Factors in the Child´s Growing Environment Influencing Early Vocabulary Development

Studies of early language development show a wide variability between children, especially in vocabulary size. Despite several earlier studies, there are still many open questions about which factors influence the variation in early vocabulary. Trajectories of language development are already established during the first few years, which is why this age is optimal to study. The main aim of the thesis was to study environmental and biological factors influencing vocabulary development between 13 and 24 months of age. We also investigated whether these factors relate differently to vocabulary development in boys and girls. All four studies in the thesis are sub-studies to Steps to the Healthy Development and Well-being of Children (the STEPS Study), a longitudinal prospective birth cohort study. The participants were recruited from an eligible cohort of 9,811 families, of which 1,797 with 1,805 children chose to participate in the STEPS Study. Number of participating children in Study I was 646, Study II 420, Study III 685, and Study IV 719 children. Studies I and II, analysed the significance of recurrent respiratory tract infections (RTIs) on vocabulary size at 13 and 24 months of age and on vocabulary growth between 13 and 24 months of age in boys versus girls. Study III focused on the influence of paternal factors on vocabulary growth and Study IV analysed vocabulary growth in lexical categories in relation to child and family factors. The results of the studies show that recurrent RTIs are not a risk factor for vocabulary growth. The study results also show a significant difference between vocabulary growth in boys and girls. A difference between vocabulary growth in boys and girls was also observed in relation to risk and background factors. Vocabulary size at 13 months of age predicted vocabulary growth between 13 and 24 months of age in boys, but not in girls. Boys with fathers working less than full time had a larger vocabulary growth compared to boys with fathers fully employed. A maternal high level of occupation predicted larger vocabulary growth in boys compared to boys with mothers of lower occupational status. Girls with fathers having a high level of occupation had again, a larger vocabulary growth compared to girls with fathers of lower occupational status. The differences, between boys and girls, in how vocabulary growth is related to environmental and biological factors was also observed in the growth of lexical word classes. In boys, a family burden of late onset of speech related negatively to vocabulary growth in all lexical categories except for sound effects. Boys in day care at 24 months of age had a larger vocabulary growth in the lexical category of sound effects. Girls attending day care at 24 months of age were predictive of larger growth in the lexical categories sound effects, nouns, people words, and games and routine words. Firstborn girls had a larger growth in the lexical categories of descriptive and functional words. The present thesis shows that variation between boys and girls can be found not only in vocabulary size but also in vocabulary growth already at 13–24 months of age. It emphasizes environmental and biological factors related to early vocabulary growth and demonstrates that early vocabulary growth in boys and girls relates differently to these factors. The thesis highlights the need to analyse factors influencing language development separately in boys and girls. Doing so will give us a more comprehensive picture of differences between vocabulary growth in boys and girls and help ensure the best possible trajectory in language development.Studier av den tidiga språkutvecklingen hos barn visar på en stor variation mellan barn, framför allt i ordförrådets storlek. Trots en mångfald av tidigare studier finns det ännu öppna frågor om vilka faktorer som inverkar på variationen i tidigt ordförråd. Utvecklingsförloppet för barnets språkutveckling läggs redan under de första åren, vilket gör denna ålder viktig att undersöka. Avhandlingens målsättning var att utreda omgivningsfaktorers och biologiska faktorers inverkan på ordförrådets utveckling mellan 13 och 24 månaders ålder. Vi analyserade även om dessa faktorer inverkade olikt på pojkars och flickors ordförrådsutveckling. Alla fyra studier I avhandlingen är delstudier I Nycklarna till en god tillväxt (to Steps to the Healthy Development and Well-being of Children, the STEPS Study), som är en longitudinell, prospektiv kohortstudie. Deltagarna rekryterades från en kvalificerad kohort på 9811 familjer, av vilka 1797 familjer med 1805 barn valde att ingå i STEPS studien. Antalet deltagare i studierna fördelade sig enligt följande, Studie I 646, Studie II 420, Studie III 685 och Studie IV 719 barn. Studie I och Studie II analyserade betydelsen av återkommande luftvägsinfektioner på ordförrådets storlek vid 13 och 24 månaders ålder och på ordförrådstillväxten mellan 13 och 24 månaders ålder hos pojkar och flickor. Studie III fokuserade på betydelsen av pappan för ordförrådets tillväxt och Studie IV analyserade betydelsen av barn- och familjefaktorer på utvecklingen av lexikala kategorier i ordförrådet. Studieresultaten visar på att återkommande luftvägsinfektioner inte är en riskfaktor för tidig ordförrådsutveckling, varken hos pojkar eller flickor. Det framkom även en skillnad i hur pojkars och flickors ordförrådsutveckling relaterade till risk- och bakgrundsfaktorer. Ordförrådets storlek vid 13 månaders ålder predicerade hos pojkar ordförrådsutvecklingen mellan 13 och 24 månaders ålder. Så var inte fallet för flickor. Pojkar i familjer där pappan jobbade mindre än heltid hade en större ordförrådstillväxt jämfört med pojkar där pappan arbetade heltid. Mammor med högre tjänsteställning var associerat med större ordförrådsutveckling hos pojkar i jämförelse med pojkar där mamman hade en lägre tjänsteställning. Däremot hade flickor en större ordförrådstillväxt om deras pappa hade en högre tjänsteställning jämfört med flickor där pappan inte hade det. Skillnaden mellan pojkar och flickor i hur ordförrådets tillväxt relaterade till omgivnings- och biologiska faktorer kunde även märkas itillväxten av lexikala kategorier. Pojkar där det i släkten fans en historia av sen talstart hade en lägre tillväxt i alla lexikala kategorier förutom kategorin ljudeffekter. Däremot hade pojkar som varit i dagvård vid 24 månaders ålder en större tillväxt enbart i den lexikala kategorien ljudeffekter, medan flickor som varit på daghem vid 24 månaders ålder var associerat med en större tillväxt i de lexikala kategorierna ljudeffekter, substantiv, personord och lek- och rutinord. Förstfödda flickor hade en större tillväxt i de lexikala kategorierna beskrivande ord och funktionsord. Avhandlingen visar att det finns en skillnad mellan pojkar och flickor inte enbart i ordförrådets storlek utan också i ordförrådets tillväxt mellan 13 och 24 månaders ålder. Resultaten understryker betydelsen av biologiska och omgivningsfaktorer för ordförrådets tillväxt och påvisar att ordförrådstillväxten hos flickor och pojkar relaterar på olika sätt till dessa faktorer. Avhandlingen markerar behovet av att analysera faktorer som inverkar på språkutvecklingen separat för pojkar och flickor. Detta ger en mer djupgående bild av skillnader i ordförrådsutvecklingen hos pojkar och flickor och möjliggör stödåtgärder för ett gott utvecklingsförlopp

