How parents introduce new words to young children: The influence of development and developmental disorders

•We observed parents introduce novel words for novel objects during interactions.•Parents readily introduced novel words even when child did not use the words.•Parents used attention-related strategies before, during, and after offering words.•Parents altered some strategies as children became more verbal.•Autism spectrum disorder and Down syndrome affected parents’ strategies.

This study documents how parents weave new words into on-going interactions with children who are just beginning to speak. Dyads with typically developing toddlers and with young children with autism spectrum disorder and Down syndrome (n = 56, 23, and 29) were observed using a Communication Play Protocol during which parents could use novel words to refer to novel objects. Parents readily introduced both labels and sound words even when their child did not respond expressively or produce the words. Results highlight both how parents act in ways that may facilitate their child's appreciation of the relation between a new word and its referent and how they subtly adjust their actions to suit their child's level of word learning and specific learning challenges.