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Early Phonological Predictors of Toddler Language Outcomes
Kayla Gerhold1, Catherine Torrington Eaton2, Rochelle S Newman1
1Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA.
Summary
Early phonetic skills in infants predict later language development. Limited consonant inventories and syllable structures by 11 months may indicate a risk for language delays.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Linguistics
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Research indicates a link between early phonological development and later language abilities.
- A growing focus is on using early phonological profiles to predict future language outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To longitudinally examine phonetic inventories and syllable structure patterns in infants.
- To relate these early phonological measures to expressive language outcomes at 2 years of age.
Main Methods:
- The study tracked 48 typically developing children from 7 to 18 months.
- Phonetic inventories and syllable structure were analyzed.
- Expressive language outcomes were assessed at 24 months.
Main Results:
- Phonetic inventory and syllable structure at 11 months predicted 24-month expressive language outcomes.
- These outcomes included utterance length, vocabulary diversity, and parent-reported vocabulary.
- Consonant inventories at 11 and 18 months differed between children with varying language skills.
Conclusions:
- Early phonetic inventory and syllable structure are related to later language development.
- Limited early phonological repertoires may be a risk factor for language delays.
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