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Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf... Jun 2024This study investigated the acquisition of early expressive vocabulary among young children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH; n = 68) using auditory technology...
This study investigated the acquisition of early expressive vocabulary among young children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH; n = 68) using auditory technology (hearing aids and cochlear implants). Parents completed a standardized vocabulary checklist, which allowed analyses of (i) the size of their child's spoken vocabulary; (ii) composition of the expressive lexicon (e.g., parts of speech such as nouns and verbs; semantic categories such as routines and body parts); and (iii) demographic and audiologic factors (e.g., chronologic age, degree of hearing access) potentially associated with these metrics. Young children who are DHH and use auditory technology acquired fewer spoken words than peers with typical hearing (TH) matched for chronologic age but more spoken words than peers with TH matched for listening experience. Action verbs-not nouns-significantly increased the odds of a child who is DHH achieving a vocabulary quotient within the normative range. These findings support the exploration of early expressive vocabulary size and composition-especially the number of active verbs-to guide clinical management and decision-making for young children who are DHH.
Topics: Humans; Vocabulary; Child, Preschool; Male; Female; Deafness; Persons With Hearing Impairments; Language Development; Hearing Aids; Child; Cochlear Implants; Hearing Loss; Infant
PubMed: 38240124
DOI: 10.1093/deafed/enad066 -
Development and Psychopathology Aug 2023This study investigated the transactional relations between vocabulary and disruptive behaviors (DB; physical aggression and opposition/rule breaking/theft and...
This study investigated the transactional relations between vocabulary and disruptive behaviors (DB; physical aggression and opposition/rule breaking/theft and vandalism), during the transition to formal schooling, using a community sample of 572 children. Cross-lagged panel model analyses were used to examine bidirectional relationships, comparing physical aggression to non-aggressive DB. Transactional associations between vocabulary and DB were observed, coinciding with school entry. Lower vocabulary in preschool (60mo.) was predictive of higher physical aggression scores in kindergarten. In turn, higher physical aggression in kindergarten was predictive of lower vocabulary in 1st grade. For non-aggressive DB, recurrent associations were found. Lower verbal skills in preschool (42mo.) and kindergarten predicted higher non-aggressive DB scores later in preschool and in 1st grade respectively. In turn, higher non-aggressive DB in kindergarten predicted lower vocabulary scores in 1st grade. In contrast to transactional paths from vocabulary to DB, transactional paths from DB to vocabulary observed after the transition to elementary school remained significant after controlling for comorbid hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention behaviors, suggesting these links were specific to aggressive and non-aggressive DB. Practical implications for prevention are discussed.
Topics: Child; Child, Preschool; Humans; Problem Behavior; Vocabulary; Schools; Educational Status; Aggression
PubMed: 35796242
DOI: 10.1017/S0954579422000268 -
International Journal of... Dec 2023Past research highlights the importance of evaluating word learning abilities to build understanding of an individual's language-learning capacity and make...
PURPOSE
Past research highlights the importance of evaluating word learning abilities to build understanding of an individual's language-learning capacity and make evidence-informed decisions in speech-language pathology practice. However, little research has explored vocabulary and word learning assessment practices among speech-language pathologists (SLPs). This pilot, exploratory study aimed to explore current assessment practices and guide translation of research to practice among SLPs who work with children of all ages.
METHOD
SLPs ( 127) from three predominantly English-speaking countries (Australia, USA, and UK) completed an online survey. The survey explored methods and purposes for assessing vocabulary knowledge and word learning skills via binary and multiple-choice questions. Responses to three open-ended questions were analysed using conventional content analysis. The survey also asked about perspectives regarding assessment practices with individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.
RESULT
Of the surveyed SLPs, 118 (92%) reported using norm-referenced measures of vocabulary, with 27 reporting additional use of non-normed measures. Seventy-seven SLPs (61%) reported that they measure word learning skills, and 20 of these SLPs used dynamic assessment procedures to evaluate word learning. Responding SLPs across all three countries reported using vocabulary and word learning assessment data in a variety of ways (e.g. to support diagnostic decision-making). Regarding the use of standardised, norm-referenced vocabulary assessments with individuals from CALD backgrounds, SLPs reported concerns regarding poor cultural sensitivity and limited access to alternative methods.
