Associations between maternal responsive linguistic input and child language performance at age 4 in a community-based sample of slow-to-talk toddlers

作者：Levickis Penny^*; Reilly Sheena; Girolametto Luigi; Ukoumunne Obioha C; Wake Melissa

来源：Child: Care, Health and Development , 2018, 44(5): 776-783.

DOI：10.1111/cch.12600

• child language
• longitudinal
• maternal responsiveness
• population research
• slow-to-talk toddlers

BackgroundIn a community sample of slow-to-talk toddlers, we aimed to (a) quantify how well maternal responsive behaviors at age 2years predict language ability at age 4 and (b) examine whether maternal responsive behaviors more accurately predict low language status at age 4 than does expressive vocabulary measured at age 2years.
Design or MethodsProspective community-based longitudinal study. At child age 18months, 1,138 parents completed a 100-word expressive vocabulary checklist within a population survey; 251 (22.1%) children scored 20th percentile and were eligible for the current study. Potential predictors at 2years were (a) responsive language behaviors derived from videotaped parent-child free-play samples and (b) late-talker status. Outcomes were (a) Clinical Evaluation of Language FundamentalsPreschool Second Edition receptive and expressive language standard score at 4years and (b) low language status (standard score>1.25 standard deviations below the mean on expressive or receptive language).
ResultsTwo hundred eight (82.9% of 251) participants were retained to age 4. In adjusted linear regression analyses, maternal expansions predicted higher receptive (p<0.001, partial R-2=6.5%) and expressive (p<0.001, partial R-2=7.7%), whereas labels predicted lower receptive (p=0.01, partial R-2=2.8%) and expressive (p=0.007, partial R-2=3.5%) language scores at 4. The logistic regression model containing only responsive behaviors achieved fair predictive ability of low language status at age 4 (area under curve [AUC]=0.79), slightly better than the model containing only late-talker status (AUC=0.74). This improved to good predictive ability with inclusion of other known risk factors (AUC=0.82).
ConclusionA combination of short measures of different dimensions, such as parent responsive behaviors, in addition to a child's earlier language skills increases the ability to predict language outcomes at age 4 to a precision that is approaching clinical value. Research to further enhance predictive values should be a priority, enabling health professionals to identify which slow-to-talk toddlers most likely will or will not experience later poorer language.

• 出版日期2018-9