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Giesbrecht GF, van de Wouw M, Watts D, Perdue MV, Graham S, Lai BPY, Tomfohr-Madsen L, Lebel C. Language learning in the context of a global pandemic: proximal and distal factors matter. Pediatr Res 2024:10.1038/s41390-024-03583-9. [PMID: 39294240 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-024-03583-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 08/26/2024] [Accepted: 09/05/2024] [Indexed: 09/20/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Public health measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally altered the socioecological context in which children were developing. METHODS Using Bronfenbrenner's socioecological theory, we investigate language acquisition among 2-year-old children (n = 4037) born during the pandemic. We focus on "late talkers", defined as children below the 10th percentile on the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories-III. RESULTS Overall, the proportion of late talkers declined as a function of pandemic wave, with 13.0% of those born during the first wave classified as late talkers compared to 10.4% born in wave two, and 8.0% born during wave three. In sex-based analysis, we observed a 15.9% prevalence of late talking among female toddlers, which was significantly different from the norming sample. In contrast, the prevalence of late talking among male toddlers was 9.1%. Using hierarchical logistic regression to identify both proximal and distal factors associated with being a late talker, we found that male sex, lower socioeconomic status, greater screen time, receiving childcare at home, disruptions to childcare, and experiencing greater exposure to public health restrictions were associated with increased odds for being a late talker. CONCLUSION We interpret the findings in relation to the need to consider the special needs of young children in disaster preparation and response. IMPACT Two-year-old children acquiring language in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic have vocabulary size similar to historical norms. A higher-than-expected prevalence of late talkers (below the 10th percentile) was observed among females and children born during the first wave of the pandemic. Motivated by Bronfenbrenner's socioecological theory, we show that both proximal and distal environmental factors are associated with vocabulary size. Infants exposed to stricter public measures had reduced vocabulary size. The findings suggest a need to recognize the developmental needs of children as part of the public health response to emergencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald F Giesbrecht
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
- Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI), Calgary, AB, Canada.
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
| | - Marcel van de Wouw
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI), Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Dana Watts
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Meaghan V Perdue
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Susan Graham
- Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI), Calgary, AB, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Beatrice P Y Lai
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Lianne Tomfohr-Madsen
- Department of Counselling Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Catherine Lebel
- Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI), Calgary, AB, Canada
- Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
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Does Where You Live Predict What You Say? Associations between Neighborhood Factors, Child Sleep, and Language Development. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12020223. [PMID: 35203986 PMCID: PMC8870121 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12020223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Language ability is strongly related to important child developmental outcomes. Family-level socioeconomic status influences child language ability; it is unclear if, and through which mechanisms, neighborhood-level factors impact child language. The current study investigated the association between neighborhood factors (deprivation and disorder) assessed before birth and child language outcomes at age 5, with sleep duration as a potential underlying pathway. Secondary analysis was conducted on data collected between 2008 and 2018 on a subsample of 2444 participants from the All Our Families cohort study (Calgary, Canada) for whom neighborhood information from pregnancy could be geocoded. Neighborhood deprivation was determined using the Vancouver Area Neighborhood Deprivation Index (VANDIX), and disorder was assessed using crime reports. Mothers reported on their children’s sleep duration and language ability. Multilevel modeling indicated that greater neighborhood deprivation and disorder during pregnancy were predictive of lower scores on the Child Communication Checklist–2 (CCC–2) at 5 years. Path analyses revealed an indirect effect of neighborhood disorder on language through child sleep duration at 12 months. These results add to growing evidence that child development should be considered within the context of multiple systems. Sleep duration as an underlying link between environmental factors and child language ability warrants further study as a potential target for intervention.
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Hentges RF, Devereux C, Graham SA, Madigan S. Child Language Difficulties and Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms: A Meta-Analysis. Child Dev 2021; 92:e691-e715. [PMID: 33491805 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
This study conducted two meta-analyses to synthesize the association between children's language skills and two broad-band dimensions of psychopathology: internalizing and externalizing. Pooled estimates across 139 samples (externalizing k = 105; internalizing k = 90) and 147,305 participants (age range: 2-17 years old; mean % males: 53.75; mean % White participants: 55.59; mean % minority participants: 43.12) indicated small but significant associations between child language skills and externalizing problems (Hedges' g = .22) and between language skills and internalizing problems (Hedges' g = .23). The association between language difficulties and externalizing problems was stronger amongst males and in children with low versus high sociodemographic risk. Implications of the results for theory and practice are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rochelle F Hentges
- University of Calgary and the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute
| | - Chloe Devereux
- University of Calgary and the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute
| | - Susan A Graham
- University of Calgary and the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute
| | - Sheri Madigan
- University of Calgary and the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute
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Intergenerational Effects of Maternal Childhood Experiences on Maternal Parenting and Infant Developmental Progress. J Dev Behav Pediatr 2020; 41:619-627. [PMID: 33064399 PMCID: PMC7573193 DOI: 10.1097/dbp.0000000000000835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the intergenerational indirect effects of maternal childhood experiences on infant progress in reaching developmental milestones through maternal scaffolding behaviors. We hypothesized that mothers who perceived their own mothers as highly supportive in childhood, even in the context of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), would be more likely to engage in scaffolding with their infants, which in turn would predict greater infant developmental progress (e.g., less risk for developmental delay). METHODS Participants included 295 low-income mothers and their infants who were assessed prenatally and at 6 and 12 months postpartum. Mothers retrospectively reported on their childhood experiences, maternal parenting behaviors were observationally rated at 6 months postpartum, and infant developmental progress (communication, problem-solving, gross motor, fine motor, and personal-social) was assessed at 6 and 12 months postpartum using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire. RESULTS The results of autoregressive structural equation models indicated that mothers who perceived their own mothers as highly supportive in childhood were more likely to engage in scaffolding behaviors with their infants, who in turn made greater progress (e.g., showed less risk for developmental delay) in reaching developmental milestones from 6 to 12 months postpartum. Follow-up analyses revealed that indirect effects were specific to infant problem-solving and communication skills. Maternal ACEs were not associated with parenting or infant developmental progress. CONCLUSION Parenting behaviors in 1 generation influence parenting behaviors in the next, which has implications for infant developmental progress. The results may inform evidence-based preventive interventions for mothers and infants living in contexts of risk.
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