Communication skills predict social-emotional competencies

Introduction Studies have shown that many children with early language difficulties also have delays in social-emotional competencies as well as social-emotional and behavioral problems. It is unclear if these conditions are causally related, if they share a common underlying etiology, or if there are bidirectional effects. Studies investigating these associations have mostly involved children who are already using words to communicate, but it is important to know whether delays in preverbal communication and language development have any effects on these associations. The aim of the present study was to examine associations between preverbal communication and early verbal skills in infancy and subsequent social-emotional competencies and ensuing social-emotional and behavioral problems in early toddlerhood. The role of background factors known to influence early language development was also examined. Methods The sample consisted of 395 children (51.6% boys) from the Finnish Steps Study cohort. Language was assessed at age 13 months (+ 1 month) with the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory for Infants (CDI-I), and the social-emotional domain was assessed at age < 17 months with the Brief Infant–Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (BITSEA). Results Infants with lower preverbal gestural communication and receptive language skills had a higher risk of delays in social-emotional competencies in toddlerhood than children with better communication skills, but not of elevated social-emotional and behavioral problems. Conclusions The results indicate that lower early communication skills can predict delays in the development of social-emotional competencies, which has been found to be a risk factor for later development of social-emotional and behavioral problems. It is important to monitor early communication skills to provide guidance to parents in supporting early pragmatic communication and language development in infancy, if needed.Peer reviewe

Vocabulary Growth in Lexical Categories Between Ages 13 and 24 Months as a Function of the Child’s Sex, Child, and Family Factors

We examined the vocabulary growth of lexical categories in 719 children (age 13–24 months) as part of a longitudinal cohort study (the STEPS Study) and found a discrepancy in how these categories were affected depending on the child’s sex. In girls, attending day care at 24 months of age predicted a positive vocabulary growth in the lexical categories sound effects, nouns, people, and games and routines, compared to girls staying at home. Firstborn girls had a greater vocabulary growth in descriptive and function words, in contrast to those born later. A boy attending day care at age 24 months was likely to have greater growth in sound effects and animal sounds, compared to boys not in day care. A family history of late onset of speech predicted less vocabulary growth in all lexical categories in boys, except for sound effects and animal sounds. Early vocabulary is of importance for later language and literacy development. Vocabulary is not an impenetrable entirety but consists of various types of words (lexical categories) developing at different tempos as they contribute to the developing language. Factors influencing early vocabulary development in boys and girls have been painstakingly studied, but fewer have examined these factors across lexical categories, let alone whether they have an equal effect in both sexes. More knowledge of what affects the variation in early vocabulary in boys and girls is needed for clinical practice and preventive purposes. Vocabulary was measured with the Finnish version of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory. The effect of child and family factors on vocabulary growth in various lexical categories was analyzed separately for boys and girls using structural equational modelling. The results of the present study indicate that vocabulary development in the lexical categories is affected differently by child and parental factors in girls and boys as early as the second year of life, which gives new insights into the factors that need consideration in clinical practice and preventive work.</p

