Used visual preference technique to examine infants' (mean age 14.8 months) comprehension of two novel words for images of novel objects. Found that infants looked preferentially at images that matched an auditory stimulus and that infants showed learning after about 12 presentations of new words. Results support previous demonstration of rapid…

Reviews the literature on late talkers, children producing fewer than 50 words and/or limited word combinations by 24 months of age. Notes that a substantial number of these children will continue to have difficulties with expressive language acquisition. Clinical implications for speech language pathologists working with these children are…

Used a modification of Akhtar, Carpenter, and Tomasello's (1996) task involving interpretation of novel nouns to test whether 18- to 28-month-olds' smart word learning derived from general attention and memory processes rather than knowledge about the communicative intents of others. Findings similar to those of Akhtar and colleagues suggest that…

Deaf (N=20) and hearing (N=20) children were observed during play with their hearing mothers at 22 months and 3 years. The deaf children were severely language delayed, with deaf 3-year-olds using less language (speech or sign) than hearing 22-month-olds. Since mothers used primarily speech, deaf children received much less communication input…

A study observed the interactive communication between three toddlers with blindness and their mothers in response to spontaneous events and to a series of novel events introduced systematically. Findings support the use of quasi-experimental observation of responses to ambiguous stimuli as a tool for assessing interactional strengths and…

Analysis of data collected from a Persian-English bilingual infant over 10 months beginning at age 9 months found that, in comparison to the monolingual child in a previous study by Halliday, both children developed pragmatic functions from a very early age. A categorization system is proposed to facilitate the analysis of child language…

In three studies, 2-year-old children communicated to a parent which two out-of-reach objects contained a sticker. Across trials, the objects were positioned in different configurations so that it possible or impossible for a child's pointing gesture to unambiguously specify one object. Results are discussed. (Author/VWL)

Verbal/vocal interactions of three Japanese mother-child dyads were examined in toddlers to determine whether mothers provide information that may facilitate the elaboration of child lexical forms during the transition from the prelinguistic to the linguistic period. Mothers were found to reproduce only the child's word like utterances, both well-…

Vocabulary development of a sample of 42 Italian children was evaluated through monthly administration of the Italian version of the CDI. Data collection started at age one for 32 children and a few moths later for the remaining subjects and continued until children's vocabulary reached 200 words. At fixed stages of vocabulary size, individual…

The use of sleep scheduling and a daytime routine for the treatment of circadian rhythm disorder was found helpful in decreasing a blind 2-year old's nighttime wake periods and daytime sleepiness. (DB)

Parents of 30-month-old children were assessed on measures of affectivity, personality, and behavior. Parents of inhibited children showed lower extraversion, higher avoidance and shyness, and faster drawing times on a task that involved uncertainty than did parents of uninhibited children. (Author/BC)

Comparison of communication between hearing mothers and their deaf or hearing children (n=80) at child-ages 22 months and 3 years found most of the differences in communication by mothers of deaf and hearing children seemed attributable to the deaf children's linguistic delays. Results suggest that intervention efforts should focus on fostering…

This article focuses on early intervention implementation concerns and recommendations for addressing the needs of the wide range of infants and toddlers with disabilities and families to be served. It describes providing services in natural environments, as well as the issues of personnel preparation and models of service delivery. (Contains…

Relationships between pretend play and word production were investigated in 10 hearing toddlers and 10 toddlers with hearing loss who attended an auditory/oral early intervention program. Results showed significantly higher levels of pretend play for the hearing children and an association between level of pretend play and word production for the…

This case study traces responses of one child to a program of music experiences implemented in the toddler playroom of a day care center for 10 months. The program used three types of music experience: free music play, sociable music experiences, and music incorporated into caregiving routines. Findings highlight how music activities can enhance a…