Continuity From Prelinguistic Communication to Later Language Ability: A Follow-Up Study From Infancy to Early School Age.

Purpose This longitudinal study examined the development of prelinguistic skills and the continuity of communication and language from the prelinguistic stage to school age. Method Prelinguistic communication of 427 Finnish children was followed repeatedly from 6 to 18 months of age ( n = 203–322 at ages 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 months), and its associations with language ability at ages 2;0 ( n = 104), 3;0 ( n = 112), 4;7 ( n = 253), 5;3 ( n = 102), and 7;9 ( n = 236) were examined using latent growth curve modeling. Results Prelinguistic development across several skills emerged as a rather stable intraindividual characteristic during the first 2 years of life. Continuity from prelinguistic …

Oppimisvaikeuksien arviointi ja tukeminen suomenruotsalaisissa kouluissa ja päiväkodeissa

Associations Between Toddler-Age Communication and Kindergarten-Age Self-Regulatory Skills

Purpose In this study, the authors aimed at gaining understanding on the associations of different types of early language and communication profiles with later self-regulation skills by using longitudinal data from toddler age to kindergarten age. Method Children with early language profiles representing expressive delay, broad delay (i.e., expressive, social, and/or symbolic), and typical language development were compared in domains of kindergarten-age executive and regulative skills (attentional/executive functions, regulation of emotions and behavioral activity, and social skills) assessed with parental questionnaires. Results Children with delay in toddler-age language development de…

Developmental trajectories of early communication skills.

Purpose This study focused on developmental trajectories of prelinguistic communication skills and their connections to later parent-reported language difficulties. Method The participants represent a subset of a community-based sample of 508 children. Data include parent reports of prelinguistic communication skills at 12, 15, 18, and 21 months and language difficulties at age 4;7 (years;months). The authors used latent profile analysis to identify groups of children with differing developmental trajectories of prelinguistic communication skills ( n = 271). The relations among these groups and follow-up data of parent-reported concerns of language development ( n = 187), as well as the ro…

Kielen kehityksen polut : seurantatutkimus esikielellisen kehityksen vaiheesta koulun alkuun

Lectio Praecursoria nonPeerReviewed

Developmental pathways of language development : a longitudinal predictive study from prelinguistic stage to outcome at school entry

This research focused on the pathways of development during the prelinguistic stage and from prelinguistic development to later language ability. The first goal was to follow and describe the development of several prelinguistic communication skills during the first two years of life (Studies I and II). The second goal was to examine the predictive relations between this development and language ability and difficulties, as well as memory, up to school age (Studies I, II, and III). The third goal evaluated the feasibility of parental screening in identifying children at risk for language and communication difficulties (Studies I, II, and III). Prelinguistic skills were followed with a paren…

Children with differing developmental trajectories of prelinguistic communication skills: language and working memory at age 5.

Purpose In this article, the authors examine the developmental continuity from prelinguistic communication to kindergarten age in language and working memory capacity. Method Following work outlining 6 groups of children with different trajectories of early communication development (ECD; Määttä, Laakso, Tolvanen, Ahonen, & Aro, 2012), the authors examined their later development by psychometric assessment. Ninety-one children first assessed at ages 12–21 months completed a battery of language and working memory tests at age 5;3 (years;months). Results Two of the ECD groups previously identified as being at risk for language difficulties continued to show weaker performance at follow-u…