Children at risk for language delay: Findings from the Italian MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories

In the present study, we review research published by our group on Italian-speaking late talkers (LTs) and preterm (PT) children, who were assessed using the Italian MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDIs). Overall, our research confirms that the CDIs are an effective tool for identifying children with language delay and tracing different profiles in various areas of neurodevelopment in both populations. Using the CDIs, the predictive value of early receptive and expressive vocabulary size for subsequent lexical development and word combination has been documented in LTs, after accounting for neonatal conditions. Furthermore, data from the Italian CDIs were used to develop a direct tool (the ‘Picture Naming Game’ – PiNG) to assess vocabulary and serve as a lexical reference for a parent-coaching, dialogic book reading intervention aimed at promoting early childhood vocabulary and grammar.