Beyond babbling: examining vocalizations of infants with and without an elevated likelihood of autism and their subsequent speech and language outcomes
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Abstract
The present study aimed to expand upon our current understanding of developmental trajectories by examining how vocalization characteristics of infants with and without an elevated likelihood of autism relate to later communication outcomes. The present study examined 12-month-old infant vocalizations produced during naturalistic play in the child’s home environment to examine the characteristics of their productions and compare these characteristics to speech productions and standardized language measures at 36 months. While no significant group differences were found based on autism likelihood or later outcomes, correlation analyses revealed that specific vocal features at 12 months were significantly associated with later speech and language skills. In infants with elevated autism likelihood, measures such as speech-like vocalization rate, total unique consonants, and early consonant use were related to expressive and receptive language outcomes at 36 months. Among infants without elevated likelihood, only the number of unique consonants at 12 months predicted later consonant production. These findings highlight early vocal behaviors as potential markers of later communication development and support further research into their use as early indicators of language outcomes and developmental trajectories.
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2025