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... According to Visser-Bochane et al. (2020), and Greenwood et al. (2013), investigation on child language development should take place from a very young age as language acquisition and development begin way before children enter preschool; in fact, infants start to produce speech sounds as early as six months of age (starting with "cooing" and "babbling"). All 19 ELM scales in this SLR focus on young children before preschool age, i.e., between 0-month-olds to 7-yearolds. ...
... Figure 3 shows that almost all ELM Scales reviewed in this SLR were designed to monitor and/or screen the language development of children for a larger time span, i.e., beyond two years. Those designed by Greenwood et al. (2013), Gilkerson et al. (2017), Buzhardt et al. (2019, and Hua et al. (2019), however, are meant for infants between three months and six months old to address the short-term sensitivity of young children's growth in language. They, however, did not investigate newborns because they believe that children's growth in language cannot be observed before the age of three months. ...
... Based on the method of participant recruitment, these authors employed the random and/or non-random sampling techniques by disseminating the information via email invitation, personal contacts and/or social media. The participants recruited in the studies were mainly from (1) childhood and healthcare programmes (Greenwood et al., 2013;Guiberson & Rodriguez, 2014;Goh et al., 2017;Buzhardt et al., 2019;Hua et al., 2019;Johnson et al., 2019), (2) parenting programmes (Weber et al., 2018), (3) hospital records (Şahli & Belgin, 2017), (4) learning/daycare centres (Lim & Lee, 2017;Washington et al., 2017;Bornman et al., 2018;Butt et al., 2021;Visser-Bochane et al., 2020), and (5) personal contact and/or social media (Gilkerson et al., 2017;Smolík & Bytešníková, 2021). Some studies (i.e., Gudmundsson, 2015;Şahli & Belgin, 2017;Hua et al., 2019;Johnson et al., 2019) used random sampling methods that were reportedly to have a larger sample size (i.e., 1001 -6000 participants). ...
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Early language milestone (ELM) scales are used to assess language development in young children, especially for early detection of atypical language development. However, not all ELM scales are layperson-friendly and are suitable for all language acquirers. Therefore, this article presents a systematic literature review (SLR) of the existing ELM scales. This SLR used the PICo approach to select and review past studies ranging from 2013 to 2023, investigating the language(s), the target groups, and the constructs and items of existing ELM scales. Past studies on ELM scales were identified via the PRISMA approach from four online databases, namely, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Science Direct. From a total of 892 studies, only 19 studies were systematically reviewed; they cover ELM scales in 18 languages and language varieties which have been proven to be reliable and valid. Generally, the results show that the existing ELM scales can be used to assess children’s language development in terms of receptive and expressive language skills from an early age. The findings show that the ELM scales were primarily developed to gauge the language development of children acquiring English as their first and/or second language; however, no ELM scale has been developed to meet the needs of children acquiring English and Malay as their first languages in the Malaysian context. This SLR directs future research on developing an ELM scale for Malay-English bilingual first language acquirers.
... Some of the most obvious differences between the two groups are seen especially in vocalizations, which children with communication disorders initially produce less of, but then produce more of and for longer than typically developing children; in words, which appear around 5 months later in children with communication disorders; and in sentences, which appear around 8 months later in children with communication disorders. These results are also found in other studies where the ECI was used as an assessment tool (Buzhardt et al., 2022;Greenwood et al., 2006Greenwood et al., , 2010Greenwood et al., , 2013. These results are also in line with the literature, which identifies as characteristics of children at risk of developing communication disorders few vocalizations in the first few months, absence or very few words at 20 months; absence or very few word combinations at 24 months; their speech intelligibility is always lower than that of typically developing children, and their oral productions are therefore classified as vocalizations ( ...
... In the complex process of communication development, it is possible to identify a continuum between prelinguistic skills and linguistic skills (Greenwood, et al., 2013). The progressive development of expressive communication initially involves the acquisition of prelinguistic skills (e.g., gaze, gestures, vocalizations), which subsequently evolved into the acquisition of linguistic skills (e.g., words, word combinations, sentences) (Brady et al., 2004). ...
... One promising naturalistic instrument to support early language assessment and monitoring is the Early Communication Indicator (ECI) (Greenwood et al., 2010(Greenwood et al., , 2013Luze et al., 2001). While not designed to be used as a standalone assessing tool, the ECI has been successfully employed to identify children at risk for language delays and to support diagnostic decisions across children from diverse special needs conditions and racial, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds (Bavin et al., 2020;Buzhardt et al., 2019Buzhardt et al., , 2022Greenwood et al., 2010;King et al., 2021). ...
