Intergenerational Adversity Exposure and Language Acquisition

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Approximately 65% of the United States population reports at least one adverse childhood event. A third of adversity-exposed youth do not meet age expectations for language, which is triple the rate of developmental language disorders in the general population. A critical area of interest for interventions is the role of parent-

mediated language input, characterized by the quantity and quality of parent talk directed toward the child. Researchers often focus on socioeconomic status (e.g., parental education) as the primary environmental influence on parent-mediated language input. In contrast, this interdisciplinary study posits the novel construct

of adversity exposure, emphasizing the role of intergenerational pathways. Specifically, the parent’s own history of childhood adversity is included in the model as a predictor of parent-mediated language input while also applying a genetically-informed design. This study will leverage an existing dataset of 325 preschoolers who

have histories of extensive adversity exposure and were followed longitudinally for two years. Using video- recordings of a semi-structured free play task, parent-child interactions will be transcribed and coded for language sample analysis. The aims of this project are to a) determine the impact of adversity exposure on

parent-child linguistic interactions, and b) examine intergenerational effects on parent-mediated language input and child language outcomes. By elucidating the pathways linking adversity exposure and language acquisition, this study will determine an additional environmental factor beyond socioeconomic status that may serve as a

risk factor for delayed or impaired language. Further, this study will inform the foundational knowledge used to devise increasingly effective and efficient language intervention frameworks and strategies.