Vocabulary Growth In Children Research Articles

Relating the prosody of infant-directed speech to children's vocabulary size.

This study examines correlations between the prosody of infant-directed speech (IDS) and children's vocabulary size. We collected longitudinal speech data and vocabulary information from Dutch mother-child dyads with children aged 18 (N = 49) and 24 (N = 27) months old. We took speech context into consideration and distinguished between prosody when mothers introduce familiar vs. unfamiliar words to their children. The results show that IDS mean pitch predicts children's vocabulary growth between 18 and 24 months. In addition, the degree of prosodic modification when mothers introduce unfamiliar words to their children correlates with children's vocabulary growth during this period. These findings suggest that the prosody of IDS, especially in word-learning contexts, may serve linguistic purposes.

Predictors of early vocabulary growth in children born preterm and full term: A study of processing speed and medical complications

ABSTRACTDelays in expressive vocabulary may be harbingers of long-term language difficulties. In toddlers born full term (FT), individual differences in language processing speed are associated with variation in expressive vocabulary growth. Children born preterm (PT) are at increased risk for persistent language deficits. Here, we evaluate predictors of early vocabulary growth in PT toddlers in relation to two sources of variability: language processing speed and medical complications of prematurity. Vocabulary growth from 16 to 30 months (adjusted for degree of prematurity) was modeled longitudinally using parent reports in English-speaking FT (n = 63; ≥37 weeks, ≥2495 g) and PT (n = 69; ≤32 weeks, <1800 g) children, matched on sex and socioeconomic status. Children were tested in the “looking-while-listening task” at 18 months to derive a measure of language processing speed. Each PT child was assessed for number of medical complications (13 maximum), based on medical chart reviews. PT and FT children displayed similar vocabulary trajectories; however, birth group disparities began to emerge by 30 months. PT children were slower in language processing speed than FT children. Critically, language processing speed predicted expressive vocabulary size at 30 months; interactions with birth group were not significant (all p > .20). In PT children, faster language processing speed predicted stronger outcomes regardless of number of medical complications; slower processing speed and more medical complications predicted poorer outcomes. Faster processing speed reflected favorable neuropsychological processes associated with faster expressive vocabulary growth that overrode the impact of medical complications on language outcomes in PT children.

Predictors and growth in receptive vocabulary from 4 to 8 years in children with and without autism spectrum disorder: A population-based study.

Few studies have examined growth and predictors of receptive vocabulary in children with autism spectrum disorder. Here we aimed to compare receptive vocabulary from 4 to 8 years and identify predictors of receptive vocabulary, at 8 years, in children with and without autism spectrum disorder. Participants were drawn from a nationally representative population-based study with two cohorts recruited at birth (N = 4983) and kindergarten (N = 5107). Receptive vocabulary growth was compared for children with and without autism spectrum disorder at 4 (n = 188, n = 7136), 6 (n = 215, n = 7297) and 8 (n = 216, n = 7408) years. Predictors of receptive vocabulary were analysed. Estimated mean receptive vocabulary scores for children without autism spectrum disorder were 2.3 units higher than the autism spectrum disorder group across three time points. This difference was significant (p = 0.004; 95% confidence interval 0.769-3.927). Children with and without autism spectrum disorder progressed at a similar pace. There was no significant difference between the proportions of children with and without autism spectrum disorder who had stable, improving and declining trajectories. Age was the only significant predictor of greater receptive vocabulary growth in children with autism spectrum disorder. Baseline receptive language and nonverbal IQ were significant predictors of receptive vocabulary ability at 8 years. These findings inform prognostic advice given to families on language outcomes.