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The need for effective, globally validated tools to assess and monitor communication in early childhood has led different populations to explore and adapt tools that have already been validated in other countries and languages. A promising tool to support the assessment and monitoring of early communication is the Early Communication Indicator (ECI), developed in the USA. The ECI has recently been adapted for the Portuguese population, and the aim of this paper is to describe its characteristics and report the results obtained with Portuguese children aged between 6 and 42 months, presenting evidence for its use in assessing and monitoring communication in Portuguese children at an early age. This evidence shows the sensitivity of the ECI-Portugal in capturing the changes that occur throughout the communicative development of Portuguese children in the early years, and in identifying differences between children with and without communication disorders. Further research is needed to advance the development of the ECI in the Portuguese context. Consequently, a discussion of the research and practical steps needed to move this project forward is presented. Article visualizations: </p
... The ECI was designed for children from birth to age three and is a sensitive and observational measure of children's communicative performance (Greenwood et al. 2013). Professionals use this tool, involving 6 min of play-based observation with standard toy sets, to provide information on the progression of a child's expressive communication over time, either monthly or quarterly. ...
... The normative data for the ECI are from several studies, where a very large number of children were assessed (Greenwood et al. 2006(Greenwood et al. , 2010(Greenwood et al. , 2013. Those studies show the sensitivity of the ECI to some variables, such as SES, bilingualism, and participation in Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs). ...
... Of the 15 studies eligible for inclusion in this study, all could make valuable contributions to the field and collectively enable a discussion of the various features of the four measures identified: LDS, CSBS, CDI, and ECI. Indeed, all the measures discussed were standardized and validated and had normative data (Fenson et al. 1994(Fenson et al. , 2000Greenwood et al. 2006Greenwood et al. , 2010Greenwood et al. , 2013Rescorla SN Soc Sci (2021) Wetherby et al. 2002). Furthermore, the studies involving these measures also acknowledged the importance of addressing variables such as demographics, socioeconomic status, ability to speak multiple languages, and the children's environment (Feldman et al. 2000;Greenwood et al. 2010Greenwood et al. , 2013Reilly et al. 2007;Rescorla and Achenbach 2002). ...
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Communication is one of the most important competencies that children need to develop during early childhood. Delays in communication may lead to a negative impact on children’s life. Early identification of very young children at risk of delays can be the first step for early intervention services, and may prevent future disabilities. An effective evaluation with adequate measures taken can be crucial in the identification of very young children who are at risk of communication delays. However, appropriate measures to assess young children’s early communication skills are lacking in many countries and contexts. The purpose of this review is to analyze some measures to assess infants’ and toddlers’ communication, already developed and tested in countries where the research in this area has been further explored. A literature review was conducted. Four measures were identified and described. Researchers and professionals can use this research to understand these instruments and carefully consider one or two of them for study in their population and contexts. During this review, it is exemplified how a country with a lack of valid and standardized communication measures can make such selection. https://rdcu.be/cjHhT
... Growth in the use of gestures, nonword vocalisations, single words and multiword utterances, that is, four early means of communication in children with NH was examined by Greenwood et al. (2013). The measure used was the Early Communication Indicator (ECI; Carta, Greenwood, Walker, & Buzhardt, 2010;Greenwood, Carta, Walker, Hughes, & Weathers, 2006), a standardised play-based measure of timed interactions between a child and familiar adult for children 6-42 months of age. ...
... It can be frequently repeated, more so than other early communication measures (e.g., the Preschool Language Scale or the Ages and Stages Questionnaire), and so is particularly well suited for analysing growth over time rather than proficiency at a single point in time. Based on growth curve modelling, Greenwood et al. (2013) found that a sample of children without any identified disabilities used both gestures and nonword vocalisations at 6 months of age. The use of nonword vocalisations rapidly increased through to 18 months and then decreased as the children began replacing them with words. ...
... The CI group had an increasing slope of nonword vocalisations per minute while the NH group had a decreasing slope as their verbal communication skills developed, with words becoming more frequent. Greenwood et al. (2013) reported a similar finding for a sample of children without any identified disabilities; vocalisations increased to 18 months before decreasing as words replaced vocalisations. Thus, the NH group in the current study followed the typical developmental pathway to language, progressing from communicating with prelinguistic means to communicating with words and then combined words. ...
Article
For children with normal hearing (NH), early communication skills predict vocabulary, a precursor to grammar. Growth in early communication skills of infants with cochlear implants (CIs) was investigated using the Early Communication Indicator (ECI), a play-based observation measure. Multilevel linear growth modelling on data from six ECI sessions held at three-monthly intervals revealed significant growth overall, with a non-significant slower growth rate than that of children with NH (comparison age centred at 18 months). Analyses of gesture use and of nonword vocalisations revealed the CI group used significantly more of each, with more rapid growth. In contrast, the CI group used significantly fewer single words and multiword utterances, and with slower growth. Maternal education and time to achieve consistent CI use impacted significantly on growth for the CI sample. The results indicate that progression to vocabulary by young CI users can be supported by encouraging their use of prelinguistic communication.
... Researchers worldwide utilized different data analysis measures in their respected fields for different reasons. Researchers tend to work with different analysis methods for various scientific purposes, such as evaluation [18], classification [19], investigations [11,20], data modelling [21] and prediction [22]. Others highlighted the role of data analysis for its contribution to research [13], answering research questions [23] and the relationship of findings [24]. ...
