An observational study of parental language during play and mealtime in toddlers at variable likelihood for autism.
Kelsey Thompson, Elizabeth Choi, Jonet Artis and 3 others
PMID 38247286WHAT IT FOUND
Parents spoke more and used more directives during play, while mealtime drew out more questions and descriptive adjectives.
For toddlers at elevated likelihood for autism, parental language did not differ from lower-likelihood peers based on status alone, but varied with the child's specific skills.
Key findings
01Play contexts elicited significantly more words per minute and a higher proportion of verbs than mealtime, whereas mealtime elicited significantly more questions, descriptions, and adjectives.
02There were no significant differences in the quantity or quality of parental language input between toddlers at elevated likelihood for autism (EL-A) and those at lower likelihood (LL-A).
03Toddler sensory hyporesponsiveness was associated with parents using simpler language (lower mean length of utterance and vocabulary diversity) and more directives, particularly during mealtime.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was predominantly White, highly educated, and higher-income, limiting generalizability to diverse populations. Parental education levels differed significantly between the EL-A and LL-A groups and could not be controlled for in the analysis due to missing data. Interactions were recorded in a laboratory setting for only five minutes, which may not reflect natural home behavior or capture rare language events. The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot determine causality between child characteristics and parental language patterns. The EL-A group was identified via screening tools (FYI-Lite), not clinical diagnosis, meaning some children may not have gone on to have autism.
Declared interests
Authors Baranek and Watson were involved in the development of the First Years Inventory (FYI) screening tool, and Author Baranek developed the Sensory Processing Assessment (SPA). Both tools are freely available, so the authors declared no financial benefits from their use in this study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that parents of toddlers at elevated likelihood for autism provide less language input than other parents. This study found no significant difference in the quantity or quality of parental speech between the EL-A and LL-A groups. Differences were driven by the child's specific sensory and language skills, not their autism risk status.