Reciprocal influences of caregiver language facilitation strategies and child characteristics on caregiver-child interactions

Caregiver-implemented interventions have been shown to have a positive impact on child language outcomes. While caregiver language facilitation strategies play a major role in this, an unanswered question is what specific strategies are tied to improvements in child language and what mechanisms drive this change. As a first step in understanding this, the current study examined the baseline caregiver-child interactions (CCXs) of caregivers and their 30-month-old children at risk for developmental language disorder (DLD) prior to an intensive, research-based intervention. By bringing together the transactional model of development and empirical evidence on language facilitation strategies, I examined associations between child factors and caregiver use of language facilitation strategies and, in turn, how these strategies influenced children’s real time communication. Dyads (N = 105) were participants in the Enhanced Milieu Teaching-Sentence Focused clinical trial. Behavioral assessments, caregiver report measures, and CCXs were collected when children were approximately 30 months of age. CCXs were transcribed and coded for four caregiver language facilitation strategies and child communication variables. LASSO regression and post-selection inference indicated that caregiver report measures of children’s vocabulary and temper loss behaviors were significantly associated with the frequency of caregiver strategy use within the CCXs. LASSO regression and post-selection inference also indicated that child communication within the CCXs was associated with both the frequency and type of strategies caregivers used. Namely, children’s overall communication acts were significantly associated with caregiver use of vocabulary strategies, while children’s vocabulary diversity was significantly associated with caregiver use of sentence strategies. Mixed-effects logistic regression demonstrated that all four caregiver strategies significantly increased children’s likelihood of spontaneous imitation on their next turn. These findings reveal that, prior to intervention, caregivers and children reciprocally shape their language environment. This supports a transactional perspective and warrants further consideration of reciprocal influences when assessing the impact of caregiver-implemented interventions.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Speech & Hearing Science

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Harrington, Emily K

Contributors dc:contributor

• Hadley, Pamela
• Mattie, Laura
• McKenna, Meaghan
• Kaiser, Ann

• caregiver child interactions
• early intervention
• speech language pathology
• language sample analysis
• observational data
• naturalistic interactions
• transactional model of development
• language facilitation strategy
• caregiver implemented
• child language

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Emily K. Harrington

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129240

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F129240