Associations Between Maternal Stress, Early Language Behaviors, and Infant Electroencephalography During the First Year of Life

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Lara J. PIERCE ◽  
Emily REILLY ◽  
Charles A. NELSON
Keyword(s):  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
First Year ◽  
Early Language ◽  
Environment Analysis ◽  
High Exposure ◽  
Gamma Power ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
First Year Of Life ◽  
Conversational Turns

Abstract Associations have been observed between socioeconomic status (SES) and language outcomes from early childhood, but individual variability is high. Exposure to high levels of stress, often associated with low-SES status, might influence how parents and infants interact within the early language environment. Differences in these early language behaviors, and in early neurodevelopment, might underlie SES-based differences in language that emerge later on. Analysis of natural language samples from a predominantly low-/mid-income sample of mother-infant dyads, obtained using the Language Environment Analysis (LENA) system, found that maternal reports of exposure to stressful life events, and perceived stress, were negatively correlated with child vocalizations and conversational turns when infants were 6 and 12 months of age. Greater numbers of vocalizations and conversational turns were also associated with lower relative theta power and higher relative gamma power in 6- and 12-month baseline EEG – a pattern that might support subsequent language development.

scholarly journals How many words are Australian children hearing in the first year of life?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary E Brushe ◽  
John W. Lynch ◽  
Sheena Reilly ◽  
Edward Melhuish ◽  
Sally A. Brinkman
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Education ◽  
First Year ◽  
Verbal Interactions ◽  
Environment Analysis ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
Education Group ◽  
Word Gap ◽  
First Year Of Life ◽  
Education Groups ◽  
Conversational Turns

Abstract Background: There is evidence that parents from more socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds engage in fewer verbal interactions with their child than more advantaged parents. This leads to the so-called, ‘30 million-word gap’. We used improved technology to investigate the number of words children hear in their first year of life. Methods: Mothers were recruited into a five-year prospective cohort study and categorized into either high or low maternal education groups. Data was derived from the first two waves of the study, when the children were six and twelve months old. At both waves, children were involved in day-long audio recordings using the Language Environment Analysis software that provided automatic counts of adult words spoken to the child, child vocalizations and conversational turns. Descriptive results are presented by maternal education groups. Results: There was large variation within each maternal education group, with the number of adult words spoken to the child ranging from 2,958 to 39,583 at six months and 4,389 to 45,849 at twelve months. There were no meaningful differences between adult words, child vocalizations or conversational turns across maternal education groups at either wave of data collection. Conclusions: These results show that a word gap related to maternal education is not apparent up to twelve months of age. The large variability among both maternal education groups suggests that universal interventions that encourage all parents to talk more to their child may be more appropriate than interventions targeted towards disadvantaged families during the first year of life.

scholarly journals How many words are Australian children hearing in the first year of life?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary E Brushe ◽  
John W. Lynch ◽  
Sheena Reilly ◽  
Edward Melhuish ◽  
Sally A. Brinkman
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Education ◽  
First Year ◽  
Verbal Interactions ◽  
Environment Analysis ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
Education Group ◽  
Word Gap ◽  
First Year Of Life ◽  
Education Groups ◽  
Conversational Turns

Abstract Background: There is evidence that parents from more socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds engage in fewer verbal interactions with their child than more advantaged parents. This leads to the so-called, ‘30 million-word gap’. Methods: We used improved technology to investigate the number of words children hear in their first year of life. Mothers were recruited into a five-year prospective cohort study and categorized into either high or low maternal education groups. Data was derived from the first two waves of the study, when the children were six and twelve months old. At both waves, children were involved in day-long audio recordings using the Language Environment Analysis software that provided automatic counts of adult words spoken to the child, child vocalizations and conversational turns. Descriptive results are presented by maternal education groups. Results: There was large variation within each maternal education group, with the number of adult words spoken to the child ranging from 2,958 to 39,583 at six months and 4,389 to 45,849 at twelve months. There were no meaningful differences between adult words, child vocalizations or conversational turns across maternal education groups at either wave of data collection. Conclusions: These results show that a word gap related to maternal education is not apparent up to twelve months of age. The large variability among both maternal education groups suggests that universal interventions that encourage all parents to talk more to their child may be more appropriate than interventions targeted towards disadvantaged families during the first year of life.

scholarly journals How many words are Australian children hearing in the first year of life?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary E Brushe ◽  
John W. Lynch ◽  
Sheena Reilly ◽  
Edward Melhuish ◽  
Sally A. Brinkman
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Education ◽  
First Year ◽  
Verbal Interactions ◽  
Environment Analysis ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
Education Group ◽  
Word Gap ◽  
First Year Of Life ◽  
Education Groups ◽  
Conversational Turns

