promising, area of research is into the role of early sleep in the development of language. Associations will be considered between sleep over the first three years of life and receptive vocabulary ability at school entry using cohort data from the Born in Bradford study

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion