This study explored the impact of a caregiver training intervention on caregivers' use of individually selected facilitative language techniques (FLTs) with their children (ranging from 14 to 27 months of age) who were deaf or hard of hearing. In addition, the study sought to identify real-time relationships between caregiver input and child…

Research on the multisensory control of locomotion has demonstrated that adults exhibit auditory-motor entrainment across an array of contexts. In such work adults will consciously modulate the cadence of their walking when instructed to match their footfalls to an auditory metronome equal to, slower than, or faster than, their natural walking…

This study investigated whether some factors regarding especially pregnancy and post-pregnancy and 0-36-month-old infants' exposure to digital screens played a role in the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) scores of 4-11-year-old children. The cross-sectional research method was used. The sample consisted of the mothers of 2835…

Little is known about the modes of active commuting to and from school (ACS) in toddlers (2-3 years old). The aims of the present study are threefold: (a) to describe the modes of transport to and from early childhood education and care (ECEC) institutions in toddlers; (b) to analyze the role of different barriers and neighbourhood…

We present a neural network model of referent identification in a visual world task. Inputs are visual representations of item pairs unfolding with sequences of phonemes identifying the target item. The model is trained to output the semantic representation of the target and to suppress the distractor. The training set uses a 200-word lexicon…

To reveal the formation process of speech processing with early hearing experiences, we tracked the development of functional connectivity in the auditory and language-related cortical areas of 84 (36 female) congenitally deafened toddlers using repeated functional near-infrared spectroscopy for up to 36 months post cochlear implantation (CI).…

When interacting with young children, adults often self-repeat their own utterances that vary in sequences of adjacent utterances called variation sets (VS) (Küntay and Slobin 1996). These repetitions benefit children's linguistic development because they emphasize form and meaning. This paper analyzes the use of VS during group interaction and…

German-speaking children between ages 2 and 3 mostly use the preposition ohne ('without') in an adult-like way, to express the absence of something. In this article we present surprising results from a corpus study suggesting that in this age group, absence can also be expressed using the sequence mit ohne 'with without'. We argue that this…

We investigated toddlers' understanding of the hierarchical syntactic configurations that constrain the referential meanings of reflexives and pronouns. In particular, reflexives must co-refer with the c-commanding antecedent within the local domain (Principle A) (e.g., He[subscript i] washes himself[subscript i]. John[subscript i] knows that…

Purpose: To compare the utility of single versus repeated autism screening in a sample at higher likelihood (HL) for ASD, following both screen positives and all screen negatives to diagnostic outcome. Methods: Using a prospective infant sibling design, the current study followed 135 toddlers at HL for ASD and conducted diagnostic evaluations on…

Over one-third of families in the United States experience diaper need, negatively affecting the health and developmental outcomes of young children. Research has shown that when providers recognize the importance of addressing the social determinants of health (SDOH), including diaper need, critical support is provided to children and families.…

Purpose: This study addresses the lack of a short Communicative Development Inventory (CDI) form tailored to Saudi Arabic, specifically designed based on local norms, for assessing early communicative skills in toddlers. The JISH Arabic CDI: Words and Sentences Short-Form (JACDI: WS-SF) is introduced to meet this need. This tool is particularly…

Background: Children with hearing impairment (HI) are at risk for language difficulties, which can persist during childhood. There is a lack of clinical language tests adapted for young preschool children, enabling early identification of language delays. The expressive phonological test PEEPS-SE could enable such testing in these ages. Aims: The…

Research suggests that girls acquire language faster than boys, with gender differences most pronounced in vocabulary acquisition during early childhood. This study examines the role of gender in the acquisition of vocabulary and morphosyntax in Palestinian Arabic-speaking children aged 18 to 36 months. Using the Palestinian Arabic Communicative…

Capturing the subtle and nuanced behaviours of very young children to honour their 'voice' in research is an ongoing methodological challenge. This paper details the evolution of a framework developed by the researchers in response to understanding the peer-to-peer relationshipss of infants and toddlers when engaging with digital technologies in…