Exploring the impact of a co-designed shared book reading environment for families in a community hub.

BACKGROUND: Evidence supports the effectiveness of shared book reading for promoting language and literacy development, but it is known that families experiencing vulnerability may have reduced access to books and are less likely to share books regularly at home. Community hubs often provide support to families experiencing vulnerability and may provide an opportunity to create environments that support families to engage in shared book reading, especially if families are invited into the creation of these environments through co-design. However, there is currently little evidence regarding the impact of co-designing shared book reading environments with families in community settings. AIMS: The current study is part of a broader project which used co-design to develop a shared book reading environment in collaboration with stakeholders in a community hub. This small-scale study aimed to provide a preliminary evaluation of the impact of this co-designed shared book reading environment at the community hub on (1) the frequency of shared book reading at the hub; (2) participants' confidence and enjoyment of reading with children at the hub; and (3) participants' experiences of shared book reading at the hub. METHOD & PROCEDURES: The co-design project was carried out in four phases with families, staff and community partners at the community hub. A convergent mixed-methods approach was used to collect and analyse quantitative and qualitative data in the first and last phase of the project to evaluate project outcomes. Quantitative data (environmental observations of reading at the hub and participant ratings of confidence and enjoyment of reading with children at the hub) were analysed using descriptive statistics and nonparametric statistical tests. Qualitative data (participants' responses regarding their experiences of changes implemented in the community hub) were analysed using inductive content analysis. OUTCOME & RESULTS: An increased frequency of shared book reading was observed within the community hub after changes were implemented, and positive changes in enjoyment of book reading were recorded. Qualitative responses from participants following conclusion of the project were organised into three main categories, which showed that (1) children and families were reading more and enjoying reading activities that were happening; (2) children and families were borrowing more books; and (3) families had changed the way they were reading at home with their children. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: A co-designed shared book reading environment within a community hub had a positive impact on shared book reading experiences for families in areas with high levels of vulnerability. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on this subject Community hubs provide a unique opportunity to support early language and literacy development in partnership with families in areas of vulnerability; however, there is limited literature investigating the impacts of these supports. A previous study utilised co-design to develop a shared book reading environment with stakeholders at a community hub in an area where a high proportion of children are considered to be 'vulnerable' in terms of language and literacy development. It was found that co-design enabled the development of collaborative changes to support shared book reading that were valued and owned by families, staff and community partners at the community hub. What this study adds The current study focused on evaluating the impact of a co-design project on the frequency of shared book reading at the hub and participants' experiences, confidence and enjoyment of reading with children at the hub. Analysis of pre- and post-data provide preliminary evidence that a co-designed shared book reading environment in a community hub can have a positive impact on increasing families' awareness and engagement with book borrowing, engagement in shared book reading activities in the community and at home, and participants' confidence and enjoyment of reading with children. What are the clinical implications of this work? Speech pathologists have an important role to play in prevention and promotion. This study has shown that collaboration with families experiencing vulnerability can support the implementation of strategies to promote shared reading in a community hub and demonstrate increased quality and frequency of shared book reading. The utilisation of a community hub also highlights the opportunities for the speech pathology profession to deliver community-based promotion and prevention initiatives as a strategy to address equitable language outcomes.

Living the first years in a pandemic: children's linguistic development and related factors in and out of the COVID-19 lockdowns.

This retrospective study provides insights on linguistic development in exceptional circumstances assessing 378 children (between 2;6 and 3;6) who lived their first years during the COVID-19 pandemic and comparing it with normative data collected before this period (CDI-III-PT; Cadime et al., 2021). It investigates the extent to which linguistic development was modulated by a complex set of factors, including sex, maternal education, book reading, language-promoting practices, COVID-19 infection, parental stress and sleeping problems, considering three periods (during lockdowns, out of lockdowns and at present). The results show a substantial negative effect of the pandemic on both lexical and syntactic development. Considering individual variation, structural equation modelling unveiled a complex scenario in which age, sex, book reading, language-promoting practices, sleeping problems and COVID-19 infection showed a direct effect on linguistic development. Maternal education and parental stress had an indirect effect on children's language, mediated by book reading and sleeping problems, respectively.

