Research Database

How many words are Australian children hearing in the first year of life?

Topic:

Not Recorded

Journal/Publication:

BMC Pediatrics

Year:

2020
Participant Age Range:
5 –
14 months

Sample Size:

227

Participant Language:

English

Abstract:

Background: There is evidence that parents from more socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds engage in fewer verbal interactions with their child than more advantaged parents. This leads to the so-called, ‘30 million-word gap’. This study aims to investigate the number of words children hear and the number of vocalizations children produce in their first year of life and examines whether these aspects of the early language home environment differ by maternal education.