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Language Development

Language is one of the most remarkable developmental accomplishments of early childhood. Language connects us with others and is an essential tool for literacy, education, employment and lifelong learning.

Healthcare SAVVI: Exploring health literacy and parents' experiences in supporting the health of children with intellectual disability

Research on the health literacy of parents with children with intellectual disability is limited. Understanding parents' healthcare skills and needs is essential for improving children's health and developing effective support. In this study we aimed to (1) explore the health literacy skills of parents that enabled them to support the health needs of their child with intellectual disability and the factors influencing these skills, and (2) identify opportunities to support parent health literacy.

Influences of bilingual input on English vocabulary size and academic outcomes: a large-scale longitudinal study following children in Australia from five to ten years

Research from large population-based studies investigating the language and academic outcomes for bilingual children is rare. The current study aimed to investigate the influence of dual language exposure on (i) English vocabulary outcomes at 5 years (126 bilinguals, 1675 monolinguals), and 10 years (vocabulary: 92 bilinguals, 1413 monolinguals:), and (ii) academic outcomes at 10 years (107 bilinguals, 1746 monolinguals).

The Causal Effect of Parent–Child Interactions on Child Language Development at 3 and 4 Years

Language development is critical for children's life chances. Promoting parent-child interactions is suggested as one mechanism to support language development in the early years. However, limited evidence exists for a causal effect of parent-child interactions on children's language development.

The Utility of Natural Language Samples for Assessing Communication and Language in Infants Referred with Early Signs of Autism

Natural Language Sampling (NLS) offers clear potential for communication and language assessment, where other data might be difficult to interpret. We leveraged existing primary data for 18-month-olds showing early signs of autism, to examine the reliability and concurrent construct validity of NLS-derived measures coded from video-of child language, parent linguistic input, and dyadic balance of communicative interaction-against standardised assessment scores. Using Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (SALT) software and coding conventions, masked coders achieved good-to-excellent inter-rater agreement across all measures.

How we measure language skills of children at scale: A call to move beyond domain-specific tests as a proxy for language

The aim of this research note is to encourage child language researchers and clinicians to give careful consideration to the use of domain-specific tests as a proxy for language; particularly in the context of large-scale studies and for the identification of language disorder in clinical practice.

Online Health Literacy Resources for People With Intellectual Disability: A Grey Literature Scoping Review

People with intellectual disability experience higher rates of physical and mental health problems than those without intellectual disability. Health literacy includes accessing, understanding, appraising and applying health information. Improving health literacy is associated with better health outcomes. The internet is a primary source of health information for many people. This study aimed to evaluate available online health resources for people with intellectual disability and their families to understand information gaps.

Co-occurring Neurodevelopmental Conditions in Children: Advocating for Transdiagnostic Approach to Assessments

Approximately 8% of all children experience developmental and mental health conditions. Similarities in characteristics across neurodevelopmental conditions-such as difficulties in communication and language, social interaction, motor coordination, attention, activity regulation, behavior, mood, and sleep-make it challenging to attribute these characteristics exclusively to specific diagnoses and assessments. The purpose of this study was to identify symptomatic domains across neurodevelopmental conditions in children and to explore dimension reduction for transdiagnostic assessment. 

Communication of individuals with CDKL5 deficiency disorder as observed by caregivers: A descriptive qualitative study

CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD) is a genetically caused developmental epileptic encephalopathy that causes severe communication impairments. Communication of individuals with CDD is not well understood in the literature and currently available measures are not well validated in this population. Accurate and sensitive measurement of the communication of individuals with CDD is important for understanding this condition, clinical practice, and upcoming interventional trials.