Variability in Early Communicative Development

An investigation into differences in early childhood development

Variability in Early Communicative Development demonstrates that the "modal child" does not, in fact, exist. Interviews with parents of over 1,800 children reveals both typical and exceptional communication development between the ages of eight and 30 months, providing unusually specific detail on the variability of individual lexical, gestural, and grammatical skills. Discussion of the Macarthur Communicative Development Inventories delves into the inventory's reliability, validity, and interrelations, before moving into an examination of the stability of differences and individual contributing factors.

Abstract

I: Introduction

II: History and Development

III: The Macarthur Communicative Development Inventories and Methods of the Normative Study

IV: Reliability and Validity of the CDI Inventories

V: Developmental Trends and Variability in the Acquisition of Communicative Skills

VI: Interrelations Among the Major Components of the CDI

VII: The Contribution of Gender, Social Class, and Birth Order to Variation in Early Language and Communication

VIII: Stability of Individual Differences
IX: Individual Item Analyses

X: Discussion

Appendix A: The CDI Infant and Toddler Forms

Appendix B

Appendix C

Appendix D

Appendix E

References

Acknowledgments

The Instrument is Great, But Measuring Comprehension is Still a Problem
Michael Tomasello, Carolyn B. Mervis.

On the Nature of Informant Judgments in Inventory Measures: . . . and So What is it You Want to Know?
Joan Stiles

Contributors

Statement of Editorial Policy

Larry Fenson is the author of Variability in Early Communicative Development, published by Wiley.