European Journal of Developmental Psychology · 2006 · 44 citations · 55 references
EducationCommunicationPsychologyChild DevelopmentDevelopmental PsychologyLanguage DevelopmentChild Language AcquisitionCommunication DevelopmentEarly ChildhoodEarly Language DevelopmentInfant DevelopmentToddler DevelopmentCommunicative LearningEarly Mother-infant InteractionFirst Language DevelopmentLanguage Development TrajectoriesLanguage MilestonesLinguistic Competence DevelopmentParent-child Language InteractionPredictive Relations
Maternal sensitivity and infant co-operation during free play was analysed at the infant's age of 10 months and their contributions to early communicative and linguistic development at 12 months as well as later language outcome at 30 months were examined. In addition, the possible predictions of early skills to later development were considered. The participants were 27 Finnish-speaking mother – infant dyads. According to the results maternal sensitivity was associated with early intentional communication—particularly the use of communicative gestures, and also with symbolic behaviour and later comprehensive skills. No associations between infant co-operation and communicative and linguistic skills were found. As for expressive language skills, early capacities correlated with later outcome. The findings of the present study suggest that the effects of both maternal sensitivity and child characteristics on language development are likely to be specific rather than global.
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Variability in Early Communicative Development
Larry Fenson, Philip S. Dale, J. Steven Reznick et al. · Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development · 1994 · 2.8K citations