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Session 5: Shared Book Reading

Shared storybook reading and joint engagement during play by toddlers with Down syndrome

Authors: Sarah Woodford1, Susan J. Loveall2, Laura J. Mattie1

  1. Department of Speech & Hearing Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
  2. Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, University of NebraskaLincoln, USA

Email: sarah16@illinois.edu, ljhahn@illinois.edu

Background: The quality and quantity of maternal reading behaviors during parent-child shared storybook reading (SBR) contributes to a child's engagement and language development.1,2 However, there has been little research on SBR for toddlers with Down syndrome (DS) and their caregivers.3-5 The present study addresses the following research questions:

  1. How many mother-child dyads participated in SBR during play?
  2. How often do mothers use interactive reading behaviors during SBR?
  3. What is the association between maternal reading behaviors, amount of time spent in SBR, and amount of time spent in joint engagement (JE)?

Methods: Participants were 25 toddlers with DS (14-36 months) and their mothers who participated in a 15-minute free play with age-appropriate toys and books. Videos were transcribed6,7 and coded for maternal reading behaviors&5,8,9& and JE.10,11 Mothers completed the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales 3rd edition.12

Results/Conclusions: Of the 25 dyads, all but 2 inspected the books. Only 7 dyads actively participated in SBR for >3 minutes during the 15-minute free play. During SBR mothers used a different number and variety of behaviors, but all used interjections, directives, observations, maintenance, sound effects, and yes/no questions. All but 1 mother used comments and labels, including question labels. JE was not significantly correlated with time spent in SBR, but visual inspection indicated that SBR always occurred during periods of JE. JE was positively correlated with use of expansions (.75, p=.03), questions (.78, p=.02), comments (.79, p=.02), interjections (.68, p=048), question labels (.73, p=.03), and yes/no questions (.75, p=.03). These reading behaviors all help to support the child's continued engagement in SBR and exposure to language input, which can promote child word learning. Mothers of toddlers with DS appear to use similar behaviors as other populations, thus interventions that incorporate SBR may be useful for families with DS.

References

  1. Mattie, L. J., & Hadley, P. A. (2021). Characterizing the richness of maternal input for word learning in neurogenetic disorders. Seminars in Speech and Language 42(4), 301- 317.
  2. Roberts, M. Y., & Kaiser, A. P. (2011). The effectiveness of parent-implemented language interventions: A meta-analysis. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 20(3), 180–199.
  3. Burgoyne, K., & Cain, K. (2022). The effect of prompts on the shared reading interactions of parents and children with Down syndrome. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 69(4), 1327-1341.
  4. Hilvert E., Lorang E., Maltman N., Sterling A. (2022). Assessing the quantity and quality of language used by mothers and fathers of children with Down syndrome during shared book reading. Journal of Child Language, 1–13.
  5. Loveall, S. J., & Barton-Hulsey, A. (2021). Reading skills in Down syndrome: implications for clinical practice. Seminars in Speech and Language, 42(4),330-344.
  6. Hadley, P.A., Rispoli M, Fitzgerald C, Bahnsen A. (2011) Predictors of morphosyntactic growth in typically developing toddlers: contributions of parent input and child sex. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 54(02): 549–566
  7. Miller J, Iglesias A. Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (SALT), Research Version 18 [Computer Software]. Madison, WI SALT Software LLC2017.
  8. Barton-Hulsey, A., Lorang, E., Renfus, K., & Sterling, A. (2019). Maternal input and child language comprehension during book reading in children with Down syndrome. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 29(3), 1475-1488.
  9. Dulin, M. S., Loveall, S. J., & Mattie, L. J. (2023). Home-literacy environments and language development in toddlers with Down syndrome. Frontiers in Psychology, 14
  10. Hahn, L. J., Brady, N. C., Fleming, K. K., & Warren, S. F. (2016). Joint engagement and early language in young children with fragile X syndrome. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 59(5), 1087-1098.
  11. Mattie, L. J., & Fanta, D. (2023). Joint engagement and early language abilities in young children with Down syndrome. Frontiers in Psychology, 14.
  12. Sparrow, S.S., Cicchetti, D.V, and Saulnier, C.A. (2016) Vineland-3: Vineland adaptive behavior scales. Circle Pines, MA, American Guidance Service PsychCorp.

Shared book reading with young pre-school children with Down syndrome: exploring parent-child interactions and language boosting behaviours

Mirjana Jeremic1, Vesna Stojanovik1, Kelly Burgoyne2, Sue Buckley3, Emma Pagnamenta1

  1. School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
  2. Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
  3. Down Syndrome Education International;
  4. Dept Psychology, University of Portsmouth, UK.

Contact: m.jeremic@pgr.reading.ac.uk

Background and Aims: The development of language and communication skills is one of the biggest challenges for children with Down syndrome. Although language ability is a well-known predictor of later psychosocial and academic outcomes, few evidence-based interventions exist to enhance the development of language and communication in young pre-school children with Down syndrome. Shared reading has been suggested as possible mechanism for early language intervention for children with Down syndrome (Jeremic et al 2023) but few studies have examined shared reading interactions with this group. Our objective is to investigate the characteristics of parental and child behaviour during shared book reading and any language boosting strategies parents may be using. Our findings will inform a future shared book reading intervention for young children with Down syndrome.

Methodology: We recruited eleven children with Down syndrome, aged 12-48 months. Parent-reported and standardised measures of language and cognition, and a Home Literacy Environment Parent Questionnaire were administered. We analysed parental and child behaviours during a videorecorded 8-minute shared book reading interaction, using the Child and Maternal Behavior Rating Scales (Mahoney, 1998; Mahoney, 2008). We also examined parental use of evidence-based language facilitation strategies such as labelling, repeating, asking questions, pausing, recasting, and relating book concepts to child's life experiences (Salley et al 2022).

Findings and Results: Preliminary results indicate that parental responsivity and child attention and initiation are positively correlated within this group. We also find that parents of children with lower vocabulary skills tend to adopt less interactive behaviours such as reciprocal exchanges and read more directly from the book. While parents are already using some language boosting strategies, such as questioning and pausing, to engage their child and expand their language skills, this is inconsistent within each parent-child dyad and across the group. All parents report that they would welcome further advice on how to support their child during shared book reading.

Conclusions and Implications: Shared book reading should be further explored as an environment for language development for young children with Down syndrome.

References

  • Jeremic M, Stojanovik V, Burgoyne K and Pagnamenta E (2023) Shared book reading as a context for language intervention for children with Down syndrome: a mini-review. Front. Psychol. 14:1176218. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1176218
  • Mahoney, G. (1998). Child Behavior Rating Scale (Revised). Cleveland, OH: Case Western Reserve University.
  • Mahoney, G. (2008). Maternal Behavior Rating Scale (Revised). Cleveland, OH: Case Western Reserve University
  • Salley, B., Daniels, D., Walker, C., & Fleming, K. (2022). Shared Book Reading Intervention for Parents of Infants and Toddlers. Journal of early childhood research: ECR, 20(3), 322–340. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718x221091462

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