UNASSIGNED: The consensus in scientific literature is that each child undergoes a unique linguistic development path, albeit with shared developmental stages. Some children excel or lag behind their peers in language skills. Consequently, a key challenge in language acquisition research is pinpointing factors influencing individual differences in language development.
UNASSIGNED: We observed children longitudinally from 3 to 24 months of life to explore early predictors of vocabulary size. Based on the productive vocabulary size of children at 24 months, 30 children met our sample selection criteria: 10 late talkers and 10 early talkers, and we compared them with 10 typical talkers. We evaluated interactive behaviors at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months, considering vocal production, gaze at mother\'s face, and gestural production during mother-child interactions, and we considered mothers\' report of children\'s actions and gestures and receptive-vocabulary size at 15 and 18 months.
UNASSIGNED: Results indicated early precursors of language outcome at 24 months identifiable as early as 3 months in vocal productions, 6 months for gaze at mother\'s face and 12 months for gestural productions.
UNASSIGNED: Our research highlights both theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically, identifying the early indicators of belonging to the group of late or early talkers underscores the significant role of this developmental period for future studies. On a practical note, our findings emphasize the crucial need for early investigations to identify predictors of vocabulary development before the typical age at which lexical delay is identified.

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) stands poised to revolutionize our understanding of auditory detection, speech perception, and language development in infants. In this study, we conducted a meticulous integrative review across Medline, Scopus, and LILACS databases, targeting investigations utilizing fNIRS to explore language-related features and cortical activation during auditory stimuli in typical infants. We included studies that used the NIRS technique to study language and cortical activation in response to auditory stimuli in typical infants between 0 and 3 years old. We used the ROBINS-I tool to assess the quality and the risk of bias in the studies. Our analysis, encompassing 66 manuscripts, is presented in standardized tables for streamlined data extraction. We meticulously correlated findings with children\'s developmental stages, delineating crucial insights into brain development and its intricate interplay with language outcomes. Although most studies have a high risk for overall bias, especially due to the high loss of data in NIRS studies, the low risk in the other domains is predominant and homogeneous among the studies. Highlighted are the unique advantages of fNIRS for pediatric studies, underscored by its innate suitability for use in children. This review accentuates fNIRS\' capacity to elucidate the neural correlates of language processing and the sequential steps of language acquisition. From birth, infants exhibit abilities that lay the foundation for language development. The progression from diffuse to specific neural activation patterns is extremely influenced by exposure to languages, social interaction, and prosodic features and, reflects the maturation of brain networks involved in language processing. In conclusion, fNIRS emerges as an indispensable functional imaging modality, providing insights into the temporal dynamics of language acquisition and associated developmental milestones. This synthesis presents the pivotal role of fNIRS in advancing our comprehension of early language development and paves the way for future research endeavors in this domain.

Children are more successful language learners than adults, yet the nature and cause of this phenomenon are still not well understood. Auditory statistical learning from speech has been a prominent focus of research in the field of language development because it is regarded as a fundamental learning mechanism underlying word segmentation in early language acquisition. However, a handful of studies that investigated developmental trajectories for auditory statistical learning found no clear child advantages. The degree to which the learning task measures explicit rather than implicit mechanisms might obscure a potential advantage for younger learners, as suggested by recent findings. In the present study, we compared children aged 7-12 years and young adults on an adapted version of the task that disentangles explicit and implicit contributions to learning. They were exposed to a continuous stream of speech sounds comprising four repeating trisyllabic pseudowords. Learning of the hidden words was tested (a) online through a target-detection task and (b) offline via a forced-choice word recognition test that included a memory judgement procedure. Both measures revealed comparable learning abilities. However, children\'s performance on the recognition task showed evidence for both explicit and implicit word knowledge while adults appeared primarily sensitive to explicit memory. Since implicit memory is more stable in time than explicit memory, we suggest that future work should focus more on developmental differences in the nature of the memory that is formed, rather than the strength of learning, when trying to understand child advantages in language acquisition.