... Others discussed language acquisition from different perspectives aside from grammar, such as bilingual first language acquisition [95], discriminate of vowel length for deaf infants [96] and comprehension of 'who' questions among children with hearing loss [97]. The rest of the studies focused on other areas, such as expressive communication skills [21], single-word to multiword speech [98], phonological network influences in children's speech [46], normative database of word production [99], mother sensitivity, cognitive and linguistic stimulation's effect over deaf children language growth [100], phonemic accuracy development in children with cochlear implants [101], children's syllabic words spelling [102], expressive and receptive language role in the recovery or persistence of stuttering [103]. The second group, which was concerned with the social aspect of the communication, presented two articles. ...
... Data is the most important aspect in any study and it is the most significant effector that controls the analysis, findings and all the study's elements. However, when dealing with early childhood studies, some notable data issues occur in many areas of literature, such as missing data [21,66,138,152,176,199,212], reliance on administrative data [114,137,138] and the huge lack of longitudinal data and studies [1, 3, 17, 28, 31, 37, 41, 48, 55, 71, 102, 109, 114, 123, 124, 160, 162, 177, 178, 184, 192-194, 206, 212, 213, 222, 228, 231, 233]. Other studies shed light on other issues related to data, which include structure [1], accuracy [110], incompletion [100] and scarcity [65,116]. ...
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Early childhood is a significant period when transitions take place in children. This period is a hot topic among researchers who pursue this domain across different scientific disciplines. Many studies addressed social, scientific, medical and technical topics during early childhood. Researchers also utilised different analysis measures to conduct experiments on the different types of data related to early childhood to produce research articles. This study aims to review and analyse literature related to early childhood in addition to data analyses and the types of data used. The factors that were considered to boost understanding of contextual aspects in published studies related to early childhood were considered as open challenges, motivations and recommendations of researchers that aimed to advance study in this area of science. We systematically searched articles on topics related to early childhood, the data analysis approaches used, and the types of data applied. The search was conducted on five major databases, namely, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, IEEEXplore and PubMed from 2013 to September 2017. These indices were considered sufficiently extensive and reliable to cover our field of literature. Articles were selected on the basis of our inclusion and exclusion criteria (n=233). The first portion of studies (n=103/233) focused on different aspects related to the development of children in early age. They discussed different topics, such as the body growth-development of children, psychology, skills and other related topics that overlap between two or more of the previous topics or do not fall into any of the categories but are still under development. The second portion of studies (n=107/233) focused on different aspects associated with health in early childhood. A number of topics were discussed in this regard, such as those related to family health, medical procedures, interventions, and risk that address health-related aspects, in addition to other related topics that overlap between two or more of the previous topics or do not fall into any of the categories but are still under health. The remaining studies (n=23/233) were categorised to the other main category because they overlap between the previous two major categories, namely, development and health, or they do not fall into any of the previous main categories. Early childhood is a sensitive period in every child’s life. This period was studied using different means of data analysis and with the aid of different data types to produce different findings from previous studies. Research areas on early childhood vary, but they are equally significant. This study emphasises current standpoint and opportunities for research in this area and boost additional efforts towards the understanding of this research field.
... Os recursos humanos são um cuidador adulto que poderá interagir como parceiro de jogo com a criança e um outro adulto que regista os comportamentos comunicativos da criança na ficha de registo (na falta de outro adulto a gravação através da câmara de vídeo é essencial e posterior visualização e registo). Os recursos materiais são: a) Quinta ou a casa da Fisher-Price (Figura 1), e respetivos bonecos aplicados de forma alternada, ou seja, na primeira avaliação a casa, na segunda a quinta, na terceira a casa e assim sucessivamente (Greenwood et al., 2013), são formas alternativas equivalentes para evocar o comportamento comunicativo durante o jogo (Luze, et al., 2001); b) A sessão de avaliação ECI-VP tem lugar num cenário conveniente com poucas distrações presentes em casa ou na creche, ou seja, um espaço livre de outras crianças, outros brinquedos, sons e barulhos que possam alterar a dinâmica interativa do jogo; c) Relógio digital ou outro dispositivo (telemóvel) possibilitador de cronometrar a sessão de avaliação; d) Câmara de vídeo para gravar os comportamentos comunicativos da criança; e) Lápis ou caneta para marcar/pontuar as competências da comunicação; f) Ficha de registo ECI-VP; g) Formulário da lista de verificação da administração do ECI -VP, a usar nas primeiras administrações para assegurar que são cumpridas todas as regulamentações. ...
... Inicialmente se o intervencionista não é familiar da criança, e no caso de uma inicial sessão de avaliação, este deve interagir com a criança em variados jogos antes da avaliação com o ECI-VP para que se torne familiar. A familiaridade é (Greenwood, et al., 2013). O papel do parceiro de jogo durante a sessão do ECI-VP é encorajar a comunicação da criança seguindo a sua liderança e comentando as ações e palavras da criança. ...