Abstract Background: There is evidence that parents from more socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds engage in fewer verbal interactions with their child than more advantaged parents. This leads to the so-called, ‘30 million-word gap’. We used improved technology to investigate the number of words children hear in their first year of life. Methods: Mothers were recruited into a five-year prospective cohort study and categorized into either high or low maternal education groups. Data was derived from the first two waves of the study, when the children were six and twelve months old. At both waves, children were involved in day-long audio recordings using the Language Environment Analysis software that provided automatic counts of adult words spoken to the child, child vocalizations and conversational turns. Descriptive results are presented by maternal education groups. Results: There was large variation within each maternal education group, with the number of adult words spoken to the child ranging from 2,958 to 39,583 at six months and 4,389 to 45,849 at twelve months. There were no meaningful differences between adult words, child vocalizations or conversational turns across maternal education groups at either wave of data collection. Conclusions: These results show that a word gap related to maternal education is not apparent up to twelve months of age. The large variability among both maternal education groups suggests that universal interventions that encourage all parents to talk more to their child may be more appropriate than interventions targeted towards disadvantaged families during the first year of life.

scholarly journals How many words are Australian children hearing in the first year of life?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary E Brushe ◽  
John W. Lynch ◽  
Sheena Reilly ◽  
Edward Melhuish ◽  
Sally A. Brinkman
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Education ◽  
First Year ◽  
Verbal Interactions ◽  
Environment Analysis ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
Education Group ◽  
Word Gap ◽  
First Year Of Life ◽  
Education Groups ◽  
Conversational Turns

Abstract Background: There is evidence that parents from more socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds engage in fewer verbal interactions with their child than more advantaged parents. This leads to the so-called, ‘30 million-word gap’. We used improved technology to investigate the number of words children hear in their first year of life. Methods: Mothers were recruited into a five-year prospective cohort study and categorized into either high or low maternal education groups. Data was derived from the first two waves of the study, when the children were six and twelve months old. At both waves, children were involved in day-long audio recordings using the Language Environment Analysis software that provided automatic counts of adult words spoken to the child, child vocalizations and conversational turns. Descriptive results are presented by maternal education groups. Results: There was large variation within each maternal education group, with the number of adult words spoken to the child ranging from 2,958 to 39,583 at six months and 4,389 to 45,849 at twelve months. There were no meaningful differences between adult words, child vocalizations or conversational turns across maternal education groups at either wave of data collection. Conclusions: These results show that a word gap related to maternal education is not apparent up to twelve months of age. The large variability among both maternal education groups suggests that universal interventions that encourage all parents to talk more to their child may be more appropriate than interventions targeted towards disadvantaged families during the first year of life.

scholarly journals Variations in the Home Language Environment and Early Language Development in Rural China

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2671
Author(s):  
Yue Ma ◽  
Laura Jonsson ◽  
Tianli Feng ◽  
Tyler Weisberg ◽  
Teresa Shao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Child Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Early Language ◽  
Early Language Development ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
Conversational Turns ◽  
Home Language Environment

The home language environment is critical to early language development and subsequent skills. However, few studies have quantitatively measured the home language environment in low-income, developing settings. This study explores variations in the home language environment and child language skills among households in poor rural villages in northwestern China. Audio recordings were collected for 38 children aged 20–28 months and analyzed using Language Environment Analysis (LENA) software; language skills were measured using the MacArthur–Bates Mandarin Communicative Developmental Inventories expressive vocabulary scale. The results revealed large variability in both child language skills and home language environment measures (adult words, conversational turns, and child vocalizations) with 5- to 6-fold differences between the highest and lowest scores. Despite variation, however, the average number of adult words and conversational turns were lower than found among urban Chinese children. Correlation analyses did not identify significant correlations between demographic characteristics and the home language environment. However, the results do indicate significant correlations between the home language environment and child language skills, with conversational turns showing the strongest correlation. The results point to a need for further research on language engagement and ways to increase parent–child interactions to improve early language development among young children in rural China.

scholarly journals Validation of the Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) system for Dutch

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Eva BRUYNEEL ◽  
Ellen DEMURIE ◽  
Sofie BOTERBERG ◽  
Petra WARREYN ◽  
Herbert ROEYERS
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Risk Status ◽  
Environment Analysis ◽  
Language Environment Analysis ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
Conversational Turns

