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Sun H, Tan J, Chen W. COVID-19 and bilingual children's home language environment: Digital media, socioeconomic status, and language status. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1115108. [PMID: 37397337 PMCID: PMC10313223 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1115108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Input is considered crucial in bilingual children's language development. This is especially true for bilingual children's mother tongue language learning given its common reduction in input opportunities due to the dominance of one language within society, as seen in countries and regions from Wales to Singapore. Previous studies tend to focus on the quantity and quality of conventional active communication and resources (e.g., speaking and reading with parents) on bilingual children's language development, and substantially, fewer studies have explored this topic from the perspective of digital media. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated the critical role of digital media in various aspects of life, including bilingual children's home language environment. Thus, to holistically understand bilingual children's daily language input patterns, it is imperative to explore both their conventional and digital media input resources. The current study focuses on English-Mandarin bilingual children in Singapore and would like to explore (1) whether their conventional and digital media language environments have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) whether the societal status of a language and familial socioeconomic status (SES) would affect bilingual children's conventional and digital media input. Survey data from 162 parents of English-Mandarin bilingual preschoolers (3 to 6 years old) were used to explore the two research questions. Two online parental questionnaires were employed for data collection. One-way repeated-measures MANOVA and path models were used to address the questions. The results indicated that input patterns from nuclear family members had not been affected by COVID-19; however, the amount and frequency of conventional and digital media materials and activities increased significantly since COVID-19. Higher-SES families possessed more conventional materials and conducted conventional activities more often, while lower-SES families possessed more digital media materials. Both conventional and digital media materials and activities were richer in English than in Mandarin. Higher-SES families perceived digital media usage for learning to be of less importance than lower-SES families. The implications for early bilingual learning following COVID-19 are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Sun
- National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Justina Tan
- School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Wenli Chen
- National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
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Ma Y, Jonsson L, Feng T, Weisberg T, Shao T, Yao Z, Zhang D, Dill SE, Guo Y, Zhang Y, Friesen D, Rozelle S. Variations in the Home Language Environment and Early Language Development in Rural China. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021; 18:2671. [PMID: 33800901 PMCID: PMC7967512 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18052671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The home language environment is critical to early language development and subsequent skills. However, few studies have quantitatively measured the home language environment in low-income, developing settings. This study explores variations in the home language environment and child language skills among households in poor rural villages in northwestern China. Audio recordings were collected for 38 children aged 20-28 months and analyzed using Language Environment Analysis (LENA) software; language skills were measured using the MacArthur-Bates Mandarin Communicative Developmental Inventories expressive vocabulary scale. The results revealed large variability in both child language skills and home language environment measures (adult words, conversational turns, and child vocalizations) with 5- to 6-fold differences between the highest and lowest scores. Despite variation, however, the average number of adult words and conversational turns were lower than found among urban Chinese children. Correlation analyses did not identify significant correlations between demographic characteristics and the home language environment. However, the results do indicate significant correlations between the home language environment and child language skills, with conversational turns showing the strongest correlation. The results point to a need for further research on language engagement and ways to increase parent-child interactions to improve early language development among young children in rural China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Ma
- Rural Education Action Program, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305-6055, USA; (Y.M.); (L.J.); (T.W.); (T.S.); (Z.Y.); (D.Z.); (S.-E.D.); (Y.G.); (D.F.); (S.R.)
| | - Laura Jonsson
- Rural Education Action Program, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305-6055, USA; (Y.M.); (L.J.); (T.W.); (T.S.); (Z.Y.); (D.Z.); (S.-E.D.); (Y.G.); (D.F.); (S.R.)
| | - Tianli Feng
- School of Management and Economics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Tyler Weisberg
- Rural Education Action Program, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305-6055, USA; (Y.M.); (L.J.); (T.W.); (T.S.); (Z.Y.); (D.Z.); (S.-E.D.); (Y.G.); (D.F.); (S.R.)
| | - Teresa Shao
- Rural Education Action Program, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305-6055, USA; (Y.M.); (L.J.); (T.W.); (T.S.); (Z.Y.); (D.Z.); (S.-E.D.); (Y.G.); (D.F.); (S.R.)
| | - Zixin Yao
- Rural Education Action Program, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305-6055, USA; (Y.M.); (L.J.); (T.W.); (T.S.); (Z.Y.); (D.Z.); (S.-E.D.); (Y.G.); (D.F.); (S.R.)
| | - Dongming Zhang
- Rural Education Action Program, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305-6055, USA; (Y.M.); (L.J.); (T.W.); (T.S.); (Z.Y.); (D.Z.); (S.-E.D.); (Y.G.); (D.F.); (S.R.)
| | - Sarah-Eve Dill
- Rural Education Action Program, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305-6055, USA; (Y.M.); (L.J.); (T.W.); (T.S.); (Z.Y.); (D.Z.); (S.-E.D.); (Y.G.); (D.F.); (S.R.)
| | - Yian Guo
- Rural Education Action Program, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305-6055, USA; (Y.M.); (L.J.); (T.W.); (T.S.); (Z.Y.); (D.Z.); (S.-E.D.); (Y.G.); (D.F.); (S.R.)
| | - Yue Zhang
- Child Health Care Department, National Center for Women and Children’s Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100081, China;
| | - Dimitris Friesen
- Rural Education Action Program, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305-6055, USA; (Y.M.); (L.J.); (T.W.); (T.S.); (Z.Y.); (D.Z.); (S.-E.D.); (Y.G.); (D.F.); (S.R.)
| | - Scott Rozelle
- Rural Education Action Program, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305-6055, USA; (Y.M.); (L.J.); (T.W.); (T.S.); (Z.Y.); (D.Z.); (S.-E.D.); (Y.G.); (D.F.); (S.R.)
