Fiona J. Duff|Gurpreet Reen|Kim Plunkett|Kate Nation
Do infant vocabulary skills predict school?age language and literacy outcomes?
University of Oxford|University of Oxford|University of Oxford|University of Oxford
strong associations infant vocabulary schoolage language literacy skills would important practical theoretical implications preschool assessment vocabulary skills could used identify children risk reading language difficulties vocabulary could viewed cognitive foundation reading however evidence date suggests predictive ability infant vocabulary later language literacy low study provides investigation interpretation magnitude infant schoolage relationshipsthree hundred british infants whose vocabularies assessed parent report 2nd year life 16 24 months followed average 5 years later ages ranged 4 9 years vocabulary phonological reading skills measuredstructural equation modelling ageregressed scores used assess strength longitudinal relationships infant vocabulary latent factor receptive expressive vocabulary statistically significant predictor later vocabulary phonological awareness reading accuracy reading comprehension accounting 4 18 variance family risk language literacy difficulties explained additional variance reading approximately 10 language outcomessignificant longitudinal relationships preliteracy vocabulary knowledge subsequent reading support theory vocabulary cognitive foundation reading accuracy reading comprehension importantly however stability vocabulary skills infancy later childhood low sufficiently predictive language outcomes individual level finding fits well observation majority late talkers resolve early language difficulties reading outcomes prediction future difficulties likely improved considering family history languageliteracy difficulties alongside infant vocabulary levels