Abstract The validity of the Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) System was evaluated for Dutch. 216 5-min samples (six samples per age per child) were selected from daylong recordings at 5, 10 and 14 months of age of native Dutch-speaking younger siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (N = 6) and of typically developing children (N = 6). Two native Dutch-speaking coders counted the amount of adult words (AWC), child vocalisations (CVC) and conversational turns (CT). Consequently, correlations between LENA and human estimates were explored. Correlations were high for AWC at all ages (r = .73 to .81). Regarding CVC, estimates were moderately correlated at 5 months (r = .57) but the correlation decreased at 10 (r = .37) and 14 months (r = .14). Correlations for CT were low at all ages (r = .19 to .28). Lastly, correlations were not influenced by the risk status of the children.

scholarly journals Mapping the Early Language Environment Using All-Day Recordings and Automated Analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 248-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill Gilkerson ◽  
Jeffrey A. Richards ◽  
Steven F. Warren ◽  
Judith K. Montgomery ◽  
Charles R. Greenwood ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Automated Analysis ◽  
Early Language ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Environment Analysis ◽  
Assessment Scores ◽  
Research Reporting ◽  
Language Assessments ◽  
Language Environment

Purpose This research provided a first-generation standardization of automated language environment estimates, validated these estimates against standard language assessments, and extended on previous research reporting language behavior differences across socioeconomic groups. Method Typically developing children between 2 to 48 months of age completed monthly, daylong recordings in their natural language environments over a span of approximately 6–38 months. The resulting data set contained 3,213 12-hr recordings automatically analyzed by using the Language Environment Analysis (LENA) System to generate estimates of (a) the number of adult words in the child's environment, (b) the amount of caregiver–child interaction, and (c) the frequency of child vocal output. Results Child vocalization frequency and turn-taking increased with age, whereas adult word counts were age independent after early infancy. Child vocalization and conversational turn estimates predicted 7%–16% of the variance observed in child language assessment scores. Lower socioeconomic status (SES) children produced fewer vocalizations, engaged in fewer adult–child interactions, and were exposed to fewer daily adult words compared with their higher socioeconomic status peers, but within-group variability was high. Conclusions The results offer new insight into the landscape of the early language environment, with clinical implications for identification of children at-risk for impoverished language environments.

scholarly journals Dimensions of the language environment in infancy and symptoms of psychopathology in toddlerhood

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy S King ◽  
Francesca R Querdasi ◽  
Kathryn Leigh Humphreys ◽  
Ian Gotlib
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Enrichment ◽  
Maternal Sensitivity ◽  
Risk And Resilience ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Environment Analysis ◽  
Early Environment ◽  
Prospective Association ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Conversational Turns

The quality of the early environment influences the development of psychopathology. Children who are deprived of sufficient environmental enrichment in infancy may be at higher risk for developing symptoms of psychopathology in toddlerhood. In this study, we investigated the prospective association between naturalistic measures of adult language input obtained through passive monitoring of infants’ daily environments and emerging psychopathology in toddlerhood. In a sample of 100 mothers and their infants recruited from the community (mean age [range] = 6.73 [5-9] months), we used the Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) system to measure multiple dimensions of infants’ language environments, including both the quantity and consistency of adult speech and conversational turns in infants’ daily lives as well as the quantity of infant vocalizations. Subsequently, during toddlerhood (mean age [range] = 18.29 [17-21] months), mothers reported on their children’s symptoms of psychopathology. Infants who experienced more consistent adult speech and conversational turns had lower symptoms of psychopathology in toddlerhood, independent of negative emotionality in infancy, maternal depressive symptoms, and laboratory-based measures of maternal sensitivity. These findings have implications for the measurement of environmental factors that may confer risk and resilience to emerging psychopathology.

scholarly journals Language input and outcome variation as a test of theory plausibility: The case of early phonological acquisition

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandrina Cristia
Keyword(s):  
Current Evidence ◽  
First Year ◽  
Cultural Variation ◽  
Phonological Acquisition ◽  
Early Language ◽  
Lexical Development ◽  
Joint Learning ◽  
First Year Of Life ◽  
Learning Frameworks

There is wide individual, social, and cultural variation in experiences afforded to young children, yet current evidence suggests there is little variation in phonological outcomes in the first year of life. This paper provides a classification of phonological acquisition theories, revealing that few of them predict no variation in phonological acquisition outcomes, and thus are plausible in view of observed patterns: Only theories with strong priors and informational filters, and where phonological acquisition does not depend on lexical development, are compatible with great variation in early language experiences resulting in minimal or no outcome variation. The approach is then extended to consider proposals contemplating acquisition of other linguistic levels, including joint learning frameworks, and testable predictions are drawn for the acquisition of morphosyntax and vocabulary.

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