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Abstract
Parents play an essential role in supporting child development by providing a safe home, proper nutrition, and rich educational opportunities. In this article we focus on the role of caregiver speech in supporting development of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We review studies from typically developing children and children with autism showing that rich and responsive caregiver speech supports language development. Autism intervention studies that target caregiver speech are reviewed as are recent scientific advances from studies of typical development. The strengths and weakness of different techniques for collecting language data from caregivers and children are reviewed, and natural language samples are recommended as best practice for language research in autism. We conclude that caregivers play a powerful role in shaping their children's development and encourage researchers to adapt parent-mediated intervention studies to acknowledge individual differences in parents by using a personalized medicine approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan R Swanson
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, TX, USA
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Sun H. Home Environment, Bilingual Preschooler's Receptive Mother Tongue Language Outcomes, and Social-Emotional and Behavioral Skills: One Stone for Two Birds? Front Psychol 2019; 10:1640. [PMID: 31379675 PMCID: PMC6646412 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The current study seeks to illustrate the relationships between child bilinguals' mother tongue language (MTL) exposure and reading activities at home, children's receptive MTL proficiency, and their socio-emotional and behavioral skills (SEBS). Data from 202 Singapore preschoolers (4-5 years old) who are learning English and Mandarin were analyzed. A parental questionnaire and standard Mandarin tests (i.e., receptive vocabulary, receptive grammar) were used to assess children's Mandarin language-literacy environment at home, as well as their receptive language skills in Mandarin. Children's SEBS were evaluated with the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) (parental version). A series of variables which might influence SEBS and MTL proficiency (e.g., gender and SES) were controlled and SEMs were used to conduct data analysis. Results demonstrated that both Mandarin language and literacy environmental factors are related to children's receptive language outcomes in Mandarin, while only literacy environmental factors associate with children's difficulty level, and prosocial skills. This suggests that good parental support in bilingual children's MTL literacy should be promoted not only for the sake of their early language development but also because of the potential benefits to their social emotional wellbeing.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Sun
- National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
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Swanson MR, Donovan K, Paterson S, Wolff JJ, Parish-Morris J, Meera SS, Watson LR, Estes AM, Marrus N, Elison JT, Shen MD, McNeilly HB, MacIntyre L, Zwaigenbaum L, St John T, Botteron K, Dager S, Piven J. Early language exposure supports later language skills in infants with and without autism. Autism Res 2019; 12:1784-1795. [PMID: 31254329 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The way that parents communicate with their typically developing infants is associated with later infant language development. Here we aim to show that these associations are observed in infants subsequently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study had three groups: high-familial-risk infants who did not have ASD (n = 46); high-familial-risk infants who had ASD (n = 14); and low-familial-risk infants who exhibited typical development (n = 36). All-day home language recordings were collected at 9 and 15 months, and language skills were assessed at 24 months. Across all infants in the study, including those with ASD, a richer home language environment (e.g., hearing more adult words and experiencing more conversational turns) at 9 and 15 months was associated with better language skills. Higher parental educational attainment was associated with a richer home language environment. Mediation analyses showed that the effect of education on child language skills was explained by the richness of the home language environment. Exploratory analyses revealed that typically developing infants experience an increase in caregiver-child conversational turns across 9-15 months, a pattern not seen in children with ASD. The current study shows that parent behavior during the earliest stages of life can have a significant impact on later development, highlighting the home language environment as means to support development in infants with ASD. Autism Res 2019, 12: 1784-1795. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: It has long been understood that caregiver speech supports language skills in typically developing infants. In this study, parents of infants who were later diagnosed with ASD and parents of infants in the control groups completed all-day home language recordings. We found that for all infants in our study, those who heard more caregiver speech had better language skills later in life. Parental education level was also related to how much caregiver speech an infant experienced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan R Swanson
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas.,Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities (CIDD), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Kevin Donovan
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Sarah Paterson
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Jason J Wolff
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Julia Parish-Morris
- Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Shoba S Meera
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities (CIDD), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Linda R Watson
- Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Annette M Estes
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Natasha Marrus
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Jed T Elison
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Mark D Shen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Heidi B McNeilly
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities (CIDD), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Leigh MacIntyre
- McGill Center for Integrative Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Lonnie Zwaigenbaum
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.,Autism Research Centre (E209), Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Tanya St John
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Kelly Botteron
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri.,Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Stephen Dager
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Joseph Piven
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities (CIDD), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.,Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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Zhou V, Munson JA, Greenson J, Hou Y, Rogers S, Estes AM. An exploratory longitudinal study of social and language outcomes in children with autism in bilingual home environments. Autism 2017; 23:394-404. [PMID: 29237275 DOI: 10.1177/1362361317743251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Little is known about outcomes of early intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder reared in bilingual homes. There are concerns that social communication deficits among children with autism spectrum disorder may reduce the developmental benefits of early intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder raised in bilingual environments. We conducted an exploratory analysis of cross-sectional and longitudinal data from a larger study to explore associations between home language environment and language ability and social skills in response to early autism spectrum disorder intervention. Participants, aged 12-26 months when recruited, were a subset of a larger 2-year, randomized intervention trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00698997). Children from bilingual homes ( n = 13) began intervention with lower gesture use but otherwise demonstrated equal baseline language and social abilities as compared with age and nonverbal IQ-matched children from monolingual homes ( n = 24). Significant language growth was exhibited by children from both language groups and there was no moderating effect of home language environment. The bilingual home group demonstrated increased gesture use over the course of intervention as compared with the monolingual home group. Preliminary data revealed no basis for concerns regarding negative impact of a bilingual home environment on language or social development in young children with autism spectrum disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Yan Hou
- 2 Harbin Medical University School of Public Health, China
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