... Concluímos que aos 6 meses de idade a criança usa gestos e vocalizações para comunicar; que por volta dos 12 meses de idade começa a usar as palavras e mantém os gestos e vocalizações; e que a partir dos 18 meses de idade a criança começa a introduzir no seu diálogo expressivo as primeiras frases em consonância com os gestos, vocalizações e palavras, o que revela padrões de consistência entre os resultados obtidos com o ECI original e o ECI-VP como referimos na análise inferencial, embora obtenhamos valores mais elevados nos resultados brutos por categorias e, consequentemente, nos resultados brutos globais. Demonstra-se também que à medida que a criança adiciona e usa as palavras e as frases diminui o número de vezes que usa os gestos e as vocalizações, mas denotase que estão presentes ao longo do desenvolvimento e crescimento da comunicação expressiva, tal como verificaram os autores do ECI (Carta, et al., 2002;Greenwood, et al., 2013;Luze, et al., 2001). Coletivamente os resultados suportam a partilha de propriedades das ferramentas chave do ECI-VP de um continuo crescimento entre os gestos, as vocalizações, as palavras e as frases. ...
Article
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O Early Communication Indicator (ECI) é um instrumento de medida que visa identificar, intervir e monitorizar precocemente problemas na competência comunicativa de crianças dos 6 aos 36 meses. A finalidade do estudo tem por base a tradução e adaptação para o Português Europeu, administrado a 40 crianças e a análise dos resultados. Verificou-se: existem diferenças estatisticamente significativas nos resultados brutos totais da comunicação e nas categorias das palavras e frases; que há um padrão de crescimento nas categorias da comunicação expressiva ao longo do desenvolvimento da criança; evolução na produção da comunicação global.
... As is common in longitudinal studies, in particular those involving young children, issues of attrition and missing data can be difficult to handle. In order to investigate the relative performance of a typical auxiliary variable inclusive strategy and that of a smaller set of PCA auxiliary variables in meeting the challenges posed by this type of data, we present an empirical example from a subset of data previously reported assessing the early communication indicator (ECI), a measure for intervention decision-making in infants and toddlers (Greenwood et al., 2013). The following discussion demonstrates the relative performance of the inclusive and PCA strategies in the context of MI. ...
... The ECI is a general outcome measure developed for use with infants and toddlers aged 6 to 42 months (Greenwood et al., 2013). The ECI quantifies the occurrence of four key skill elements: gestures, vocalizations, single-word, and multiple-word utterances in the context of observations of children's communicative proficiency during 6-minute play sessions with a familiar adult. ...
... We performed regressions involving multiple-word utterances (MUL30) on single-word utterances measured at 12 months of age (WRD12), IFSP (1, yes; 0, no), and home language (HOMELANG; 1, other; 0, English). This simple practical example is intended to evaluate the relative performance of the inclusive-and PCA-approach to auxiliary variables (for more details see Greenwood et al., 2013). The possible auxiliary variables are the 42 ECI key skill measures and seven demographic variables. ...
Article
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To deal with missing data that arise due to participant nonresponse or attrition, methodologists have recommended an “inclusive” strategy where a large set of auxiliary variables are used to inform the missing data process. In practice, the set of possible auxiliary variables is often too large. We propose using principal components analysis (PCA) to reduce the number of possible auxiliary variables to a manageable number. A series of Monte Carlo simulations compared the performance of the inclusive strategy with eight auxiliary variables (inclusive approach) to the PCA strategy using just one principal component derived from the eight original variables (PCA approach). We examined the influence of four independent variables: magnitude of correlations, rate of missing data, missing data mechanism, and sample size on parameter bias, root mean squared error, and confidence interval coverage. Results indicate that the PCA approach results in unbiased parameter estimates and potentially more accuracy than the inclusive approach. We conclude that using the PCA strategy to reduce the number of auxiliary variables is an effective and practical way to reap the benefits of the inclusive strategy in the presence of many possible auxiliary variables.
... The basic raw data across all children were comprised of quarterly ECI assessments across the ages of 6-42 months in cases were programs continued providing services beyond 36 months. Because most children aged out of services at 36 months, we have used 36 as an intercept point in past research Greenwood et al., , 2013). Thus, complete quarterly data for any one child in a program consisted of 11 quarterly occasions (separated by 3 months starting at 6 months of age). ...
... Separate LGCMs were fit for each ECI key skill and also total communication to reduce complexity and to isolate each key skill trajectory individually in terms of its invariance across samples. The intercepts of these spline LGCMs were determined by standards used in previous studies that located an inflection point ( Greenwood et al., 2013). For gestures, the intercept (inflection or peak value) was placed at 12 months of age, vocalizations = 18 months, single words = 24 months so that slope indicated growth and decline from peak values at this point in time. ...
... Also with larger samples, we were able to examine programlevel variations in ECI scores as function of differences in programs' sociodemographic make-up and their fidelity of ECI measurement implementation ). We also expanded the construct validity in support of the ECI's key skill trajectories over time, reporting complex patterns of development with and across skills in support of a continuum of change with some skills growing early to a peak or intercept point (gestures and vocalizations) and then declining as single words and multiple word utterance become more frequent, and growing functional communication skills (Greenwood et al., 2013). ...
