A Longitudinal Assessment of the Home Literacy Environment and Early Language

This longitudinal assessment concentrated on the relation between the Home Literacy Environment (HLE) and early language acquisition during infancy and toddlerhood. In Study 1, after controlling for SES, a broadly-defined HLE predicted language comprehension in 50 infants. In Study 2, 27 children and their primary caregivers returned for further analyses. Findings revealed that the HLE measured in infancy predicted language production in toddlerhood, and maternal redirecting behaviors measured in toddlerhood were negatively associated with expressive language. Results across both studies indicate the importance of a broadly-defined HLE (including joint attention and parent-child conversation) for language development. Taken together, these findings highlight the importance of the HLE in supporting both receptive and expressive vocabulary growth in the second and third years of life.