From the Editors

From the Editors

Maternal Inferential Input and Children's Language Skills

AbstractResearchers have consistently found a link between the quality of early parent–child book‐reading interactions and children's language skill. Two aspects of quality (level of abstraction and utterance function) were examined simultaneously in the current study to further refine our understanding of how parents’ talk during shared reading predicts children's vocabulary growth and elicits children's participation in book reading. To achieve this aim, the authors examined mothers’ extratextual utterances while reading to their preschool children across a continuum of four levels of abstraction (two literal and two inferential) and in terms of utterance function (wh‐ question, yes/no question, and statement). In a sample of 49 mother–child dyads (mean child age = 4.47 years), the authors found that mothers’ inferential yes/no questions and statements predicted children's receptive vocabulary growth over six months, controlling for children's age, mothers’ education, and frequency of reading, and that mothers’ inferential wh‐ questions and literal utterances of all types were not predictive of children's vocabulary growth. Using sequential analysis, the authors also found significant contingencies between mothers’ utterances and children's responses during shared reading that were within the same level of abstraction across all utterance functions. These results are discussed in relation to prior work that has largely examined these two qualities of parent–child book interactions separately.

The Impact of Teachers’ Commenting Strategies on Children’s Vocabulary Growth

ABSTRACTWe examined the relations between teachers’ use of comments during book reading sessions in preschool classrooms and the vocabulary growth of children with low and moderately low language ability. Using data from a larger randomized controlled trial, we analyzed comments defined as utterances that give, explain, expand, or define. Comments were coded for strategies, which were distinguished by the amount of cognitive distancing required for understanding. Strategies were divided into three levels: low, medium, and high. Videos of whole-class book reading sessions conducted in the fall were transcribed and analyzed for 489 children attending the classrooms of 52 Head Start preschool teachers. Descriptive analyses revealed that teachers largely used medium-level strategies, but relatively small amounts of low- and high-level comments. Logistic regressions revealed relationships between curriculum condition and teachers’ use of instructional strategies, such that those assigned to the intervention curriculum used more high-level strategies. Multilevel models found significant relationships between medium-level comments and children’s receptive vocabulary growth across one year of Head Start preschool instruction, such that children in classrooms where teachers used more medium-level comments experienced greater growth than those hearing fewer. No moderating effects were found based on children’s initial language abilities. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

The role of teachers’ comments during book reading in children's vocabulary growth

ABSTRACTThis study described the commenting practices of Head Start teachers, and the relationship of comments to the expressive and receptive vocabulary growth of children with below-the-mean language ability across one year of preschool. Participants included 52 Head Start teachers, and 489 children (247 early intervention candidates and 242 Head Start typical). Descriptive analyses reveal that teachers used informative comments that gave or explained information more frequently than comments that responded to children's utterances, and that these comments contained more conceptually focused content than vocabulary or skills content. Responsive and conceptually focused comments were significantly related to the children's receptive vocabulary growth, and were moderated by children's initial language ability indicating the presence of the Matthew Effect. These findings underscore the importance of integrating instructional comments into book reading sessions, and the need to differentiate instruction based on children's initial vocabulary sizes. Practical implications are discussed.

The pace of vocabulary growth during preschool predicts cortical structure at school age

Children vary greatly in their vocabulary development during preschool years. Importantly, the pace of this early vocabulary growth predicts vocabulary size at school entrance. Despite its importance for later academic success, not much is known about the relation between individual differences in early vocabulary development and later brain structure and function. Here we examined the association between vocabulary growth in children, as estimated from longitudinal measurements from 14 to 58 months, and individual differences in brain structure measured in 3rd and 4th grade (8–10 years old). Our results show that the pace of vocabulary growth uniquely predicts cortical thickness in the left supramarginal gyrus. Probabilistic tractography revealed that this region is directly connected to the inferior frontal gyrus (pars opercularis) and the ventral premotor cortex, via what is most probably the superior longitudinal fasciculus III. Our findings demonstrate, for the first time, the relation between the pace of vocabulary learning in children and a specific change in the structure of the cerebral cortex, specifically, cortical thickness in the left supramarginal gyrus. They also highlight the fact that differences in the pace of vocabulary growth are associated with the dorsal language stream, which is thought to support speech perception and articulation.