Chinese mothers use idioms in shared book reading: A predictor for children's Chinese vocabulary growth?

Idioms play an important role in language; however, little research has examined idioms in children's natural language settings. This study explored idioms usage in maternal talk during mother-child shared book reading and its relation to children's vocabulary development. Thirty-three Chinese children in Norway (aged 3;0-5;5) and their mothers participated. We observed shared reading at the onset of the study and assessed children's receptive and expressive vocabulary in Chinese three times across one year. Results demonstrated that mothers used an average of 1.8 idioms and explained one-third of the idioms. Maternal idiom usage was correlated with their talk amount and lexical diversity. Individual growth modeling revealed that the number of idioms mothers used predicted the growth of children's receptive vocabulary in Chinese. We speculate that idiom usage could be an effective and understudied marker of parental linguistic sophistication. This study underscores the importance of idiom exposure in children's language environment.

Contributions of shared book reading to children's learning of new semantic facts through memory integration.

Young children rapidly learn facts about the world. One mechanism supporting knowledge acquisition is memory integration: derivation of new knowledge by combining separate, yet related facts accumulated over time. There are both developmental changes and individual differences in young children's learning through memory integration. However, there is little research on how everyday social interactions may promote memory integration and contribute to individual differences. Accordingly, we investigated how the everyday social interactions of caregiver-child shared book reading support 5- to 6-year-olds' memory integration (N = 82 parent-child dyads; 47 female children; M age 6.10; 56.5% White non-Latinx, 15% Black, 6% White Latinx, 5.5% Asian, 17% more than one race). Caregivers read a narrative book that included opportunities to integrate facts. Half the dyads were assigned to an embedded questions condition (questions on facts included throughout the book) and half to a no embedded questions condition (statements only). We measured dyads' extratextual talk while reading for the extent to which they integrated the facts (integration talk). Children's learning was tested with both memory integration and fact recall questions. Dyads in the embedded questions condition had more integration talk. The extent to which the dyads integrated while reading predicted children's integration performance, above and beyond condition effects. This effect was specific to memory integration: integration talk nor condition accounted for fact recall. These results suggest that shared book reading can support young children's integration, especially when books engage dyads through embedded questions and dyads integrate facts while reading.

Embedding key word sign prompts in a shared book reading activity: The impact on communication between children with Down syndrome and their parents.

BACKGROUND: Children with Down syndrome have speech and language difficulties that are disproportionate to their overall intellectual ability and relative strengths in the use of gesture. Shared book reading between parents and their children provides an effective context in which language development can be facilitated. However, children with Down syndrome often take a passive role in shared book reading and the use of key word signing (KWS) as a shared book reading technique has never been investigated. AIMS: This study aimed to compare children with Down syndrome's participation and use of KWS across two methods of shared book reading - one in which a book had key-word sign prompts embedded (signed condition) and the other in which a book was read as normal (unsigned condition). Measures of child and parent communicative behaviour were taken in each condition to establish if differences emerged. METHODS & PROCEDURES: A total of 36 children with Down syndrome (aged between 18 and 61 months) and their mothers took part in the study. Parent-child dyads were videoed at home reading two books, one in a signed and one in an unsigned condition. Child measures included total number of signs produced in each condition and levels of attention and initiation as measured by the Pivotal Behaviour Rating Scale. Parent measures included total number of utterances, mean length of utterance (MLU) in morphemes and vocabulary diversity (VOCD). Parental measures were transcribed using the Codes for Human Analysis Transcripts (CHAT) software and analysed by the Computerised Language Analysis software (CLAN). Contrasts in outcomes between the signed and unsigned conditions were estimated using Poisson and linear mixed-effects models, determined by the type of data. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: Results showed that children attempted to sign significantly more in the signed than unsigned condition, as well as showing significant increases in their levels of attention and initiation. There was also a significant increase in the total number of utterances used by parents in the signed versus unsigned condition and a decrease in MLU. VOCD was similar in both conditions. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: This study shows that the simple act of embedding key word signs into commercially available books, during shared book reading between parents and young children with Down syndrome, positively affects children's participation (initiation and attention) and use of KWS. The use of KWS as a core shared book reading technique may therefore be a fruitful avenue to facilitate growth in the language abilities of young children with Down syndrome. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on this subject Most children with Down syndrome have significant speech and language difficulties, with relative strengths in the use of gesture. Shared book reading is an activity reported to positively affect language. However, children with Down syndrome are reported to take a passive role in shared book reading and are therefore more dependent on their parents to use techniques that facilitate their levels of participation, in order to maximise potential benefits. To the best of our knowledge, the communicative effects of embedding key word signing (KWS) in shared book reading have never been examined with children with Down syndrome. What this paper adds to existing knowledge This is the first study to investigate the communicative impact of parents embedding KWS in a shared book reading activity with their young children with Down syndrome. Our findings show that this relatively simple manipulation resulted in Increase in children's sign attempts. Increase in children's overall participation in shared book reading (indicated by levels of attention and initiation). Increase in the number of utterances produced by parents (primarily as a result of repetitions). Decrease in parental mean length of utterance. These findings suggest that embedding KWS in shared book reading is likely to facilitate increased language abilities in this cohort. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Shared book reading is part of the daily routine for many parents and their children with Down syndrome. Integrating KWS is a relatively simple adaptation to this activity which is likely to enhance children's language skills. Therapists can encourage parents to do this at home to support work carried out at school and in a clinical setting.

