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Research in Developmental Disabilities Dec 2022Executive functioning (EF) is an area of challenge for individuals with Down syndrome (DS) associated with a variety of downstream difficulties. Verbal fluency...
BACKGROUND
Executive functioning (EF) is an area of challenge for individuals with Down syndrome (DS) associated with a variety of downstream difficulties. Verbal fluency performance is one potential downstream effect that is commonly assessed in individuals with DS due to the measure's utility as a predictor of dementia. Verbal fluency requires individuals to inhibit irrelevant responses, shift between groupings of related words, and monitor to prevent repetition, all skills related to EF.
AIMS
This study aimed to determine the association between semantic verbal fluency performance and three EF subdomains (inhibition, shifting, and working memory) in youth with DS after taking into account vocabulary and cognitive ability.
METHODS AND PROCEDURES
Neuropsychological assessments (verbal and visuospatial), and parent reports of EF, were completed at one time point by 69 youth with DS 6-17 years old and their caregivers. Expressive and receptive vocabulary skills and cognitive ability were also assessed.
OUTCOMES AND RESULTS
The results revealed that verbal fluency performance was significantly associated with neuropsychological assessments of EF and parent report of inhibition even after controlling for the effects of vocabulary and cognitive ability.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
The findings highlight the underlying importance of EF in verbal fluency tasks in youth with DS.
Topics: Adolescent; Humans; Child; Down Syndrome; Executive Function; Neuropsychological Tests; Vocabulary; Memory, Short-Term
PubMed: 36209524
DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104358 -
Infant Behavior & Development Aug 2022Language has been proposed as a potential mechanism for young children's developing understanding of emotion. However, much remains unknown about this relation at an...
Language has been proposed as a potential mechanism for young children's developing understanding of emotion. However, much remains unknown about this relation at an individual difference level. The present study investigated 15- to 18-month-old infants' perception of emotions across multiple pairs of faces. Parents reported their child's productive vocabulary, and infants participated in a non-linguistic emotion perception task via an eye tracker. Infant vocabulary did not predict nonverbal emotion perception when accounting for infant age, gender, and general object perception ability (β = -0.15, p = .300). However, we observed a gender difference: Only girls' vocabulary scores related to nonverbal emotion perception when controlling for age and general object perception ability (β = 0.42, p = .024). Further, boys showed a stronger preference for the novel emotion face vs. girls (t(48) = 2.35, p = .023, d= 0.67). These data suggest that pathways of processing emotional information (e.g., using language vs visual information) may differ for girls and boys in late infancy.
Topics: Child; Child, Preschool; Emotions; Female; Humans; Individuality; Infant; Language; Male; Perception; Vocabulary
PubMed: 35763939
DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2022.101743 -
CoDAS 2021To characterize the performance of preschoolers with typical language development in tasks of expressive vocabulary and oral narrative and to verify possible...
PURPOSE
To characterize the performance of preschoolers with typical language development in tasks of expressive vocabulary and oral narrative and to verify possible correlations.
METHODS
The study included 39 children aged 4 to 6 years old, of both genders, with no complaints about language development. Mothers answered a questionnaire of socioeconomic classification, while the ABFW Vocabulary Test was used to evaluate the vocabulary and the book "Frog, where are you?" was used to elicit the child's oral narrative. The data collected were submitted to descriptive and inferential statistical analysis.
RESULTS
Regarding expressive vocabulary, the majority of preschoolers (92.3%) had the usual verbal designation (UVD) suitable for the age group, and the semantic fields with the highest UVD were "animals", "shapes and colors", "toys and musical instruments", "transportation" and those with children were "professions" and "local". The predominant type of narrative was causal, followed by intentional. There was no correlation between UVD and the use of words in the narratives, but there was a positive correlation between the total and the number of different words used in the narrative.
CONCLUSION
There was no correlation between the expressive vocabulary (UVD) and the use of words in the narrative, but the preschoolers who used more words in their narratives also showed greater lexical variety in this sample.
Topics: Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Language Development; Language Tests; Male; Narration; Semantics; Vocabulary
PubMed: 34259778
DOI: 10.1590/2317-1782/20202020169 -
Journal of Speech, Language, and... Mar 2022The purpose of this study was to use an established model of working memory in children to predict an established model of word learning to determine whether working...
PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to use an established model of working memory in children to predict an established model of word learning to determine whether working memory explained word learning variance over and above the contributions of expressive vocabulary and nonverbal IQ.
