Language Outcomes at 7 Years: Early Predictors and Co-Occurring Difficulties.
OBJECTIVE
To examine at 7 years the language abilities of children, the salience of early life factors and language scores as predictors of language outcome, and co-occurring difficulties METHODS: A longitudinal cohort study of 1910 infants recruited at age 8 to 10 months. Exposures included early life factors (sex, prematurity, birth weight/order, twin birth, socioeconomic status, non-English speaking background,family history of speech/language difficulties); maternal factors (mental health, vocabulary, education, and age); and child language ability at 2 and 4 years. Outcomes were 7-year standardized receptive or expressive language scores (low language: ≥1.25 SD below the mean), and co-occurring difficulties (autism, literacy, social, emotional, and behavioral adjustment, and health-related quality of life).


RESULTS
Almost 19% of children (22/1204;18.9%) met criteria for low language at 7 years. Early life factors explained 9-13% of variation in language scores, increasing to 39-58% when child language scores at ages 2 and 4 were included. Early life factors moderately discriminated between children with and without low language (area under the curve: 0.68-0.72), strengthening to good discrimination with language scores at ages 2 and 4 (area under the curve: 0.85-0.94). Low language at age 7 was associated with concurrent difficulties in literacy, social-emotional and behavioral difficulties, and limitations in school and psychosocial functioning.


CONCLUSIONS
Child language ability at 4 years more accurately predicted low language at 7 than a range of early child, family, and environmental factors. Low language at 7 years was associated with a higher prevalence of co-occurring difficulties.
Education, Communication and Language Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom; s.reilly@griffith.edu.au.|Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
Cristina
C
McKean
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.|Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.
Sheena
S
Reilly
School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.
Edith L
EL
Bavin
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.|The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; and.|Department of Pediatrics.|Psychological Sciences, and.
Lesley
L
Bretherton
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
Eileen
E
Cini
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.|Department of Pediatrics.
Laura
L
Conway
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
Fallon
F
Cook
Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Patricia
P
Eadie
Psychological Sciences, and.
Margot
M
Prior
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.|The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; and.|Department of Pediatrics.
Melissa
M
Wake
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.|The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; and.|Department of Pediatrics.
Fiona
F
Mensah
D001315:Australia; D001722:Birth Order; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000150:complications; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D007804:Language Development; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000067010:Literacy; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009035:Mothers; D011788:Quality of Life