Article
The Early Communication Indicator (ECI) is a measure for universal screening, intervention decision-making, progress monitoring for infants and toddlers needing higher levels of support, and program accountability. In the context of the ECI's long-term wide-scale use for these purposes, we examined the invariance of ECI measurement in two samples of the same Early Head Start (EHS) population differing in the years data were collected. Invariance or equivalence across samples is an important step in measurement validation because making inferences assumes that the measurements are factorially invariant. A number of time-covarying factors (e.g., assessors, children, etc.) can be hypothesized as threats to measurement invariance. Results of latent growth curve analyses indicated similarity in the functional forms (velocity and shape) of the ECIs four key skill trajectories between groups of children and ECI vocalizations, single, and multiple words trajectories met strong factorial and structural invariance. Gestures met only weak factorial invariance. ECI total communications, a weighted composite of the four scales, also met both strong factorial and structural invariance. With one exception, results indicated that the ECI produced comparable growth estimates over different conditions of programs, assessors, and children over time, strengthening the construct validity of the ECI. Implications are discussed.
... These trajectories indicate that gesturing and vocalizing emerge earlier than words, and are followed by the occurrence of single words and then sentences. In general terms, the results showed that children grow in communicative proficiency with age, with children in the third year of life demonstrating more fluent and proficient communication skills than children in their second year, compared to the first year of life (Luze et al., 2001;Greenwood et al., 2006;Greenwood et al., 2010;Greenwood et al., 2013). Greenwood et al. (2020) analyzed the criterion validity of the ECI with the Preschool Language Scale -4 (PLS-4), MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory (CDI), Peabody Picture Vocabulary Tests -4 (PPVT-4), Early Literacy -IGDI, and Test of Preschool Early Literacy (TOPEL). ...
... Consistent with theory and prior reports related to the ECI, L and G follow the typical progression of language acquisition, with acquisition of earlier prelinguistic skills preceding growth in spoken language. They show a sequential trajectory of acquisition to a peak level, followed by a decline in earlier skills to acquire new, emerging skills (i.e., from gestures and vocalizations to single words, and from single words to multiple words) (Greenwood et al., 2010;Greenwood et al., 2013). However, S shows a very different progression. ...
Article
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Professionals need efficient tools in early childhood communication development to identify infants and toddlers who are at risk of communication disorders or language delays. In Portugal, this project was carried out to respond to these needs due to a lack of these resources and a high prevalence of children at risk for communication problems at early ages. This paper describes the first steps to adapt the Early Communication Indicator (ECI) for the Portuguese population. The ECI is a play-based expressive communication measure for infants and toddlers aged 6 to 42 months. The ECI was originally developed in the U.S. and was designed for use by service providers to provide information about growth in communication, to help in intervention decision making, and to be administered in any language. This paper analyzes the ECI results of three Portuguese children in relation to their communication progression, based on a one-year longitudinal study. The ECI was administered when children were 17, 24, and 30 months of age. The ECI results showed that two of the children follow the typical progression of communication acquisition, with acquisition of earlier prelinguistic skills preceding growth in spoken language. The ECI results for the other child showed a very different and slower progression in the communication skills. The data obtained provided just an initial demonstration of the use of the ECI with Portuguese children. More research is needed into the development of the ECI in the Portuguese context, such as the development of a nationally representative, normative sample. Therefore, a discussion of what is needed in research and practice to advance this project is provided.
... For example, the successful application of technical skills often depends on the presence of effective interpersonal skills, and vice versa (Kavé and Yafé 2014;Gardiner 2017). This overlap and interrelatedness challenges the idea that skills exist as discrete entities (Greenwood et al. 2013;Bean et al. 2018). ...
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The distinction between hard and soft skills has long been a topic of debate in the field of psychology, with hard skills referring to technical or practical abilities, and soft skills relating to interpersonal capabilities. This paper explores the generic composition of any skill, proposing a unified framework that consists of five distinct components: knowledge, active cognition, conation, affection, and sensory-motor abilities. Building upon previous research and theories, such as Hilgard’s “Trilogy of Mind”, the generic skill components approach aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the structure and composition of any skill, whether hard or soft. By examining these components and their interactions, we can gain a more in-depth understanding of the nature of skills and their development. This approach has several potential applications and implications for various fields, including education, training, and workplace productivity. Further research is needed to refine and expand upon the generic skill components theory, exploring the interactions between the different components, as well as the impact of contextual factors on skill development and use.
... O ECI foi originalmente desenvolvido nos EUA pela equipa da Juniper Gardens Childre Project, constituída por investigadores e especialistas da educação especial, desenvolvimento infantil e intervenção precoce. O ECI avalia e monitoriza o desenvolvimento da comunicação expressiva em crianças entre os 6 e os 42 meses (Greenwood et al., 2006(Greenwood et al., , 2010(Greenwood et al., , 2013Luze et al., 2001). ...