Communication skills predict social-emotional competencies

Introduction: Studies have shown that many children with early language difficulties also have delays in social-emotional competencies as well as social-emotional and behavioral problems. It is unclear if these conditions are causally related, if they share a common underlying etiology, or if there are bidirectional effects. Studies investigating these associations have mostly involved children who are already using words to communicate, but it is important to know whether delays in preverbal communication and language development have any effects on these associations. The aim of the present study was to examine associations between preverbal communication and early verbal skills in infancy and subsequent social-emotional competencies and ensuing social-emotional and behavioral problems in early toddlerhood. The role of background factors known to influence early language development was also examined.Methods: The sample consisted of 395 children (51.6% boys) from the Finnish Steps Study cohort. Language was assessed at age 13 months (+ 1 month) with the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory for Infants (CDI-I), and the social-emotional domain was assessed at age 17 months with the Brief Infant–Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (BITSEA).Results: Infants with lower preverbal gestural communication and receptive language skills had a higher risk of delays in social-emotional competencies in toddlerhood than children with better communication skills, but not of elevated social-emotional and behavioral problems.Conclusions: The results indicate that lower early communication skills can predict delays in the development of social-emotional competencies, which has been found to be a risk factor for later development of social-emotional and behavioral problems. It is important to monitor early communication skills to provide guidance to parents in supporting early pragmatic communication and language development in infancy, if needed.</div

Influence of Respiratory Tract Infections on Vocabulary Growth in Relation to Child's Sex: The STEPS Study

Common health issues have been less examined in studies of early language development, particularly in relation to the child's sex. Respiratory tract infections, often complicated by acute otitis media, are common in children during the first years of life, when early vocabulary development takes place. The present study, conducted in Finland, aimed to investigate whether possible associations between recurrent respiratory tract infections, background factors, and vocabulary growth differ in boys and girls aged 13 to 24 months. The participants (N = 462, 248 boys and 214 girls) were followed for respiratory tract infections and acute otitis media from 0 to 23 months of age. The parents completed daily symptom diaries of respiratory symptoms, physician visits, and diagnoses. The expressive vocabulary was measured with parental reports. We found that recurrent respiratory tract infections were not associated with slower vocabulary development in boys or girls. In fact, boys with recurrent respiratory tract infections had more vocabulary growth during the second year than boys who were less sick. We found that vocabulary growth was associated differently with respiratory tract infections and background factors as a function of the child's sex. The vocabulary growth of boys seems to be more influenced by environmental factors than that of girls.</p

Bundle of practices versus TQM principles and their prediction for productivity

The main objective in this study is to compare the traditional TQM management concept with contemporary used learning and work practices in firms in the business sector in Sweden. Will the use of one or both of the concepts predict higher value added per employee? The two management concepts are used as measurements of endogenous activities in the firm and are included in growth models. The concepts are based on new data from the Swedish Meadow Survey 2009/10 and matched with innovation data, ICT data and register data for the year 2008 from Statistics Sweden. The Meadow Survey is based on the new proposed guideline of how to harmonise the collection and interpretation of data concerning work organisation and competence development in the European Union countries.URN:NBN:SE:SCB-2011-X76BR1101_pdf (pdf)QC 20171128Statistics Sweden project: Organisation, growth and work environment (finished 2016

Learning at work : indicators to measure learning at work with relevance for productivity and innovativeness