METHOD
One hundred sixty-seven English-speaking second graders (7- to 8-year-olds) with typical development from two states participated. They completed a comprehensive battery of working memory assessments and six word learning tasks that assessed the creation, storage, retrieval, and production of phonological and semantic representations of novel nouns and verbs and the ability to link those representations.
RESULTS
A structural equation model with expressive vocabulary, nonverbal IQ, and three working memory factors predicting two word learning factors fit the data well. When working memory factors were entered as predictors after expressive vocabulary and nonverbal IQ, they explained 45% of the variance in the phonological word learning factor and 17% of the variance in the semantic word learning factor. Thus, working memory explained a significant amount of word learning variance over and above expressive vocabulary and nonverbal IQ.
CONCLUSION
Results show that working memory is a significant predictor of dynamic word learning over and above the contributions of expressive vocabulary and nonverbal IQ, suggesting that a comprehensive working memory assessment has the potential to identify sources of word learning difficulties and to tailor word learning interventions to a child's working memory strengths and weaknesses.
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL
https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.19125911.
Topics: Child; Humans; Memory, Short-Term; Phonetics; Semantics; Verbal Learning; Vocabulary
PubMed: 35148490
DOI: 10.1044/2021_JSLHR-21-00397 -
Journal of Speech, Language, and... Apr 2023The purpose of this study is to determine whether and how learning American Sign Language (ASL) is associated with spoken English skills in a sample of ASL-English...
PURPOSE
The purpose of this study is to determine whether and how learning American Sign Language (ASL) is associated with spoken English skills in a sample of ASL-English bilingual deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children.
METHOD
This cross-sectional study of vocabulary size included 56 DHH children between 8 and 60 months of age who were learning both ASL and spoken English and had hearing parents. English and ASL vocabulary were independently assessed via parent report checklists.
RESULTS
ASL vocabulary size positively correlated with spoken English vocabulary size. Spoken English vocabulary sizes in the ASL-English bilingual DHH children in the present sample were comparable to those in previous reports of monolingual DHH children who were learning only English. ASL-English bilingual DHH children had total vocabularies (combining ASL and English) that were equivalent to same-age hearing monolingual children. Children with large ASL vocabularies were more likely to have spoken English vocabularies in the average range based on norms for hearing monolingual children.
CONCLUSIONS
Contrary to predictions often cited in the literature, acquisition of sign language does not harm spoken vocabulary acquisition. This retrospective, correlational study cannot determine whether there is a causal relationship between sign language and spoken language vocabulary acquisition, but if a causal relationship exists, the evidence here suggests that the effect would be positive. Bilingual DHH children have age-expected vocabularies when considering the entirety of their language skills. We found no evidence to support recommendations that families with DHH children avoid learning sign language. Rather, our findings show that children with early ASL exposure can develop age-appropriate vocabulary skills in both ASL and spoken English.
Topics: Child; Humans; Sign Language; Retrospective Studies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Deafness; Language; Vocabulary; Language Development
PubMed: 36972338
DOI: 10.1044/2022_JSLHR-22-00505 -
Infancy : the Official Journal of the... Jul 2022Although prior research has independently linked vocabulary development with toddlers' media usage, parental mental state talk (MST), and parent-child conversational...
Although prior research has independently linked vocabulary development with toddlers' media usage, parental mental state talk (MST), and parent-child conversational turn-taking (CTT), these variables have not been investigated within the same study. In this study, we focus on associations between these variables and 2-year-old's (N = 87) vocabulary. Child vocabulary and digital media use were measured through online questionnaires. We took a multimethod approach to measure parents' child-directed talk. First, we used a home sound environment recording (Language ENvironment Analysis technology) to estimate parents' talk (CTT). Second, parents narrated a picture book, the Frog story, to assess the parent's MST. There was a negative association between how much children watched video content and their vocabulary. However, parents reported that they frequently co-viewed and engaged with the child and media. The negative association first displayed between the amount of video content viewed and the child's developing vocabulary was fully mediated by the parents' qualitative and quantitative talk as measured by MST and CCT, respectively. We propose that the parent relative level of MST and CTT also occurs when parents engage with the child during media use.
