Early attention and literacy experiences predict adaptive communication

Abstract

The present study investigated the contributions of sociodemographic factors, literacy experiences and child attention in predicting 2- to 5-year-olds' adaptive communication. In infancy, children participated in a habituation procedure, and length of their first look at a novel stimulus was used as an index of information processing. When children were 2—5 years of age, information about children's literacy experiences was gathered, and communication was assessed using the Communication Domain of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. Path analyses revealed direct effects for first look, reading per week and number of trips to the library for Adaptive Communication and the subdomain of Expressive Communication. Indirect effects of mother's education through first look, reading per week and child educational experiences also emerged. Path analyses revealed direct effects for amount of reading per week and number of trips to the library for the subdomain of Receptive Communication.