A Natural History of Early Language Experience

Talking is important for children, because the complexity of what children say influences the complexity of other people's responses. This article describes how years of focusing on the talk of 4-year-olds in early intervention led to years of observing 1- through 3-year-olds learning to talk during their everyday interactions with their parents at home. Analysis of the observational data revealed how crucial to development is the amount of children's language experience as partners in the social dances of conversation. The parent behaviors observed to support learning to talk have many implications for research and practice.