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Late-talking toddlers: MLU and IPSyn outcomes at 3;0 and 4;0

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 November 2000

LESLIE RESCORLA ,
KATHERINE DAHLSGAARD  and
JULIE ROBERTS
LESLIE RESCORLA
Affiliation:
Bryn Mawr College
KATHERINE DAHLSGAARD
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania
JULIE ROBERTS
Affiliation:
University of Vermont
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Abstract

Expressive language outcomes measured by MLU and the Index of Productive Syntax (IPSyn) at ages 3;0 and 4;0 were investigated in 34 late talkers with normal receptive language identified between 2;0 to 2;7 and 16 typically developing comparison children matched on age, SES, and nonverbal ability. Late talkers made greater gains than comparison children between 3;0 and 4;0 in both MLU and IPSyn raw score. However, when age-standardized z-scores were analysed, the late talkers were about 2·5 standard deviations below comparison children on both measures at both ages. At 3;0, 41% of the late talkers had MLUs above the 10th percentile based on Scarborough's (1990) benchmark sample; by 4;0, 71% did so. Using the IPSyn, a more stringent measure, 34% scored above the 10th percentile at 3;0 and only 29% did so at 4;0. MLU was significantly correlated with the IPSyn at both ages for the late talkers, but only at 3;0 for the comparison children. A converging set of regression analyses indicated no group differences in the predictive relationship between MLU and IPSyn, suggesting that the late talkers were delayed on both measures but not deviant in their development.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Child Language , Volume 27 , Issue 3 , October 2000 , pp. 643 - 664
Copyright
© 2000 Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

This research was supported by grants to the first author from the Bryn Mawr College Faculty Research Fund and from the National Institutes of Health (NICHD Area Grant 1-R15-HD22355-01; NIDCD R01-DC00807). The authors are indebted to Hollis Scarborough for her generous consultation and wish to thank the parents and children whose participation made this research possible.