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Resumo: O desenvolvimento da comunicação, linguagem e literacia emergente é fundamental para o desenvolvimento global da criança. Por isso, dificuldades nestas áreas podem influenciar negativamente a criança, nomeadamente ao nível comportamental, socio-emocional e cognitivo. Face à elevada prevalência de crianças portuguesas com dificuldades na comunicação e linguagem, bem como com dificuldades nas aprendizagens escolares, torna-se imprescindível identificar atempadamente os casos de risco que podem necessitar de intervenção. Para atender a estas necessidades estão a ser desenvolvidos e validados para a população portuguesa, dois instrumentos de rastreio/avaliação da comunicação, linguagem e literacia emergente, que permitam reconhecer crianças portuguesas em idades precoces, em risco. O Early Communication Indicator (ECI) avalia a comunicação expressiva das crianças dos 6 aos 42 meses, através da observação da interação da criança com um cuidador durante uma brincadeira semiestruturada. O Rastreio de Literacia Emergente Pré-Escolar (RaLEPE) avalia as competências de literacia emergente de crianças dos 3 aos 6 anos, através de perspetivas de pais, cuidadores ou profissionais. Neste trabalho serão apresentadas evidências preliminares, da potencialidade destes instrumentos, para a identificação das crianças portuguesas em risco de dificuldades nestas áreas. O desenvolvimento destes instrumentos contribui para a minimização das repercussões financeiras e sociais das escolas, famílias e crianças portuguesas. Palavras-chave: Avaliação, Comunicação, Linguagem, Literacia Emergente. Introdução A comunicação e a linguagem são competências fundamentais para o desenvolvimento da criança, nos primeiros anos (Levey, 2019; Owens, 2016). Os primeiros três anos de vida são uma das fases mais importante para a aquisição das competências necessárias ao desenvolvimento comunicativo da criança. É durante este período que a criança adquire o domínio da estrutura da língua alvo (Lima & Bessa, 2007). Logo desde o nascimento os bebês já identificam a voz materna. Nos meses seguintes começam a perceber diferenças entre vozes e sons, e começam a responder à linguagem dos que os rodeiam, através da produção de diferentes vocalizações e do uso do olhar (Levey, 2019; Owens, 2016). Mais tarde, nos últimos meses do primeiro ano de vida, a criança já se mostra capaz de usar uma variedade de gestos para comunicar as suas intenções e envolver os outros na comunicação. A partir dos 12 meses, a criança começa a usar palavras para acompanhar ou substituir os gestos. As combinações de gestos e palavras marcam a transição para o uso de diferentes combinações de palavras, que começam a surgir principalmente a partir dos 18 meses. Entre os 24 e os 36 meses, a criança adquire a capacidade de produzir frases mais completas e
... Вторая большая группа факторов риска развития школьной дезадаптацииособенности личности ребенка и особенности его дошкольного развития, воспитания, межличностных и внутрисемейных коммуникаций. По данным литературы к особенностям личности ребенка, определяющим успешность школьной адаптации, разные авторы относят: уровень его умственного развития, поведенческую саморегуляцию [9,10], определенный уровень развития межнейрональных связей, что будет влиять в первую очередь на характеристики внимания и памяти [11], развитие речевых навыков в дошкольном периоде [12][13][14], наличие психических отклонений [15], влияние детско-родительских отношений и характеристик семьи [16], пребывание ребенка в дошкольном возрасте в организованном коллективе. ...
... Studies have supported several aspects of validity for the ECI's primary variables in large samples of young children, most of whom attended Early Head Start and a few of whom had a disability (i.e., had Individualized Family Service Plans; Greenwood et al., 2006Greenwood et al., , 2010Greenwood et al., , 2019Luze et al., 2001). Support for the psychometric properties of the ECI's primary variables, including construct validity (Greenwood et al., 2006(Greenwood et al., , 2013Luze et al., 2001), criterion validity (Greenwood et al., 2019;Luze et al., 2001), sensitivity to change Greenwood et al., 2002Greenwood et al., , 2003Greenwood et al., , 2004, and treatment validity (i.e., identifying intervention effects; Buzhardt et al., 2018) has been demonstrated. Although vocalizations are one of the communicative behaviors included in the set of primary variables examined in the prior validity studies, no studies have examined the short-term test-retest reliability of the selected vocal variables of interest in the current study. ...
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The Early Communication Indicator (ECI) was designed to measure expressive communication progress in young children. We evaluated using the 6-min ECI procedure for a new purpose-a sampling context for stable measures of vocal development of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We evaluated how many ECI sessions were required to adequately stabilize estimates of volubility, communicative use, and phonological complexity of vocalizations at two periods (average of 10 months apart). Participants included 83 young children with ASD (M age = 23.33 months). At study initiation, two phonological complexity variables required two sessions; other variables required three. At study endpoint, all variables required fewer sessions. Findings support the feasibility and stability of using the ECI for the new purpose.
... The rate of symbolic communication acts was calculated by dividing the number of symbolic communication acts by the total session time. Communication rate was chosen as the secondary outcome and used to assess generalization because (a) it represents the frequency with which children communicate expressively and symbolically; (b) the frequency of prelinguistic and early symbolic communication acts significantly predicts language growth in children with developmental delays (Brady, Marquis, Fleming, & McLean, 2004;Calandrella & Wilcox, 2000;Yoder & Warren, 2004); (c) young children with DS have lower rates of early symbol use than their typically developing peers (Romano, Kaiser, Lounds-Taylor, & Woods, 2019); (d) it is a quick, reliable, and valid measure of expressive communication growth (Greenwood et al., 2013); and (e) it is a communication behavior sensitive to change following AAC-MOD interventions . ...
