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Speech-like vocalizations in infancy: an evaluation of potential risk factors
D K Oller1, R E Eilers, M L Steffens
1University of Miami, FL.
Insights
Infants at risk due to prematurity or low socio-economic status (SES) generally produce speech-like sounds on schedule. However, premature infants babble less consistently, and low SES infants vocalize less frequently.
Area of Science:
- Developmental linguistics
- Infant vocal development
- Speech-language pathology
Background:
- Infant speech development is crucial for later language acquisition.
- Prematurity and low socio-economic status (SES) are potential risk factors for developmental delays.
- Understanding vocal development in at-risk infants informs early intervention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To longitudinally evaluate speech-like vocal development in at-risk infants.
- To compare vocal production in preterm and full-term infants, considering SES.
- To identify potential delays or differences in vocal milestones.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 20 preterm and 33 full-term infants from 4 to 18 months corrected age.
- Analysis of tape-recorded vocal samples to assess speech-like sound production.
- Quantification of vocalization frequency and syllable formation consistency.
Main Results:
- At-risk infants generally produced well-formed speech-like sounds on schedule.
- Premature infants showed less consistent production of well-formed syllables post-canonical babbling onset.
- Low SES infants vocalized less frequently, despite producing structures on schedule.
Conclusions:
- Prematurity and low SES do not universally delay the onset of speech-like sounds.
- Specific challenges exist for premature infants in syllable consistency and for low SES infants in vocalization frequency.
- Early vocalization patterns in at-risk infants warrant further investigation for targeted support.
Abstract:
This work reports longitudinal evaluation of the speech-like vocal development of infants born at risk due to prematurity or low socio-economic status (SES) and infants not subject to such risk. Twenty infants were preterm (10 of low SES) and 33 were full term (16 of low SES), and all were studied from 0;4 through 1;6. The study provides the indication that at-risk infants are not generally delayed in the ability to produce well-formed speech-like sounds as indicated in tape-recorded vocal samples. At the same time, premature infants show a tendency to produce well-formed syllables less consistently than full terms after the point at which parents and laboratory personnel note the onset of the canonical babbling stage (the point after which well-formed syllables are well established in the infant vocal repertoires). Further, even though low SES infants produce well-formed speech-like structures on schedule, they show a reliably lower tendency to vocalize in general, as reflected by fewer utterances per minute in recorded samples.