Longitudinal study of certain language abilities among children aged 4-10 - Longitudinal study of language abilities among children aged 4-10

The aim of the project was to supplement Swedish child language research by studying several aspects in a fairly large number of children of the same age over a period of some years, i.e. to make a longitudinal investigation of the language of children. During the project, data were collected on articulation, vocabulary and sentence structure in about 250 Swedish children at the ages 4, 6, 8 and 10, and on the reading and writing performances of those children from the end of the first year of school and the start of the fourth. In addition, some background data were obtained from the children's parents. These data concern the children's physical, mental and emotional development, socio-economic circumstances, verbal stimulation and intellectual performance. The main aims of the project can be summed up in the following three points:

1. Description of language abilities in children at different ages, and thus of their language development.

2. Studies of interrelations between various language abilities and of the question of which language abilities at any given age have strong relations to the language at another age, including reading and writing abilities at school. On the basis of the results it may be possible to make suggestions for measures to promote language development.

3. Studies of interrelations between language abilities and background variables.