Preschool Language Environments and Social Interactions in an Early Intervention Classroom: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Preschoolers’ language abilities are associated with their social interactions in early childhood classrooms. Few studies, however, have examined associations between social interactions and objective measures of children’s real-time classroom language environments, information key to informing interventions to support preschool children at risk for language delays. In this pilot study, we examined associations between objective measures of real-time language environments (input and output) recorded via the Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) system and observations of children’s positive and negative interactions with peers and teachers in an early intervention classroom for children with developmental delays (n = 9, seven girls). Mixed effects regression models revealed associations between children’s language environments (input and output) and their social interactions with peers and teachers. More talkative children were more likely to have a high number of positive peer interactions. Children who received more language input from teachers were more likely to have a higher number of positive teacher–child interactions, an effect that was stronger for children with the lowest language output. The results of this pilot study build on prior research by using real-time objective measurement to examine how children’s language input from peers and teachers and children’s own language output supports positive interactions within early intervention classrooms.