CONCLUSION
The findings highlight the need for further development and dissemination of accessible resources to support SLPs' implementation of word learning assessment, including resources for dynamic assessment. This is especially critical considering the established limitations associated with using standardised, norm-referenced tests with minority groups who are underrepresented in standardisation samples.
Topics: Child; Humans; Cross-Sectional Studies; Vocabulary; Speech; Pathologists; Language Development; Surveys and Questionnaires; Speech-Language Pathology
PubMed: 36409590
DOI: 10.1080/17549507.2022.2140827 -
Journal of Speech, Language, and... Nov 2023Understanding the different factors that determine vocabulary development in young children is essential for the diagnosis and rehabilitation of language disorders in...
BACKGROUND
Understanding the different factors that determine vocabulary development in young children is essential for the diagnosis and rehabilitation of language disorders in children. Language development is closely related to other cognitive processes such as auditory verbal learning and memory. This research focuses on the development of a novel auditory verbal learning test (AVLT) for 4- and 5-year-old children within the Dutch population. This new test is an adaptation of the common AVLT for both older children and adults, usually including a list of 15 words. Considering the lower attention span and limited executive functioning in young children, the word list of this new instrument is reduced to 10 words. Besides, a second recognition form has been developed to improve the ability to distinguish between possible underlying learning and memory deficits.
METHOD
Ninety-five preschool children (ages 4;0-5;12 [years;months]) were tested with this new AVLT 10-word test for kids (10WT-K), yielding different measures of verbal auditory memory. Forty-eight of 95 children received a recognition task with semantically unrelated items, and 47 of 95 received a recognition task with semantically related items. Three additional language skills were assessed to establish test validation: receptive and expressive vocabulary performance and nonword repetition. Outcome of the 10WT-K was related to scores on the language measures.
RESULTS
Positive correlations were found between the total score of the 10WT-K and all three aforementioned language skills. We found no correlations between frequency of error types (intrusions and repetitions) and language measures. Furthermore, children who were administered the recognition list with semantically related items showed fewer correct answers and more false-positive and false-negative responses than children who received a recognition list with semantically unrelated items.
CONCLUSIONS
The 10WT-K for young children can be used to (a) measure different aspects of auditory verbal learning and memory, (b) clarify the nature of possible verbal learning difficulties, and (c) identify a possible nature of language disorders. The word recognition task tested with semantically related items provides a more accurate measurement of individual differences, namely, in distinguishing retrieval and storage abilities. The significant relation found between auditory verbal short-term memory capacity and vocabulary performance in preschool children is a first step toward establishing test validity.
Topics: Adult; Child, Preschool; Humans; Child; Adolescent; Vocabulary; Learning; Memory, Short-Term; Language Disorders; Verbal Learning
PubMed: 37774742
DOI: 10.1044/2023_JSLHR-22-00706 -
Journal of Speech, Language, and... Aug 2023The development of vocabulary size in deaf/hard of hearing (DHH) children and adolescents can be delayed compared to their peers due to lack of access to early language... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
PURPOSE
The development of vocabulary size in deaf/hard of hearing (DHH) children and adolescents can be delayed compared to their peers due to lack of access to early language input. Complementary vocabulary interventions are reported in the literature. Our aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of intervention methods for their vocabulary improvement.
METHOD
Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, we searched five databases for peer-reviewed journal articles in English, published between 2000 and 2022 (inclusive), reporting vocabulary interventions for 2- to 18-year-old DHH children and adolescents without comorbidities. We conducted separate meta-analyses using a random-effects model on receptive oral vocabulary, expressive oral vocabulary, and signed vocabulary. We assessed the methodological quality of each paper. This review is preregistered in PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews) with ID CRD42021243479.