A Pilot Study of the Impact of Double-Dose Robust Vocabulary Instruction on Children's Vocabulary Growth

ABSTRACTDouble-dose instruction, in which instructional lessons are supplemented to provide additional instructional time, is a mechanism used in some schools for boosting outcomes in certain academic areas. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of double-dose vocabulary instruction, relative to single-dose and business-as-usual control instruction, for pre-kindergarteners through third-graders in a quasi-experimental pilot study; the vocabulary instruction was embedded in a more broadly focused language-comprehension intervention. Pretest, posttest, and measures of targeted vocabulary were collected over a 21-week period of implementation to investigate children's vocabulary development during the intervention. In general, single- and double-dose instruction resulted in equivalent effects on children's learning of targeted vocabulary, although effect-size estimates were always larger for the double-doses condition relative to single dose. Both were superior to the business-as-usual instruction, with effect-size estimates similar to that seen in the vocabulary-intervention literature. The results of this pilot study suggest that increased instructional time devoted to vocabulary development only may not provide enhanced outcomes for some students, and thus may not be a worthwhile investment of school resources compared to other language-based instruction.

Predicting vocabulary growth in children with and without specific language impairment: a longitudinal study from 2;6 to 21 years of age.

Children with specific language impairment (SLI) often have vocabulary impairments. This study evaluates longitudinal growth in a latent trait of receptive vocabulary in affected and unaffected children ages 2;6 (years;months) to 21 years and evaluates as possible predictors maternal education, child gender, and nonverbal IQ. A sample of 519 participants (240 with SLI; 279 unaffected) received an average of 7 annual assessments for a total of 3,012 latent trait Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) observations. Unconditional and conditional multilevel growth models were estimated to evaluate growth trajectories and predictor relationships over time. Children with SLI had lower levels of receptive vocabulary throughout the age range assessed. They did not close the gap with age peers. Children with higher nonverbal IQs had better PPVT performance, as did children of mothers with higher education. Child gender showed an advantage for young girls that leveled out with age and then became an advantage for boys from ages 10 to 21 years. All children's rate of vocabulary acquisition slowed around 12 years of age. The outcomes of the study have implications for hypothesized causal pathways for individual differences; predictions differ for children under 5 years, 6-10 years, and later ages.

Learning language in autism: maternal linguistic input contributes to later vocabulary.

It is well established that children with typical development (TYP) exposed to more maternal linguistic input develop larger vocabularies. We know relatively little about the linguistic environment available to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and whether input contributes to their later vocabulary. Children with ASD or TYP and their mothers from English and French-speaking families engaged in a 10 min free-play interaction. To compare input, children were matched on language ability, sex, and maternal education (ASD n = 20, TYP n = 20). Input was transcribed, and the number of word tokens and types, lexical diversity (D), mean length of utterances (MLU), and number of utterances were calculated. We then examined the relationship between input and children's spoken vocabulary 6 months later in a larger sample (ASD: n = 19, 50-85 months; TYP: n = 44, 25-58 months). No significant group differences were found on the five input features. A hierarchical multiple regression model demonstrated input MLU significantly and positively contributed to spoken vocabulary 6 months later in both groups, over and above initial language levels. No significant difference was found between groups in the slope between input MLU and later vocabulary. Our findings reveal children with ASD and TYP of similar language levels are exposed to similar maternal linguistic environments regarding number of word tokens and types, D, MLU, and number of utterances. Importantly, linguistic input accounted for later vocabulary growth in children with ASD.

Supporting Young Children's Vocabulary Growth Using F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Model

AbstractWith the constant barrage of media regarding the 35 million word gap, it is more important than ever to devise strategies for accelerating and sustaining young children's vocabulary development. The F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Vocabulary Model is a daily approach for early childhood educators to use as a means to increase vocabulary knowledge with the intended result being a narrowing of the vocabulary gap for at‐risk students. The F.R.I.E.N.D.S. vocabulary model consists of seven components: (1) Fostering quality teacher and child conversations, (2) Rigorous and robust instruction, (3) Interactive storybook reading, (4) Engaging students in motivational vocabulary activities, (5) Numerous opportunities to practice new vocabulary, (6) Direct and explicit instruction, and (7) Sophisticated and rare words. The model is based on research, theory and classroom experience.