Objective: The aim of this study is to analyze the development of speech ability in Mandarin-speaking infants and children with normal hearing using MUSS and to provide a normal value control for the evaluation of speech ability in children with hearing loss. Methods: From September 2012 to January 2023, a total of 256 infants and children aged 1-60 months in Mandarin language environment participated in this study. 200 infants and children aged from 1 to 60 months were finally included, whose hearing was considered normal according to the history collection, high-risk registers for hearing loss and hearing screening. All infants and children were divided into 10 groups with 20 infants or children in each group. They were: 1 month, 2-3 months, 4-6 months, 7-9 months, 10-12 months, 13-18 months, 19-24 months, 25-36 months, 37-48 months, and 49-60 months. Using SPSS 19.0 software for data analysis, we calculated regression equations based on fitting curves. Results: The language ability of infants and children with normal hearing increased with age and reached ceiling at 56.5months.The regression equation was: score=-0.009 3×(age) 2+2.179×(age)+6.718 6, r2=0.85; age=0.003 9×(score) 2+0.148 4×(score)+2.708, r2=0.85. Conclusions: The speech ability of infants and children with normal hearing shows an increasing trend with age. Scores of different speech skills can be predicted according to their age. Age can also be predicted according to their scores of different speech skills.
目的： 采用有意义使用言语量表（Meaningful Use of Speech Scale，MUSS）测量使用普通话的听力正常婴幼儿和儿童的言语能力发育正常值，为听力损失患儿的言语能力评估提供正常值对照。 方法： 2012年9月至2023年1月共有256名月龄为1~60个月的北京地区普通话语言交流环境下的婴幼儿和学龄前儿童参与MUSS问卷调查，经过病史采集、耳聋高危因素排查和听力学检查，最终200名婴幼儿和儿童通过所有检查项，其问卷结果纳入统计分析，其中男105名，女95名。按照生理年龄将受试儿童分为10组（1月龄组、2~3月龄组、4~6月龄组、7~9月龄组、10~12月龄组、13~18月龄组、19~24月龄组、25~36月龄组、37~48月龄组和49~60月龄组），每组20人。采用SPSS19.0软件进行数据分析，根据拟合曲线计算回归方程。 结果： 听力正常婴幼儿和儿童的MUSS得分随月龄的增加而提高，在56.5月龄时达到满分。回归方程为：得分=-0.009 3×（月龄）2+2.179×（月龄）+6.718 6，r2=0.85；月龄=0.003 9×（得分）2+0.148 4×（得分）+2.708，r2=0.85。 结论： 普通话听力正常婴幼儿和学龄前儿童言语能力得分随月龄增加呈增长趋势，根据得分和月龄，分别可推断出言语能力发育年龄和与年龄相对应的言语能力得分，可为听力损失患儿言语发育情况的评估提供正常值对照。.

