Evidence of a continuum in foundational expressive communication skills

Progress monitoring measurement is increasingly needed in early childhood to inform practitioners when an intervention change is needed and as a tool for accomplishing individualization and improving results for individual children. The Early Communication Indicator (ECI) is such a measure for infants and toddlers 6–42 months of age. A greater understanding of the ECI key skills (i.e., gestures, vocalizations, single- and multiple-word utterances) could lead to further improvements in the sensitivity and utility of the decisions made compared to ECIs composite total communication score. Thus, we examined the pattern of growth within and between the ECI's four foundational skills in a large sample of children served in Early Head Start. Results confirmed a unique pattern of growth and change within each skill trajectory in terms of (a) age at skill onset and (b) peaks in each trajectory defining an inflection point or change from acceleration to deceleration. Using these inflection points as intercepts with before and after trajectory slopes, we tested the fit of an adjacent-skills temporally ordered growth model. Results indicated good fit. Implications of a continuum of foundational ECI skills to future validation and decision making utility of the measure are discussed.

► Latent spline growth models described the complex pattern of growth and change within 4 key skills of the Early Communication Indicator.
► Examined were (a) age at onset of skill trajectories, and (b) peaks or inflection points in each skill defining acceleration and deceleration.
► A continuum of adjacent early communication skills was identified by the fit of these inflection points as intercepts and slopes in a predictive, cross-skills model of latent growth.