Children's Vocabulary Growth in English and Spanish Across Early Development and Associations With School Readiness Skills

In line with evidence that variation in children's vocabulary size facilitates learning, we asked whether growth in Mexican and Dominican children's expressive vocabularies in English and/or Spanish would predict later cognitive skills. Children and mothers were video-recorded sharing wordless books at 2, 3, 4, and 5 years, and children were assessed on language, literacy, and math skills at 5 years. Growth in children's English and Spanish vocabularies, based on transcriptions of booksharing interactions, predicted specific cognitive skills and was associated with changes to mothers' language use across time. Mothers' years in the United States predicted children's English vocabulary growth.

Vocabulary development in children with Down syndrome: Longitudinal and cross-sectional data

Background Research findings on vocabulary development1 in children with Down syndrome are inconsistent. This study aimed to analyse the developmental trend of vocabulary growth in children with Down syndrome and the relationships between vocabulary and chronological and developmental age.Method Children's vocabulary size was assessed by a parental report (the Italian version of the MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventories [CDI]). A longitudinal study, involving 18 children with Down syndrome, and a cross-sectional study, involving 27 children with Down syndrome, were conducted.Results The variability in children's vocabulary size increased from a chronological age of 36 months. Both vocabulary size (from 36 months) and developmental level (from 42 months) were significant predictors of lexical outcomes at 48 months. A comparison with normative data showed that children with Down syndrome had a significantly lower vocabulary size than typically developing children at the same developmental age.Conclusion Although there are similarities with vocabulary growth in typically developing children, lexical development in children with Down syndrome appears to lag behind their cognitive development.

The second-language vocabulary trajectories of Turkish immigrant children in Norway from ages five to ten: the role of preschool talk exposure, maternal education, and co-ethnic concentration in the neighborhood

Little research has explored how preschools can support children's second-language (L2) vocabulary development. This study keenly followed the progress of twemty-six Turkish immigrant children growing up in Norway from preschool (age five) to fifth grade (age ten). Four different measures of preschool talk exposure (amount and diversity of teacher-led group talk and amount and diversity of peer talk), as well as the demographic variables of maternal education and co-ethnic concentration in the neighborhood, were employed to predict the children's L2 vocabulary trajectories. The results of growth analyses revealed that maternal education was the only variable predicting children's vocabulary growth during the elementary years. However, teacher-led talk, peer talk, and neighborhood predicted children's L2 vocabulary skills at age five, and these differences were maintained up to age ten. This study underscores the importance of both preschool talk exposure (teacher-led talk and peer talk) and demographic factors on L2 learners' vocabulary development.

Clinical assessment of early language development: A simplified short form of the mandarin communicative development inventory

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to develop a practical mean for clinical evaluation of early pediatric language development by establishing developmental trajectories for receptive and expressive vocabulary growth in children between 6 and 32 months of age using a simple, time-efficient assessment tool. MethodsSimplified short form versions of the Words and Gestures and Words and Sentences vocabulary inventories in the Mandarin Communicative Development Inventory [1] were developed and used to assess early language development in developmentally normal children from 6 to 32 months of age during routine health checks. ResultsDevelopmental trajectories characterizing the rate of receptive and expressive vocabulary growth between 6 and 32 months of age are reported. These trajectories allow the equivalent age corresponding to a score to be determined after a brief structured interview with the child's parents that can be conducted in a busy clinical setting. ConclusionThe simplified short forms of the Mandarin Communicative Development Inventories can serve as a clinically useful tool to assess early child language development, providing a practical mean of objectively assessing early language development following early interventions to treat young children with hearing impairment as well as speech and language delays. Objective evidence of language development is essential for achievement of effective (re)habilitation outcomes.

Noise hampers children's expressive word learning.