Objective: To investigate the development of receptive and expressive vocabulary in Mandarin-speaking children with cochlear implants (CI) during the first year after CI activation. Methods: A total of 827 children (411 boys and 416 girls) who were implanted CI before 2.5 years of age from October 2019 to December 2022 in the Department of Auditory Implantation, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital were included in this study. The Infant Checklist of the Mandarin Early Vocabulary Inventory (EVI) was used to assess the quantity and content of receptive and expressive vocabulary at the time of CI activation and at the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th months post-activation. SPSS 22.0 was used to describe the receptive and expressive vocabulary of CI children at the first year after activation. Results: During the first year after CI activation, CI children\'s receptive and expressive vocabulary consistently increased with the CI usage. The average number of receptive vocabulary and expressive vocabulary respectively increased from 0 to 178, and from 0 to 97. At the first year of post-activation, the number of receptive and expressive vocabulary of CI children were superior to that of hearing-age matched typical-hearing children, but fell behind of that of chronological age matched typical-hearing children. In terms of lexical categories, receptive and expressive vocabulary was acquired in the following order: nouns, verbs, adjectives, and pronouns. Among the top 50 words that CI children could express, nouns were the most common, then followed by verbs, adjectives, and pronouns. Father\'s education level can significantly and positively predictethe receptive vocabulary of CI children at the first year post-activation. At the first year after CI activation, the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles were 113, 149, 178, 202, 223 for the receptive vocabulary, and 9, 37, 97, 148, 188 for expressive vocabulary. Conclusion: For Mandarin speaking children with CI, the receptive and expression vocabulary continuely increased within the first year after CI activation. The ability to grasp receptive vocabulary precedes the ability to express expressive vocabulary. Compared to hearing-age matched typical-hearing children, CI children showed faster rate of the vocabulary growth, and earlier and more frequently verb expression. However, it still larged behind that of chronological age matched hearing normal children. CI children respectively understood and expressed nouns and verbs the first. In children with CI, the first concepts understood and expressed were nouns and verbs. Among the first 50 words expressed, nouns were the most numerous, and the age at which verbs were acquired was earlier than that for hearing-age matched typical-hearing children.
目的： 通过对汉语普通话人工耳蜗植入（cochlear implantation，CI）儿童开机后词汇理解及表达的随访，了解其词汇的发展特征，建立普通话CI儿童早期词汇发展的参考数据。 方法： 选取山东省耳鼻喉医院听觉植入科2019年10月至2022年12月期间827例在2.5岁前植入人工耳蜗的儿童，其中男性411例、女性416例。分别在开机时及开机后1、3、6、9、12个月，使用普通话早期词汇量表（Early Vocabulary Inventory for Mandarin Chinese，EVI）中的婴儿版词表来评估CI儿童的理解性词汇和表达性词汇的数量及内容。应用SPSS 22.0软件统计CI儿童开机1年以内理解性词汇及表达性词汇量，采用R软件描绘不同百分位数下CI儿童理解性词汇及表达性词汇的数量及发展趋势，同时采用EXCEL软件计算并列出了CI儿童最先表达的前50个词汇。 结果： 开机1年以内，随人工耳蜗使用时间延长，CI儿童的理解性词汇量和表达性词汇量均持续增加。理解性词汇量从0个（中位数，下同）单词增加到178个单词，表达性词汇量从0个单词增加到97个单词。开机1年时理解及表达性词汇数量均优于听觉年龄匹配的正常听力儿童，但落后于生理年龄匹配的正常听力儿童。对于词性的理解和表达的掌握顺序依次为名词、动词、形容词和代词。在CI儿童会表达的前50个词中，名词占比最多，其次为动词、形容词和代词。父亲受教育水平可以显著正向预测CI儿童开机1年时的理解性词汇。开机1年时，处于第10、25、50、75、90百分位数的CI儿童对应的理解性词汇量和表达性词汇量分别为113、149、178、202、223以及9、37、97、148、188个。 结论： 普通话CI儿童开机1年以内早期词汇的发展特征为随着开机时间的延长，理解性词汇量和表达性词汇量也随之持续增加，且理解先与表达；词汇发展速度快于听觉年龄匹配的听力正常儿童，但仍落后于生理年龄匹配的听力正常儿童。CI儿童最先理解和表达的是名词和动词，最先表达的前50个词中名词最多，并且动词的习得年龄早于听觉年龄匹配的听力正常儿童。.

The functional analysis of complex verbal behavior requires an evaluation of topographically similar responses under multiple sources of control. Traditional graphical displays of behavior were designed to show the manipulation of isolated controlling variables and may not be amenable to displaying the multidimensional properties of complex behavior. Researchers have recently demonstrated the use of multiaxial radar charts for comparing the functional performance of biological systems. Here we extend the use of multidimensional analyses to compare the relative performance distributions of verbal behavior across four potential controlling variables. First, we provide a conceptual analysis of intraverbal and extraverbal control as continua along which stimuli range from formal to thematic and explain how the intersection of these stimulus fields creates a radar chart for multidimensional analysis. Then we demonstrate how data may be gathered through a verbal operant experimental analysis. We employed repeated measures to map the conditioning history of a child with autism spectrum disorder across 2 years of early intensive behavioral intervention and analyzed the results using shape descriptors for quantitative comparisons. We also compared the polygonal language profiles of children with autism against that of a neurotypical peer. Extending a multidimensional analysis to the field of verbal behavior provides the basis for a language growth chart that researchers and clinicians can use to monitor language acquisition over time. We discuss the use of radar charts as a framework for understanding the interdependence of verbal operants and suggest their use for complex analyses of complex verbal behavior.
UNASSIGNED: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40614-024-00404-6.

