Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism
Published on: October 3, 2018
Communication development and differences in children adopted from China and Eastern Europe
Deborah A Hwa-Froelich1, Hisako Matsuo
1Saint Louis University, MO, USA. hwafroda@slu.edu
Purpose:
The communication development of children adopted from China and Eastern Europe was compared by region of origin at 6 and 12 months after adoption.
Method:
Twenty children, recruited before or immediately following their adoption, participated in the study. Measures were collected between 2 and 6 months after adoption (Time 1) and between 12 and 14 months after adoption (Time 2). The children's ages ranged between 11-22 months and 22-34 months, respectively. Parent-reported vocabulary comprehension and expression and behavioral communication assessments were administered.
Results:
No significant differences between region of origin were found at Time 1. At Time 2, significant group differences in expressive language performance were found, with children adopted from China and Eastern Europe demonstrating different patterns of English language development.
Conclusion:
Early prelinguistic measures may provide prognostic indicators for later English language development. Children adopted from different countries where they are initially exposed to different birth languages may acquire English differently.
Related Concept Videos
Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development
Adler's Individual Psychology
Language Development
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
Conduct Disorder
Parenting Styles
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative Parenting
This...
Close Relationships and Culture
