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Abstract:
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The present study investigates the influence of multiple types of risk factors and the quality of parent-child interactions on early language outcomes in children from low-income, minority households. 68 infant-parent dyads were assessed at six and twelve months, using various measures of risk factors, quality of parent-child interactions, and early communicative development. Results suggest that both risk profile and parent support predict early language outcomes in low-income, minority children. Furthermore, high quality parent support may serve as a protective buffer against cumulative risk in early child language outcomes, and thus may be a valuable form of intervention. Finally, results suggest that more nuanced tasks such as caretaking or co-viewing media tasks may be less influenced by an observer effect and thus, stronger measures of caregiver sensitivity. |