OBJECTIVE: The LittlEARS® Early Speech Production Questionnaire (LEESPQ) was developed to provide professionals with valuable information about children\'s earliest language development and has been successfully validated in several languages. This study aimed to validate the Serbian version of the LEESPQ in typically developing children and compare the results with validation studies in other languages.
METHODS: The English version of the LEESPQ was back-translated into Serbian. Parents completed the questionnaire in paper or electronic form either during the visit to the paediatric clinic or through personal contact. A total of 206 completed questionnaires were collected. Standardized expected values were calculated using a second-order polynomial model for children up to 18 months of age to create a norm curve for the Serbian language. The results were then used to determine confidence intervals, with the lower limit being the critical limit for typical speech-language development. Finally, the results were compared with German and Canadian English developmental norms.
RESULTS: The Serbian LEESPQ version showed high homogeneity (r = .622) and internal consistency (α = .882), indicating that it almost exclusively measures speech production ability. No significant difference in total score was found between male and female infants (U = 4429.500, p = .090), so it can be considered a gender-independent questionnaire. The results of the comparison between Serbian and German (U = 645.500, p = .673) and Serbian and English norm curves (U = 652.000, p = .725) show that the LEESPQ can be applied to different population groups, regardless of linguistic, cultural or sociological differences.
CONCLUSIONS: The LEESPQ is a valid, age-dependent and gender-independent questionnaire suitable for assessing early speech development in children aged from birth to 18 months.

Cognitive scientists have become increasingly interested in understanding how natural minds represent and reason about possible ways the world could be. However, there is currently little agreement on how to understand this remarkable capacity for modal thought. We argue that the capacity for modal thought is built from a set of relatively simple component parts, centrally involving an ability to consider possible extensions of a part of the actual world. Natural minds can productively combine this ability with a range of other capacities, eventually allowing for the observed suite of increasingly more sophisticated ways of modal reasoning. We demonstrate how our (de)compositional account is supported by both the trajectory of children\'s developing capacity for reasoning about possible ways the world could be and by what we know about how such modal thought is expressed within and across natural languages. Our approach makes new predictions about which kinds of capacities are required by which kinds of experimental tasks and, as a result, contributes to settling currently open theoretical questions about the development of modal thought and the acquisition of modal vocabulary in children. Our work also provides a more systematic way of understanding possible variation in modal thought and talk, and, more generally, paves the way toward a unified theory that will ultimately allow researchers across disciplines to relate their findings to each other within a framework of shared assumptions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Infant-directed speech (IDS) is known to be characterised by phonetic and prosodic cues along with reduced vocabulary and syntax compared to adult-directed speech (ADS). However, there is considerable variation between mothers in the degree of lexical and syntactic reduction of their IDS. The present study aims to investigate the correspondences of the inter-individual variation of maternal IDS at 6 and 18 months with infants\' language development at 18 months. 109 dyads of mothers and their firstborn infants participated in the study. Mothers\' ID and AD storytelling based on standard picture stimuli were recorded at 6 and 18 months of their infants\' age. We analysed measures of speech quantity (number of utterances and words), syntactic complexity (mean length of utterance), and lexical diversity (type-token ratio). Language growth was measured bimonthly using the Hungarian adaptation of the MacArthur-Bates CDI W&G form. The results did not reveal any association between characteristics of mothers\' ID narratives and their infants\' concurrent language skills at 18 months. However, we found a longitudinal link between a distinct pattern of linguistic simplification in maternal ID storytelling at 6 months and the development of expressive vocabulary in infants at 18 months. Infants whose mother tends to reduce both lexical and syntactic complexity of ID narratives the most are more likely to exhibit higher language outcomes. Further research is warranted to explore the background factors and longer-term effects of this maternal strategy.

Using a structured literature search and meta-regression procedures, this chapter reports a study that sought to determine whether the associations between coordinated attention and language are moderated by operationalizations of coordinated attention, study design, and other participant characteristics. Studies were located using database searches. This resulted in 46 reports or datasets, 464 effect sizes representing 1,482 participants. Meta-regression was used to answer research questions regarding potential moderators of the effects sizes of interest, which were Pearson\'s r values quantifying the association between coordinated attention and language assessments. In the final models, we observed that overall effect sizes were significantly above zero, suggesting robust effects across variables of interest. Age when coordinated attention was measured was a significant moderator, suggesting that the relations between coordinated attention and language was stronger when coordinated attention was measured at earlier ages. Interestingly, the longitudinal gap duration between coordinated attention measurement and language assessment was a significant moderator suggesting that the relation between coordinated attention and language was stronger when the longitudinal gap duration was longer. We conclude the meta-analysis by suggesting the phenomena of interest-dynamic coordinated visual attention between infant and caregiver-is robust across operationalizations and has predictive value for concurrent and future language abilities.