Idag kan inget land i världen helt beskriva sin ekonomiska utveckling. Anledningen är att information om hur företag bedriver sin verksamhet saknas i det gemensamma internationella systemet för uppföljning. Information om lärande i arbetet behöver finnas med i national-räkenskaperna. Detta eftersom informationen har visat sig vara av avgörande betydelse för att på ett rättvist sätt belysa utvecklingen. Statistiken måste kompletteras med en återkommande undersökning som mäter lärande i arbetet baserad på data som samlas in på organisatorisk nivå i företag och andra organisationer.  Avhandlingens syfte är att bidra till utvecklingen av statistik genom att presentera indikatorer som belyser lärande i arbetet med hög relevans för produktivitet och innovativitet. Teori-genomgången och analyserna i avhandlingen visar att det är viktigt att skilja på olika delar av lärande i arbetet. Därför har tre delindikatorer skapats: arbetstagarnas lärande (individuellt lärande) och arbetsorganisation (deltagande/decentralisering) samt företagens övriga struk-turella förutsättningar för lärande (strukturellt lärande). Delindikatorerna har olika betydelse för produktivitet och innovativitet. Den samlade slutsatsen är dock att alla typer av företag har nytta av lärande i arbetet eftersom lärandet bidrar till innovativitet och produktivitet, det visar analyserna. Resultaten visar också att alla typer av företag har förutsättningar att utveckla och använda praktiker för lärande i arbetet. Alla företag har också behov av lärande i arbetet inte minst på grund av att strukturomvandlingen berör alla typer av verksamheter. Lärande i arbetet har blivit en nyckelfaktor för både arbetstagares utveckling och attraktionskraft på arbetsmarknaden och företagens konkurrenskraft. Två svenska enkätundersökningar har använts i analyserna. De är Meadow 2009 (881 företag) och Nulägesundersökningen NU 2015 (1272 företag). Enkäterna är baserade på Meadow Guidelines arbetsgivarenkät som syftar till att samla in data på organisatorisk nivå om lärande arbetsorganisationer (Meadow Consortium, 2010). Enkätdata har matchats med innovations-data samt registerdata som beskriver företagens övriga verksamhetsförutsättningar och ekonomiska resultat. Analyserna i avhandlingen (och andra studier baserade på Meadow data) visar på robusta resultat baserade på beprövade data. För Sveriges del finns det inte längre några tillräckligt vägande skäl att vänta på gemensamma beslut inom Europa, OECD eller FN för att ta fram statistik om lärande i arbetet. Sverige föreslås ta egna initiativ och utveckla data om lärande i arbetet. Dels för att mäta och följa den del av livslångt kontinuerligt lärande som sker i arbetet, dels för att Sverige är ett av de länder i världen där konkurrenskraft bygger på hög kvalitet i produktionen, vilket kräver kontinuerligt lärande i arbetet och information om dessa investeringar. Statistiken och indikatorerna förväntas användas inom ett flertal forsknings- och policyområden.Today, no country in the world can fully describe its economic development. The reason is that information about how companies conduct their business is missing from the standardised international system for follow-up. Information about learning at work needs to be included in the System of National Accounts (SNA). Because the information has proven decisive importance to shed light on the development fairly, the statistics must be supplemented by a recurring survey that measures learning at work based on data collected at the organisational level in companies and other organisations. The thesis aims to contribute to the development of statistics by presenting indicators highlighting learning at work with high relevance for productivity and innovativeness. The theory review and the analyses in the thesis show that it is important to distinguish between different parts of learning at work. Therefore, three sub-indicators are created: employees' learning (individual learning) and work organisation (participation/decentralisation), as well as the companies' other structural prerequisites for learning (structural learning). The sub-indicators have different meanings for productivity and innovativeness.  However, the overall conclusion is that all types of companies benefit from learning at work because learning contributes to innovativeness and productivity, the analyses show. The results also show that all kinds of companies have the conditions to develop and use workplace learning practices. All companies also need learning on the job, not least because structural transformation affects all types of operations. Learning at work has become a key factor for employee development and attractiveness in the labour market and companies' competitiveness. Two Swedish surveys have been used: Meadow 2009 (881 companies) and Nulägesunder-sökningen NU 2015 (1272 companies), measuring each current situation. The questionnaires are based on the Meadow Guidelines employer questionnaire, which aims to collect data at the organisational level about learning work organisations (Meadow Consortium, 2010). Survey data has been matched with innovation and register data describing the companies' conditions and financial results. The analyses in the thesis (and other studies based on Meadow data) show robust results based on proven data. For Sweden, there are no longer any sufficiently weighty reasons to wait for joint decisions within Europe, the OECD, or the UN to produce statistics on learning at work. Sweden is suggested to take the initiative and develop data on learning at work. Partly to measure and monitor the part of lifelong continuous learning that takes place at work and partly because Sweden is one of the countries in the world where competitiveness is based on high quality in production, which requires continuous learning at work and information about these investments. The statistics and indicators are expected to be used in a number of research and policy areas.Funder: Myndigheten för arbetsmiljökunskap; Arbetsmiljöverket</p