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Several studies show that the quality and quantity of parent-child language interaction in the early years predict later school achievement and language abilities up to third grade entry. Now, researchers have examined whether the amount of such interaction at children's ages 2 to 36 months has a longer-term effect on their development and language skills — at elementary-school to middle-school ages.
In this longitudinal study, at baseline, day-long audio recordings were made of parents and children at home once monthly for 6 months. These were analyzed for the number of adult words and adult-child conversational turns. At 10-year follow-up, 146 children (age range, 9 to 13 years) underwent intelligence and language testing.
Even after adjust…