Children's engagement and caregivers' use of language-boosting strategies during shared book reading: A mixed methods approach.

For shared book reading to be effective for language development, the adult and child need to be highly engaged. The current paper adopted a mixed-methods approach to investigate caregiver's language-boosting behaviours and children's engagement during shared book reading. The results revealed there were more instances of joint attention and caregiver's use of prompts during moments of higher engagement. However, instances of most language-boosting behaviours were similar across episodes of higher and lower engagement. Qualitative analysis assessing the link between children's engagement and caregiver's use of speech acts, revealed that speech acts do seem to contribute to high engagement, in combination with other aspects of the interaction.

Assessing the Quantity and Quality of Language Used by Mothers and Fathers of Children with Down Syndrome During Shared Book Reading.

Young children with Down syndrome (DS) have language delays beginning early in life. Book reading with parents provides a context for capitalizing on language learning opportunities. This study evaluated the quantity and quality of language input among mothers and fathers of young children with DS during book reading interactions and investigated associations with child language. Findings revealed that mothers were more talkative and used more descriptive language, whereas fathers spent more time reading the book text. Moreover, maternal and paternal input were correlated with different measures of child language, suggesting that mothers and fathers may use divergent approaches to support language development.

Assessing Generalization During Professional Development in Child Care: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Early childhood care and education providers provide instruction to diverse learners, including children with developmental delays, but often lack training in the use of evidence-based instructional strategies to support children's meaningful learning engagement. This preliminary study examined effects of the Early Achievements for Child Care Providers professional development program with and without generalization training on center-based child care providers (N = 12). Outcomes assessed included providers' implementation fidelity, knowledge, and self-efficacy as well as children's (N = 43) social-communication skills and engagement in shared book reading. Results demonstrated that providers trained in a generalization context made larger gains in implementation fidelity in a generalization context; no other significant between-group differences were found for providers. Children in both groups made comparable, significant gains. Findings suggest that explicit generalization training is needed for providers to achieve fidelity when transferring newly learned evidence-based practices to additional classroom instructional contexts, but a brief interval of implementation likely is insufficient to differentially benefit child outcomes. Researchers should elicit providers' perceptions when designing professional development programs to maximize feasibility of investing additional time and resources for generalization training.

The Importance of Embodiment and Agency in Parents' Positive Attitudes Towards Shared Reading with Their Children.

Parents' attitudes are an important indicator of whether and how parents engage in shared book reading (SBR) at home. This study analysed Norwegian parents' attitudes towards reading books with their children aged between 1-4.5 years. Thematic analysis of data from 24 interviews revealed two main themes in parents' accounts: agency (the child's independence, the adult's control as well as their shared control during SBR) and embodiment (physical presence and intimate experience of a SBR session). Both themes correspond to parents' preference for reading print rather than digital books with their children. Findings are discussed from the socio-material theoretical perspective, with attention to their practical and policy implications.

