The Predictability of Naturalistic Evaluation of All-Day Recordings for Speech and Language Development

Abstract

Objectives: The study aimed to investigate the predictive potential of language environment and vocal development status measures obtained through integrated analysis of Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) recordings during the prelinguistic stage for subsequent speech and language development in Korean-acquiring children. Specifically, this study explored whether measures from both LENA-automated analysis and human coding at 6–8 months and 12–14 months of age predict vocabulary and phonological development at 18–20 months. Method: One-day home recordings from 20 children were collected using a LENA recorder at 6–8 months, 12–14 months, and 18–20 months. Both LENA-automated measures and measures from human coding were obtained from recordings at 6–8 months and 12–14 months. The number of different words, consonant inventory, and utterance structure inventory were identified from recordings of 18–20 months. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were performed to investigate whether measures related to early language environment and child vocalization at 6–8 months and 12–14 months were predictive of vocabulary and phonological measures at 18–20 months. Results: The results showed that the two main LENA-automated measures, conversational turn count (CTC) and child vocalization count, were positively correlated with all vocabulary and phonological measures at 18–20 months. Multiple regression analysis revealed that CTC during the prelinguistic stages was the most significant predictor of a number of different words, consonant inventory, and utterance structure inventory at 18–20 months. Also, adult word count in LENA-automated measures, child-directed speech ratio, and canonical babbling ratio measured by human coding significantly predicted some vocabulary and phonological measures at 18–20 months. Conclusion: This study highlights the multifaceted nature of language acquisition and collectively emphasizes the value of considering both quantitative and qualitative aspects of language input to understand early language development in children.