Topics: Humans; Internet; Language Development; Parent-Child Relations; Parents; Vocabulary
PubMed: 35526265
DOI: 10.1111/infa.12476 -
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 -
Journal of Speech, Language, and... Dec 2021This study investigated within-language and between-language associations between phonological memory, vocabulary, and grammar in French-English ( = 43) and...
PURPOSE
This study investigated within-language and between-language associations between phonological memory, vocabulary, and grammar in French-English ( = 43) and Spanish-English ( = 25) bilingual children at 30, 36, and 48 months. It was predicted that phonological memory would display both within-language and between-language relations to language development and that these relations would be stronger at the youngest age.
METHOD
Bilingual children participated in free-play sessions in both of their languages at each age, from which vocabulary and grammatical information (number of different words and mean length of utterance) was extracted. Vocabulary information was also obtained from parent inventories completed when the children were 30 months and a standardized receptive vocabulary test administered at 36 and 48 months. The children were also administered nonword repetition tests in both of their languages at each age.
RESULTS
Mixed logistic regression indicated that phonological memory was associated with vocabulary and grammar within the same language and phonological memory in the other language. In two of the four statistical models, phonological memory exhibited positive between-language relations, and in one model, it exhibited negative between-language relations to language development. Results also indicated that within-language and between-languages effects remained constant, or between-language associations decreased during the age range studied.
CONCLUSION
Overall, the findings provide some support for cross-language associations between phonological memory and lexical and grammatical skills.
Topics: Child; Child Language; Humans; Language Development; Language Tests; Linguistics; Multilingualism; Vocabulary
PubMed: 34731575
DOI: 10.1044/2021_JSLHR-21-00176 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jan 2022Diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are typically accompanied by atypical language development, which can be noticeable even before diagnosis. The siblings of... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
The Vocabulary of Infants with an Elevated Likelihood and Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Infant Language Studies Using the CDI and MSEL.
Diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are typically accompanied by atypical language development, which can be noticeable even before diagnosis. The siblings of children diagnosed with ASD are at elevated likelihood for ASD diagnosis and have been shown to have higher prevalence rates than the general population. In this paper, we systematically reviewed studies looking at the vocabulary size and development of infants with autism. One inclusion criterion was that infants were grouped either pre-diagnostically as elevated or typical likelihood or post-diagnostically as ASD or without ASD. This review focused on studies that tested infants up to 24 months of age and that assessed vocabulary either via the parent-completed MacArthur-Bates Communicative Developmental Inventory (CDI) or the clinician-administered Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL). Our systematic search yielded 76 studies. A meta-analysis was performed on these studies that compared the vocabulary scores of EL and TL infants pre-diagnostically and the scores of ASD and non-ASD infants post-diagnostically. Both pre- and post-diagnostically, it was found that the EL and ASD infants had smaller vocabularies than their TL and non-ASD peers, respectively. The effect sizes across studies were heterogenous, prompting additional moderator analyses of age and sub-group analyses of the language measure used (CDI or MSEL) as potential moderators of the effect size. Age was found to be a moderator both in the pre- and post-diagnostical groups, however, language measure was not a moderator in either diagnostic group. Interpretations and future research directions are discussed based on these findings.
Topics: Autism Spectrum Disorder; Child; Humans; Infant; Language; Language Development; Verbascum; Vocabulary
PubMed: 35162492
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19031469 -
Developmental Science Nov 2020Mental imagery is a foundational human faculty that depends on active image construction and sensorimotor experiences. However, children now spend a significant...
Mental imagery is a foundational human faculty that depends on active image construction and sensorimotor experiences. However, children now spend a significant proportion of their day engaged with screen-media, which (a) provide them with ready-made mental images, and (b) constitute a sensory narrowing whereby input is typically focused on the visual and auditory modalities. Accordingly, we test the idea that screen-time influences the development of children's mental imagery with a focus on mental image generation and inspection from the visual and haptic domains. In a longitudinal cross-lagged panel design, children (n = 266) aged between 3 and 9 years were tested at two points in time, 10 months apart. Measures of screen-time and mental imagery were employed, alongside a host of control variables including working memory, vocabulary, demographics, device ownership, and age of exposure to screen-media. Findings indicate a statistically significant path from screen-time at time 1 to mental imagery at time 2, above and beyond the influence of the control variables. These unique findings are discussed in terms of the influence of screen-time on mental imagery.
Topics: Child; Humans; Imagination; Infant; Memory, Short-Term; Vocabulary
PubMed: 32353916
DOI: 10.1111/desc.12978