Can inferencing be trained in preschoolers using shared book-reading? A randomised controlled trial of parents' inference-eliciting questions on oral inferencing ability.

The ability to make inferences is essential for effective language comprehension. While inferencing training benefits reading comprehension in school-aged children (see Elleman, 2017, for a review), we do not yet know whether it is beneficial to support the development of these skills prior to school entry. In a pre-registered randomised controlled trial, we evaluated the efficacy of a parent-delivered intervention intended to promote four-year-olds' oral inferencing skills during shared book-reading. One hundred children from socioeconomically diverse backgrounds were randomly assigned to inferencing training or an active control condition of daily maths activities. The training was found to have no effect on inferencing. However, inferencing measures were highly correlated with children's baseline language ability. This suggests that a more effective approach to scaffolding inferencing in the preschool years might be to focus on promoting vocabulary to develop richer and stronger semantic networks.

Impacts of a shared book-reading intervention for Italian-speaking children with developmental language disorder.

BACKGROUND: The regular practice of shared book reading (SBR) at home may play a key role in fostering the linguistic development of children with developmental language disorder (DLD). However, more evidence is needed of the benefits of home-based SBR interventions on the parents' conversational strategies and on the communicative and linguistic production of children with DLD. AIMS: To examine the impacts of a parent-based SBR intervention on the parent's use of conversational strategies, and on the engagement, conversational participation and linguistic production of Italian-speaking children with DLD. The mothers trained in the use of SBR strategies were expected to increase their use of these strategies. The children were expected to show gains in their level of engagement and conversational participation during SBR; in turn, moderate increments of the indices of language production were expected. METHODS & PROCEDURES: Thirty-two preschool children with DLD participated in the study; all were receiving speech language therapy. Using a non-randomized pre-post-test control trial, 20 mother-child dyads implemented an 8-week SBR programme (the SBR intervention group), while 12 dyads acted as a comparison group. Based on the 'dialogic reading' method, eight verbal and non-verbal SBR strategies were employed during individual and small-group parent training sessions. Speech-language therapists were involved in the individual parent training sessions to provide suggestions focused on the specific characteristics of each mother-child dyad. Measures of parents' intervention strategies, children's engagement, conversational participation and oral language were included. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: At post-test, mothers in the SBR intervention group used three of the eight SBR strategies-Shared Book Handling, Captivating Talking, and Utterances with a familiar topic-significantly more than the comparison group. Children whose mothers implemented the intervention showed significant gains in terms of time spent in engagement and amount of verbal production during shared reading. No effects were found for the children's communicative initiatives and answers, or for indices of language complexity and diversity. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: The present parent-based SBR intervention for Italian-speaking preschoolers with DLD showed effects, albeit modest, on both maternal and child communicative behaviours. The results suggest that extralinguistic strategies may be implemented successfully by parents and may be effective in enhancing children's engagement and language production in the short term. Further investigations are needed that provide a longer intervention period and examine the joint impact of therapist- and parent-based intervention for children with DLD.

Cues for word-learning during shared book-reading and guided play in preschool.

The present study examines the perceptual, linguistic, and social cues that were associated with preschoolers' (4;11) growth in word-learning during shared book-reading and guided play activities. Small groups of three preschoolers (n = 30) and one adult were video-recorded during an intervention study in which new vocabulary words were explicitly taught. Adult use of taught words was coded for perceptual and linguistic cues and type of social interaction. Hearing taught words used in the book text and learning information about words' meanings during play was positively associated with growth in word-learning. Adult use of words in responsive, or child-initiated, interactions was positively associated with word-learning growth in both book-reading and play, while adult-initiated use of words was negatively associated with word-learning growth in both settings.

The effects of explicit instruction in academic vocabulary during shared book reading on the receptive vocabulary of children with complex communication needs.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of explicit vocabulary instruction during shared reading experiences on the acquisition of receptive academic vocabulary for children with complex communication needs. A single-subject, multiple-probe design was used. Three preschool-aged children (i.e., one with autism spectrum disorder, one with developmental delay, and one with a rare genetic disorder) were each taught two sets of vocabulary words. Intervention consisted of explicit vocabulary instruction associated with shared reading of academic texts. All three children acquired 10 targeted academic vocabulary items receptively and maintained vocabulary knowledge for at least 4 weeks. Data also suggest probable generalization to new representations. Additionally, participants became more adept at learning via this method, acquiring the second vocabulary set in significantly less time. Results indicate that explicit vocabulary instruction during shared reading experiences can be effective for teaching receptive vocabulary to children with complex communication needs.