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Purpose This study evaluated the effect of aided augmentative and alternative communication modeling (AAC-MOD) on the communication skills of children with Down syndrome (DS) during small group dialogic reading. Method Four children with DS between 3;1 and 5;3 (years;months; M = 4;5) and 5 typically developing peers between 3;5 and 5;9 (M = 4;3) participated. Effects were examined using a multiple probe across behaviors design with 4 children with DS. To simulate typical dialogic reading routines in inclusive classrooms, a strategy called Read, Ask, Answer, Prompt (Binger, Kent-Walsh, Ewing, & Taylor, 2010) was applied during the baseline and intervention sessions. Results A functional relation was demonstrated between (a) AAC-MOD and percentage of correctly identified symbols for 3 participants, (b) AAC-MOD and rate of symbolic communication for 2 participants, and (c) AAC-MOD and number of different words for 2 participants. Increases in number of multiple word combinations occurred for 2 participants. All 4 children maintained their percentage of correctly identified symbols. Increases in rate of symbolic communication did not generalize to thematic play contexts, a distal measure of response generalization. Conclusion AAC-MOD is an effective strategy for teaching target vocabulary and increasing rate of symbolic communication in young children with DS. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.10093538
... Большая значимость придается изучению речевых и коммуникативных навыков, в числе которых оценивают сроки появления первых слов, фраз и предложений, а также прогресс развития речевых навыков в дошкольном периоде. Развитие речи и мышления относят к основным индикаторам интеллектуальной готовности к школе [9]. ...
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The article presents the results of the analysis of modern (from 2011 to the present) foreign sources on school maladjustment as an interdisciplinary medical and psychological problem. The urgency of the problem is aggravated against the background of global socio-economic and technological changes that determine the lifestyle and behavior of younger schoolchildren at school and in the family. Taking into account the prospects for the growth of the influence of these factors, the article presents a systematic assessment of modern possibilities for diagnosing, compensating, and correcting disorders to adapt to primary school education for pupils in primary schools based on the results of studying advanced domestic and foreign experience. The analysis showed an increase in the number of modern methods, including with the participation of specialists from various specialties, including psychiatrists, psychologists and teachers, as well as with the active involvement of the families of schoolchildren. It is noted that the validity of the methods is not always at the proper level. Based on the analysis, it was concluded that an interdisciplinary approach is appropriate both in assessing risk and eliminating the causes of school maladjustment, as well as in dealing with its consequences. The prospect of introducing an appropriate approach assumes the project «Healthy Future» on the territory of Nizhny Novgorod.
... The impact of combined risk factors on communication development revealed that an infant was at greatest risk (39% probability) of developing a communication delay when: (1) mothers were between the ages of 18 and 29 years; (2) the parents own their own home; and (3) there are three or more children in the household. This information might allow primary healthcare workers, on the platform of communityoriented primary care, 36 to identify infants at highest risk of communication delays in underserved communities in South Africa. ...
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Background: For optimal development young children need warm, responsive, enriched and communicative environments for learning social, language, and other skills. Infants and toddlers exposed to psychosocial risk lack enriched environments and may present with communication delays. Aim: To investigate the relationship between psychosocial risks and communication delays in infants from underserved communities in South Africa. Setting: Primary healthcare facilities in Tshwane district, South Africa. Methods: A parent interview and Rossetti Infant Toddler Language Scales were used to collect data from caregivers of 201 infants aged 6–12 months, selected through convenience sampling. Associations between communication delays and risks were determined (Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests). A log-linear model analysis was used to model the simultaneous effect of significant risks on the probability of having communication delays. Results: Communication delays were present in 13% of infants. Infants with two or more siblings, born from mothers aged 18–29 years who own their house, had a 39% chance of presenting with communication delays. Conclusion: Developmental screening and early intervention is important in primary healthcare contexts in South Africa, as a clear relationship has been established between three risk factors and communication delays in infants.
... The impact of combined risk factors on communication development revealed that an infant was at greatest risk (39% probability) of developing a communication delay when: (1) mothers were between the ages of 18 and 29 years; (2) the parents own their own home; and (3) there are three or more children in the household. This information might allow primary healthcare workers, on the platform of communityoriented primary care, 36 to identify infants at highest risk of communication delays in underserved communities in South Africa. ...
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Background: For optimal development young children need warm, responsive, enriched and communicative environments for learning social, language, and other skills. Infants and toddlers exposed to psychosocial risk lack enriched environments and may present with communication delays. Aim: To investigate the relationship between psychosocial risks and communication delays in infants from underserved communities in South Africa. Setting: Primary healthcare facilities in Tshwane district, South Africa. Methods: A parent interview and Rossetti Infant Toddler Language Scales were used to collect data from caregivers of 201 infants aged 6-12 months, selected through convenience sampling. Associations between communication delays and risks were determined (Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests). A log-linear model analysis was used to model the simultaneous effect of significant risks on the probability of having communication delays. Results: Communication delays were present in 13% of infants. Infants with two or more siblings, born from mothers aged 18-29 years who own their house, had a 39% chance of presenting with communication delays. Conclusion: Developmental screening and early intervention is important in primary healthcare contexts in South Africa, as a clear relationship has been established between three risk factors and communication delays in infants.