To determine the effects of noise and speech style on word learning in typically developing school-age children. Thirty-one participants ages 9;0 (years;months) to 10;11 attempted to learn 2 sets of 8 novel words and their referents. They heard all of the words 13 times each within meaningful narrative discourse. Signal-to-noise ratio (noise vs. quiet) and speech style (plain vs. clear) were manipulated such that half of the children heard the new words in broadband white noise and half heard them in quiet; within those conditions, each child heard one set of words produced in a plain speech style and another set in a clear speech style. Children who were trained in quiet learned to produce the word forms more accurately than those who were trained in noise. Clear speech resulted in more accurate word form productions than plain speech, whether the children had learned in noise or quiet. Learning from clear speech in noise and plain speech in quiet produced comparable results. Noise limits expressive vocabulary growth in children, reducing the quality of word form representation in the lexicon. Clear speech input can aid expressive vocabulary growth in children, even in noisy environments.

Neural processing of spoken words in specific language impairment and dyslexia

Young adults with a history of specific language impairment (SLI) differ from reading-impaired (dyslexic) individuals in terms of limited vocabulary and poor verbal short-term memory. Phonological short-term memory has been shown to play a significant role in learning new words. We investigated the neural signatures of auditory word recognition and word repetition in young adults with SLI, dyslexia and normal language development using magnetoencephalography. The stimuli were 7-8 letter spoken real words and pseudo-words. They evoked a transient peak at 100 ms (N100m) followed by longer-lasting activation peaking around 400 ms (N400m) in the left and right superior temporal cortex. Both word repetition (first vs. immediately following second presentation) and lexicality (words vs. pseudowords) modulated the N400m response. An effect of lexicality was detected about 400 ms onwards as activation culminated for words but continued for pseudo-words. This effect was more pronounced in the left than right hemisphere in the control subjects. The left hemisphere lexicality effect was also present in the dyslexic adults, but it was non-significant in the subjects with SLI, possibly reflecting their limited vocabulary. The N400m activation between 200 and 700 ms was attenuated by the immediate repetition of words and pseudo-words in both hemispheres. In SLI adults the repetition effect evaluated at 200-400 ms was abnormally weak. This finding suggests impaired short-term maintenance of linguistic activation that underlies word recognition. Furthermore, the size of the repetition effect decreased from control subjects through dyslexics to SLIs, i.e. when advancing from milder to more severe language impairment. The unusually rapid decay of speech-evoked activation could have a detrimental role on vocabulary growth in children with SLI.

Does linguistic input play the same role in language learning for children with and without early brain injury?

Children with unilateral pre- or perinatal brain injury (BI) show remarkable plasticity for language learning. Previous work highlights the important role that lesion characteristics play in explaining individual variation in plasticity in the language development of children with BI. The current study examines whether the linguistic input that children with BI receive from their caregivers also contributes to this early plasticity, and whether linguistic input plays a similar role in children with BI as it does in typically developing (TD) children. Growth in vocabulary and syntactic production is modeled for 80 children (53 TD, 27 BI) between 14 and 46 months. Findings indicate that caregiver input is an equally potent predictor of vocabulary growth in children with BI and in TD children. In contrast, input is a more potent predictor of syntactic growth for children with BI than for TD children. Controlling for input, lesion characteristics (lesion size, type, seizure history) also affect the language trajectories of children with BI. Thus, findings illustrate how both variability in the environment (linguistic input) and variability in the organism (lesion characteristics) work together to contribute to plasticity in language learning.

Shared book reading: When and how questions affect young children's word learning.

Shared book reading, and the conversation that accompanies it, can facilitate young children's vocabulary growth. To identify the features of extratextual questions that help 3-year-olds learn unfamiliar words during shared book reading, two experiments explored the impact of cognitive demand level, placement, and an approximation to scaffolding. Asking questions about target words improved children's comprehension and production of word-referent associations, and children with larger vocabularies learned more than children with smaller vocabularies. Neither the demand level nor placement of questions differentially affected word learning. However, an approximation to scaffolding, in which adults asked low demand questions when words first appeared and high demand questions later, did facilitate children's deeper understanding of word meanings as assessed with a definition task. These results are unique in experimentally demonstrating the value for word learning of shifting from less to more challenging input over time. Discussion focuses on why a scaffolding-like procedure improves children's acquisition of elaborated word meanings