Abstract
Children vary widely in the rate at which they acquire words--some start slow and speed up, others start fast and continue at a steady pace. Do early developmental variations of this sort help predict vocabulary skill just prior to kindergarten entry? This longitudinal study starts by examining important predictors (socioeconomic status [SES], parent input, child gesture) of vocabulary growth between 14 and 46 months (n = 62) and then uses growth estimates to predict children's vocabulary at 54 months. Velocity and acceleration in vocabulary development at 30 months predicted later vocabulary, particularly for children from low-SES backgrounds. Understanding the pace of early vocabulary growth thus improves our ability to predict school readiness and may help identify children at risk for starting behind.
Highlights
IntroductionIt is plausible that children’s early environments and social interactions influence the course of language acquisition (Snow, 1994, 1972)
Previous research strongly suggests that variations in early social-interactive environments are associated with variations in vocabulary growth rates, and highlights the importance of understanding the role that parent and family factors play in child language development
Research on the course of vocabulary development during the early language learning years has found that children vary a great deal in the rate at which they acquire vocabulary (e.g., Fenson et al, 1994), we have little understanding of the role that these differences in early growth trajectories play in predicting vocabulary skill at school entry
Summary
It is plausible that children’s early environments and social interactions influence the course of language acquisition (Snow, 1994, 1972). This theoretical perspective has led to many studies exploring the relation between parent and family factors (including parental talk to children and family socioeconomic status [SES]) and child vocabulary growth, and positive relations have been found between the two (see Hoff, 2006a, 2006b for a review). Previous research strongly suggests that variations in early social-interactive environments are associated with variations in vocabulary growth rates, and highlights the importance of understanding the role that parent and family factors play in child language development.
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