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Chapter
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Conduct disorder typically develops in a context of multiple determinants. Parent and child characteristics, the dynamics of the interaction between the parent and child, and how that interaction is impacted by economic, cultural, and social circumstances of the family are determinants in the development of a conduct disorder. Critical factors for successful preventive intervention for conduct disorder include early identification of children at risk, intervention in multiple contexts, teaching developmentally appropriate skills, and longitudinal intervention with continued maintenance and transition support. This article discusses the issues and challenges inherent in prevention research, including challenges in recruiting and working with parents who are stressed by the effects of poverty, designing appropriate interventions for young children, and using outcome measures that reflect developmental continuities, subject attrition, and fidelity of treatment.
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The term “dynamic” is broadly defined as a pattern of change. Many scientists have searched for dynamics by calculating df/dt: the ratio of changes or differences d in a function f relative to changes in time t.This simple dynamic equation was used in the 16th and 17th century motion experiments of Galileo, in the 17th and 18th century gravitation experiments of Newton, and in the 19th century experiments of many physicists and chemists (see Morris, 1985). I also use this dynamic equation, but here I examine multivariate psychological change data using the 20th century developments of latent variable structural equation modeling.
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We illustrate testing measurement invariance in a second-order factor model using a quality of life dataset (n = 924). Measurement invariance was tested across 2 groups at a set of hierarchically structured levels: (a) configural invariance, (b) first-order factor loadings, (c) second-order factor loadings, (d) intercepts of measured variables, (e) intercepts of first-order factors, (f) disturbances of first-order factors, and (g) residual variances of observed variables. Given that measurement invariance at the factor loading and intercept levels was achieved, the latent factor mean difference on the higher order factor between the groups was also estimated. The analyses were performed on the mean and covariance structures within the framework of the confirmatory factor analysis using the LISREL 8.51 program. Implications of second-order factor models and measurement invariance in psychological research were discussed.
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Conventional wisdom in missing data research dictates adding variables to the missing data model when those variables are predictive of (a) missingness and (b) the variables containing missingness. However, it has recently been shown that adding variables that are correlated with variables containing missingness, whether or not they are related to missingness, can substantially improve estimation (bias and efficiency). Including large numbers of these "auxiliary" variables is straightforward for researchers who use multiple imputation. However, what is the researcher to do if 1 of the full-information maximum likelihood (FIML)/structural equation modeling (SEM) procedures is the analysis of choice? This article suggests 2 models for SEM analysis with missing data, and presents simulation results to show that both models provide estimation that is clearly as good as analysis with the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm, and by extension, multiple imputation. One of these models, the saturated correlates model, also provides good estimates of model fit. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Article
A Monte Carlo simulation examined the performance of 4 missing data methods in structural equation models: full information maximum likelihood (FIML), listwise deletion, pairwise deletion, and similar response pattern imputation. The effects of 3 independent variables were examined (factor loading magnitude, sample size, and missing data rate) on 4 outcome measures: convergence failures, parameter estimate bias, parameter estimate efficiency, and model goodness of fit. Results indicated that FIML estimation was superior across all conditions of the design. Under ignorable missing data conditions (missing completely at random and missing at random), FIML estimates were unbiased and more efficient than the other methods. In addition, FIML yielded the lowest proportion of convergence failures and provided near-optimal Type 1 error rates across both simulations.
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Premises of the Developmental Intervention ModelFostering Prelinguistic Communication DevelopmentFostering Language Growth in At-Risk ChildrenConclusion AcknowledgmentsReferences
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Emergent literacy consists of the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that are developmental precursors to reading and writing. This article offers a preliminary typology of children's emergent literacy skills, a review of the evidence that relates emergent literacy to reading, and a review of the evidence for linkage between children's emergent literacy environments and the development of emergent literacy skills. We propose that emergent literacy consists of at least two distinct domains: inside-out skills (e.g., phonological awareness, letter knowledge) and outside-in skills (e.g., language, conceptual knowledge). These different domains are not the product of the same experiences and appear to be influential at different points in time during reading acquisition. Whereas outside-in skills are associated with those aspects of children's literacy environments typically measured, little is known about the origins of inside-out skills. Evidence from interventions to enhance emergent literacy suggests that relatively intensive and multifaceted interventions are needed to improve reading achievement maximally. A number of successful preschool interventions for outside-in skills exist, and computer-based tasks designed to teach children inside-out skills seem promising. Future research directions include more sophisticated multidimensional examination of emergent literacy skills and environments, better integration with reading research, and longer-term evaluation of preschool interventions. Policy implications for emergent literacy intervention and reading education are discussed.