Parental Imitations and Expansions of Child Language Predict Later Language Outcomes of Autistic Preschoolers.
Jodie Smith, Rhylee Sulek, Kailia Van Der Wert and 5 others
PMID 35976507WHAT IT FOUND
Parents who repeated back their autistic child's sounds and words, then added one or two more, had children with better later language skills.
Simple comments or questions did not predict progress. Focus on echoing and expanding your child's speech.
Key findings
01Parental imitation of a child's sounds and words was a significant unique predictor of later expressive and receptive language on parent-report measures.
02Parental expansion of a child's words predicted later expressive communication on parent-report measures, but not other outcomes.
03General measures of parent responsiveness and specific behaviours like questions or comments did not consistently predict language outcomes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample size was small (49 dyads with usable video data), limiting the ability to detect effects for less common behaviours or to analyse subgroups like minimally verbal children separately. Data loss occurred due to COVID-19 lockdowns, particularly affecting the direct assessment measures (MSEL), which reduced statistical power for those outcomes. The study relied on a single ten-minute free-play interaction, which may not capture how parents communicate during routine tasks like dressing or mealtimes. The child language outcomes varied widely in severity, and the study could not determine if certain parental behaviours work better for children at different starting language levels.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services. No other conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that imitations and expansions improve directly assessed language skills. These behaviours predicted parent-reported communication and vocabulary, but not the scores on the direct Mullen Scales of Early Learning assessment. Parent reports may capture everyday communication abilities that direct tests miss.