The Home Literacy Environment of Preschool-Age Children with Autism or Down Syndrome.

AIMS: This exploratory study investigated if there were differences in the home literacy environment of preschool children on the autism spectrum and preschool children with Down syndrome to determine if the home literacy environment may potentially be associated with strengths or weaknesses in children's social communication skills. METHODS: A total of 111 parents of preschoolers with identified disabilities completed a home literacy questionnaire. RESULTS: Results indicated that both groups of parents started reading to their children at an early age and owned at least 25 children's books. However, parents of children with Down syndrome read to their child more often, reported higher child interest in reading, and more frequently played rhyming games with their child. No group differences were found in teaching of letter names, although parents of children with autism reported a higher frequency of pointing out signs/words in the environment and reported their children knew more letter names. Group differences were also found in the relationship between parent behaviours, child interest, and children's print-related skills. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the influence both parent behaviours and child interest may have on shared book reading practices of parents with their preschool children with disabilities.

Learning words during shared book reading: The role of extratextual talk designed to increase child engagement.

Shared book reading (SBR) is a valuable context for word learning during early childhood, and adults' extratextual talk boosts the vocabulary building potential of SBR. We propose that the benefits of such talk depend largely on a reader's success in promoting children's active engagement (attention and interest) during SBR. When readers ask children questions about new words, especially if they respond to children in a prompt, contingent, and appropriate (positive) manner, this verbal responsiveness functions as an effective engagement strategy. We randomly assigned 3- and 4-year-olds to three reading conditions (low, moderate, and high) distinguished by the degree to which the reader used extratextual engagement strategies, including verbal responsiveness. Despite equal exposure to unfamiliar target words, children's performance improved on two measures of word learning across the three conditions, demonstrating the value of engagement strategies in extratextual talk. This study provides a strong experimental demonstration that adult verbal responsiveness directly benefits preschoolers' word learning.

Maternal input to children with specific language impairment during shared book reading: is mothers' language in tune with their children's production?

BACKGROUND: The literature on input addressed to children with specific language impairment (SLI) has shown contrasting results on the role that parents assume during conversational interactions. Some studies have shown that parents compensate for the child's linguistic limitations. In contrast, other studies have indicated that mothers are able to adjust their communication in response to their children's language characteristics. AIMS: To assess the 'closeness of fit' between maternal input and child language profiles in children with SLI during shared book reading. To achieve this aim, the individual linguistic features of a group of children with SLI and their mothers were compared with those of two typically developing (TD) groups and the 'distances' (i.e., the differences between the mother's and her child's linguistic indices) within each dyad were compared. METHOD & PROCEDURES: Three groups of children with their mothers participated in the study: 14 children with expressive SLI, 14 language age-matched TD children (LA-matched group), and 14 chronological age-matched TD children (CA-matched group). Each mother-child dyad was videotaped during two weekly sessions of shared book reading, at home. All sessions were entirely transcribed. For each session, the following indices were then considered: whole-word phonological indices, grammatical categories and lexical indices for types and tokens, and the distance between the mother's and the child's linguistic indices within individual dyads. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: Analysis of the differences between phonological, lexical and morphosyntactic characteristics of the mothers' and children's language indicated that both children with SLI and their mothers produced adjectives and adverbs with lower phonological complexity and with higher frequency of use compared with the CA-matched group, and nouns with lower frequency of use and higher age of acquisition compared with the LA-matched group. In addition, individual dyads within the SLI group displayed reduced distances between linguistic indices produced by the mother and child compared with dyads within the CA-matched group. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: On the whole these findings suggest that mothers of children with SLI are able to tune their language to their children's linguistic limitations. These findings may contribute to improving early intervention programmes with children with SLI by focusing on the mother-child interaction during shared book reading.

Interprofessional delivery of Read It Again - KindergartenQ!: Classroom, educator, and child outcomes of an Australian pilot study.

