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Infant feeding and phonologic development
1Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara 93106-7050.
Insights
This study found no link between breastfeeding duration and children's speech development, specifically their phonologic skills. Researchers did not replicate previous findings suggesting a positive association.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Child Nutrition
Background:
- Previous research suggested a positive association between breastfeeding and improved phonologic development in children.
- The specific duration of breastfeeding that may influence speech development remains unclear.
- Understanding this relationship is crucial for parental guidance and early childhood development strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between the duration of breastfeeding (exclusive and partial) and phonologic development in children aged 36-48 months.
- To determine if any specific breastfeeding duration correlates with better performance on the Percentage of Consonants Correct (PCC) measure.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 29 children (36-48 months) and their parents from preschool settings.
- Assessed phonologic development using the Percentage of Consonants Correct (PCC) measure.
- Obtained feeding histories via retrospective parental interviews and collected speech ratings from parents and teachers.
Main Results:
- No significant association was found between any duration of exclusive or partial breastfeeding and children's PCC scores.
- This study failed to replicate earlier findings suggesting a link between breastfeeding and phonologic development.
- Correlations between parental/teacher speech ratings and PCC scores were weak.
Conclusions:
- The study did not find evidence to support a relationship between breastfeeding duration and phonologic development in the studied age group.
- Results contrast with previous research, highlighting a need for further investigation into factors influencing speech development.
- Further research is warranted to explore potential confounding variables or alternative explanations for speech development outcomes.
Abstract:
The relationship between breastfeeding and speech development was examined to determine what duration (if any) of breastfeeding is associated with better performance on a measure of phonologic development. Twenty-nine children aged 36-48 months and their parents were recruited from preschools to serve as subjects. The children's durations of exclusive breastfeeding ranged from 0 (always bottle fed) to 6 months. Phonologic development was assessed using an instrument known as the Percentage of Consonants Correct (PCC) [12]. Feeding histories were obtained by retrospective interviews with parents. Parents and teachers also made ratings of children's speech and total communication on a 5-point scale. This study fails to replicate earlier researchers' findings of an association between breastfeeding and phonologic development. No evidence was found of an association between any duration of either exclusive or partial breastfeeding and PCC scores. Pearson r correlations between parents' and teachers' ratings and PCC scores were weak. Results are discussed in comparison with previous reports of a correlation between breastfeeding and phonologic development.