RESULTS
We included 25 group studies in this review out of 1,724 identified records. The quality assessment of the studies revealed risk of bias ranging from some concerns to high risk. Experimental vocabulary instruction produced improvement in receptive oral vocabulary (Hedges's = 1.08, 95% CI [0.25, 1.90], = 93.46, = .01), expressive oral vocabulary (Hedges's = 1.00, 95% CI [0.18, 1.83], = 96.37, = .02), and signed vocabulary (Hedges's = 1.88, 95% CI [1.09, 2.66], = 96.01, < .001) in the experimental groups. Written vocabulary and general vocabulary skills are also reported as a synthesis of results.
CONCLUSIONS
Multisensory and multimodal explicit vocabulary instruction for DHH children and adolescents is helpful in improving vocabulary acquisition with respect to baseline levels. However, its effectiveness must be carefully interpreted due to the lack of proper control groups and details on reported in the studies.
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL
https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.23646357.
Topics: Child; Humans; Adolescent; Child, Preschool; Vocabulary; Writing; Peer Group; Hearing; Deafness
PubMed: 37437529
DOI: 10.1044/2023_JSLHR-22-00570 -
The Clinical Neuropsychologist May 2024Research demonstrates that college educated, English language dominant bilinguals underperform relative to English speaking monolinguals on tests of verbal ability. We...
Research demonstrates that college educated, English language dominant bilinguals underperform relative to English speaking monolinguals on tests of verbal ability. We investigated whether accepting responses in their two languages would reveal improved performance in bilinguals, and whether such improvement would be of sufficient magnitude to demonstrate the same performance level as monolinguals. Participants were college students attending the same university. Spanish-English bilinguals were compared to English speaking monolinguals on the Bilingual Verbal Ability Tests (BVAT), which include , , and . When given the opportunity to respond in Spanish to items failed in English, bilinguals obtained significantly higher scores on all three subtests, and their performance matched that of monolinguals on and . An "either-language" scoring approach may enable optimal measurement of verbal abilities in bilinguals. We provide normative data for use in applying the either-language scoring approach on subtests of the BVAT. We discuss the findings in the context of clinical assessment.
PubMed: 38741566
DOI: 10.1080/13854046.2024.2353409 -
Journal of Speech, Language, and... Aug 2023Using a novel parent report measure, this study investigated whether asking parents to rate their certainty when reporting on child vocabulary skills provided additional...
PURPOSE
Using a novel parent report measure, this study investigated whether asking parents to rate their certainty when reporting on child vocabulary skills provided additional insight into parent report and emerging language abilities in young autistic children. Specifically, we investigated whether parent certainty varied based on whether the child was reported to understand, understand and say, or neither understand nor say the word and whether standardized measures of expressive and receptive language abilities and/or autistic traits predicted parent certainty. Lastly, we investigated whether certainty was associated with inconsistency in parent report of child word knowledge.
METHOD
Twenty-one parents and their autistic children ages 2-5 years participated. One parent per child completed the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (MCDI) Words and Gestures form and a custom vocabulary checklist including 24 object nouns from the MCDI. Within the custom form, parents indicated whether their child understood, understood and said, or neither understood nor said 24 target nouns and reported how certain they were about their responses using a 5-point scale. Expressive language, receptive language, and autistic traits were measured via direct assessment using standardized measures.
RESULTS
Parent certainty varied widely and was higher for words the parents reported the children understood and said compared to that for words children either understood or neither understood nor said. Certainty ratings were higher when a child had higher standardized receptive and expressive language scores. Lastly, parent certainty was associated with reporting consistency, clarifying previous findings of inconsistencies in parent report of child vocabulary.
CONCLUSION
Findings from this study indicate that measuring parent certainty provides critical information when assessing early vocabulary skills in autistic children.
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL
https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.23671497.
Topics: Humans; Autistic Disorder; Checklist; Language; Language Development; Vocabulary; Child, Preschool
PubMed: 37467394
DOI: 10.1044/2023_JSLHR-22-00623 -
Maternal and Child Health Journal Dec 2023Children that are small-for-gestational-age (SGA) at birth are at an increased risk for cognitive impairment, even if born at term (37-41 weeks). This study examined...
INTRODUCTION
Children that are small-for-gestational-age (SGA) at birth are at an increased risk for cognitive impairment, even if born at term (37-41 weeks). This study examined associations between sex-specific SGA and vocabulary and achievement tests in 9 year old children born at term using a contemporary population-based US sample.