PURPOSE: Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) data for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) indicates a concerning increase in the proportion of children who are at risk or developmentally vulnerable in the domains of communication and general knowledge, and language and cognitive skills. This study investigated the effectiveness of speech-language pathologist and educator collaboration to build educator capacity to promote oral language and emergent literacy skills in preschool children. METHOD: A quasi-experimental, pre-test post-test design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of interprofessional delivery of Read It Again - KindergartenQ! on (a) children's oral language and emergent literacy outcomes, (b) educators' oral language and emergent literacy instructional practices, and (c) quality of the classroom environment. RESULT: Children demonstrated improved print knowledge and narrative skills. One of the two educators demonstrated a significant increase in their use of oral language and emergent literacy promoting strategies in their day-to-day interactions with children. No significant changes were observed in the classroom environment. CONCLUSION: Interprofessional collaboration with a coaching component is an effective method of improving children's emergent literacy skills and educator instructional practices.

The quality of caregiver-child interaction is predicted by (caregivers' perception of) their child's interests.

This current study examines the extent to which children's interests and caregivers' sensitivity to their children's interests are associated with the quality of caregiver-child interaction, and subsequent learning. Eighty-one caregiver-child dyads (24-30-month old children) completed an online shared book-reading task where caregivers and children read two e-books with pictures and descriptions of objects from different categories-one previously determined to be of low and one of high interest to the child (with one novel word-object mapping introduced in each book). We also obtained separate behavioural indices of children's interests and children's later recognition of newly introduced word-object mappings. Our findings highlight that the quality of caregiver-child interaction is predicted by children's interests and caregivers' perception of children's interests, although we find only limited overlap between our behavioural indices of children's interests and caregiver perception of children's interests. Neither of these factors predicted later novel word recognition. Thus, while the dynamics between higher quality of caregiver-child interaction, children's interests and learning remain inconclusive, caregivers and children appear to be more attentive, enthusiastic and engaged in reading about topics that (caregivers believe) interest the child. Furthermore, learning in itself seems to be successful, regardless of factors involved, through the mere task of shared book reading.

Shared book reading as a context for language intervention for children with Down syndrome: a mini-review.

Acquiring language and communication skills is one of the biggest challenges for children with Down syndrome (DS). However, few evidence-based interventions exist to enhance the development of language and communication in this population. Shared book reading (SBR) is well-established as an effective intervention for language and communication development of typically developing children, and evidence of the possible effectiveness of this approach for those at risk of language difficulties is emerging. This paper provides a mini-review of the existing evidence for SBR in relation to language and communication outcomes for young children with DS. A systematic literature search was conducted with the following inclusion criteria: children with DS aged 0-6;11 years, SBR, language or communication outcomes. The results show that interventions which incorporate SBR strategies are associated with improved language and communication outcomes for young children with DS, improved parental sensitivity, and continuing implementation of SBR strategies following intervention instruction. However, evidence is limited in scope, of low quality, including mostly single case studies, with only one study having a control group. We conclude that although SBR may hold promise as a possible intervention, further research is essential to establish what specific components of SBR intervention are most effective for young children with DS and what further adaptations are needed to accommodate the cognitive profile and variability within this population.

Clinical utility of shared book reading on YouTube: An analysis of metadata, evidence-based content, understandability, and actionability.

PURPOSE: Digital content may increase parental access to training as well as the diversity of the training programs. YouTube videos may provide a platform from which professionals may adopt content for such programs. This study provides data regarding the clinical utility of YouTube videos about shared book reading (SBR) found on the United States (USA) and India channels. METHOD: A cross-sectional analysis of videos about SBR was conducted to examine metadata, evidence-based content, understandability, and actionability. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse metadata and content. Health literacy concepts of understandability and actionability were measured, and descriptive statistics are reported. RESULT: Of 800 videos identified, 10 included information related to storybook selection, dialogic reading, extra-textual strategies, and print-referencing strategies. These met adequate levels of understandability and actionability. CONCLUSION: Results provide some direction and recommendations for parent-training programs in the USA and India. The study highlights the use of YouTube videos and suggests its utility as a supplement source within parent-training programs.