Chiara Barachetti

Responsiveness of children with specific language impairment and maternal repairs during shared book reading

BACKGROUNDnPrevious studies indicate that (1) children with specific language impairment (SLI) produce a high number of problematic answers during shared book reading, and that (2) adult communicative input has a key role in supporting child responsiveness. However, little is known about the strategies used by parents to repair childrens inadequate answers and their effectiveness in supporting appropriate responses.nnnAIMSnRepairs (any utterance aimed to correct a childs problematic answer) produced by mothers of children with SLI and mothers of typically developing children during shared reading conversation were compared: (1) to examine whether there are significant differences in their features, and to what extent these differences (if any) are accounted for by limitations in child responsiveness and language abilities; and (2) to assess whether-and in which cases-maternal repairs are effective in eliciting appropriate answers from children with SLI.nnnMETHODS & PROCEDURESnTen preschool-aged children with SLI, ten age-matched typically developing children, and ten mean length of utterance-matched typically developing children with their mothers participated in the study. Each mother-child dyad was videotaped during four sessions of shared book reading at home. Each maternal repair was coded according to the level of support (i.e., presence of crucial information and familiar topic) provided to elicit the childs correct answer. Each childs answer following a maternal repair was coded on the basis of both linguistic production and content appropriateness.nnnOUTCOMES & RESULTSnMothers of children with SLI produced significantly more high-supportive repairs than mothers of age-matched children, but not more than mothers of mean length of utterance-matched younger children. Sequential analysis applied to maternal repairs and childrens answers showed that supportive repairs significantly affected the occurrence of minimally acceptable answers produced by children with SLI, while non-supportive repairs affected significantly the occurrence of inadequate answers. Children with SLI behaved in a similar way to mean length of utterance-matched younger children, showing spontaneous motivation to imitate crucial information included in high-supportive repairs.nnnCONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONSnThe findings suggest that mothers of children with SLI adjust their repairs to their childrens linguistic limitations. The use of supportive repairs is functional to model the childrens answers, enables them to practise new words, and contributes to the childrens experience of being an active interlocutor. These findings have a potential clinical value that can be used in language intervention programmes based on shared book reading.

Gesture and speech during shared book reading with preschoolers with specific language impairment.

This study examined (a) the relationship between gesture and speech produced by children with specific language impairment (SLI) and typically developing (TD) children, and their mothers, during shared book-reading, and (b) the potential effectiveness of gestures accompanying maternal speech on the conversational responsiveness of children. Fifteen preschoolers with expressive SLI were compared with fifteen age-matched and fifteen language-matched TD children. Child and maternal utterances were coded for modality, gesture type, gesture-speech informational relationship, and communicative function. Relative to TD peers, children with SLI used more bimodal utterances and gestures adding unique information to co-occurring speech. Some differences were mirrored in maternal communication. Sequential analysis revealed that only in the SLI group maternal reading accompanied by gestures was significantly followed by childs initiatives, and when maternal non-informative repairs were accompanied by gestures, they were more likely to elicit adequate answers from children. These findings support the gesture advantage hypothesis in children with SLI, and have implications for educational and clinical practice.

Preschoolers' Communicative Functions During Shared Book Reading With Mothers and Fathers

Research Findings: This study examined whether the communicative behaviors of preschoolers during shared-reading interactions differ according to child age or parent gender. Twenty Italian preschoolers (from 3.1 to 5.11 years) were observed during book reading with each parent separately. Communicative behaviors were analyzed according to the speech act theory. The findings showed that older children produced significantly more requests with fathers than with mothers but significantly more assertions with mothers than with fathers. Sequential analysis showed that only the fathers reading utterances were significantly followed by older childrens requests. These results suggest that older children adjusted their communicative functions to elicit richer conversations from their fathers. Practice or Policy: These findings have implications for the assessment and support of preschoolers conversational skills.

Communication dynamics between mothers and their children with cochlear implants: Effects of maternal support for language production

This study examined (a) the functions and modalities of maternal and child communication during interaction between mothers and children with cochlear implants (CIs), comparing them with mothers and normally hearing (NH) children, and (b) the effectiveness of maternal support strategies in eliciting adequate answers in children with CI. Twenty preschoolers with CIs (Mu202f=u202f40 months) and 40 NH children - 20 matched by chronological age (CANH, Mu202f=u202f40 months) and 20 matched by hearing age (HANH, Mu202f=u202f25 months) - were videotaped during shared book reading and toy play with their mothers. Child and maternal utterances were coded for communicative functions and modalities (vocal, gestural, bimodal), including gesture types; maternal repairs were examined for type of support provided, and child answers for adequacy. Mothers in the CI group and in the CANH group displayed higher proportions of Informative Repairs than mothers of HANH children. However, unlike the mothers of NH children, mothers of children with CIs used bimodal utterances significantly more than vocal utterances. Sequential analysis revealed that maternal Informative Repairs elicited the production of Adequate Answers in both children with CIs and CANH. Interestingly, in the CI group this association was found only when Informative Repairs were accompanied by gestures. These findings offer suggestions for intervention programs focused on parent-child conversation.