METHODS
A secondary data analysis was conducted on a sample of 2144 children born at term in 1998-2000 who participated in a US birth cohort study that oversampled non-marital births, which in the U.S. are associated with socioeconomic disadvantage and racial minority status. Vocabulary and achievement tests were administered to participants at age 9. Unadjusted and adjusted Ordinary Least Squares and logistic regression models of associations between SGA and test scores were estimated.
RESULTS
Sex-specific SGA was associated with 2-5 point lower test scores and 1-2 times the odds of scores less than 85 (> 1 SD below the national mean) across most outcomes. In adjusted models, measures of SGA were associated with low scores on the Woodcock-Johnson Applied Problems test (OR 2.257; 95% CI 1.434, 3.551) and the Woodcock-Johnson Passage Comprehension test (OR 1.554; 95% CI 1.132, 2.134).
CONCLUSION
The findings validate previous studies of SGA at term and cognitive outcomes and provide further evidence using a contemporary high-risk population-based US sample. The findings suggest that SGA children born at term should be recruited for early interventions to promote improved cognitive functioning in school.
Topics: Infant, Newborn; Male; Female; Humans; Child; Infant; Vocabulary; Cohort Studies; Infant, Small for Gestational Age; Fetal Growth Retardation; Cognition; Gestational Age
PubMed: 37526806
DOI: 10.1007/s10995-023-03760-y -
Infancy : the Official Journal of the... 2023Infants' and parents' pointing gestures predict infants' concurrent and prospective language development. Most studies have measured vocabulary size using parental...
Infants' and parents' pointing gestures predict infants' concurrent and prospective language development. Most studies have measured vocabulary size using parental reports. However, parents tend to underestimate or overestimate infants' vocabulary necessitating the use of direct measures alongside parent reports. The present study examined whether mothers' index-finger pointing, and infants' whole-hand and index-finger pointing at 14 months associate with infants' receptive and expressive vocabulary based on parental reports and directly measured lexical processing efficiency (LPE) concurrently at 14 months and prospectively at 18 months. We used the decorated room paradigm to measure pointing frequency, the Turkish communicative development inventory I to measure infants' receptive vocabulary, Turkish communicative development inventory II to measure their expressive vocabulary, and the Looking-While-Listening (LWL) task to measure LPE. At 14 months, 34 mother-infant dyads, and at 18 months, 30 dyads were included in the analyses. We found that only infants' index-finger pointing frequency at 14 months predicted their LPE (both reaction time and accuracy) prospectively at 18 months but not concurrently at 14 months. Neither maternal pointing nor infants' pointing predicted their receptive and expressive vocabulary based on indirect measurement. The results extend the evidence on the relation between index-finger pointing and language development to a more direct measure of vocabulary.
PubMed: 37655834
DOI: 10.1111/infa.12558 -
American Journal of Speech-language... Jul 2023This study presents a preliminary examination of rare vocabulary use by preschool children using a recently developed tool called the Wordlist for Expressive Rare...
PURPOSE
This study presents a preliminary examination of rare vocabulary use by preschool children using a recently developed tool called the Wordlist for Expressive Rare Vocabulary Evaluation (WERVE).
METHOD
The WERVE was used to identify rare vocabulary words language samples of 74 preschool children ( = 56 months). We examined the relations among rare vocabulary use, performance on norm-referenced measures of single-word vocabulary, and language sample measures of language complexity and lexical diversity.
RESULTS
Rare vocabulary use was significantly, positively correlated with standard scores on norm-referenced vocabulary measures and with language complexity and lexical diversity in language samples. Children with higher vocabulary scores used significantly more rare vocabulary than children with lower vocabulary scores.
CONCLUSIONS
The WERVE shows some promise for providing information about the rare vocabulary use of preschool children. Findings from this preliminary study indicate that further research on rare vocabulary use is warranted.
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL
https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.23518845.
Topics: Humans; Child, Preschool; Child; Vocabulary; Language; Child Language; Language Tests
PubMed: 37348515
DOI: 10.1044/2023_AJSLP-22-00349