PurposeThis study focused on developmental trajectories of prelinguistic communication skills and their connections to later parent-reported language difficulties.

MethodThe participants represent a subset of a community-based sample of 508 children. Data include parent reports of prelinguistic communication skills at 12, 15, 18, and 21 months and language difficulties at age 4;7 (years;months). The authors used latent profile analysis to identify groups of children with differing developmental trajectories of prelinguistic communication skills (n = 271). The relations among these groups and follow-up data of parent-reported concerns of language development (n = 187), as well as the role of gender, were examined.

ResultsSix meaningful prelinguistic communication groups were identified with the latent profile analysis, and these groups showed connections to later parent-reported concerns of language difficulties. Delayed early expressive language and a minor delay of overall performance, together with symbolic difficulties, appeared as predictors of later language difficulties. Nearly 80% of the children whose parents reported language-related concerns at the follow-up stage could already be identified before their 2nd birthday.

ConclusionThe results support the potential of early screening in identifying children at risk of developing language difficulties, particularly when screening includes repeated surveillance of more than one area of communication skills.