| Caregiver language input, specifically quality and quantity of input, is one key factor related to vocabulary growth in children. In this study we have addressed how the quality and quantity of caregiver input from 6 to 18 months of infant age is related to vocabulary development at 18, 24, and 36 months of age in 14 parent - child dyads. It was hypothesized that increased quality and quantity of caregiver language input was related to increased expressive and receptive vocabularies. Some statistically significant results indicated differences between groups, and effect size values suggested substantial clinical significance. Quantity and quality of caregiver language input appeared to have considerable practical influence over expressive and receptive vocabularies. By finding the clinical significance of these variables, we can now explore how increased caregiver education is related to the quantity and quality of infant input and how it may influence vocabulary development.
Key Words: caregiver input, quality of caregiver language input, quantity of caregiver language input, vocabulary development, expressive language, receptive language, infant, toddler |