Current Research on Individual Differences in Early Expressive Word Acquisition

Abstract

This study reviews recent research on individual differences in early word production and examines the necessary research on this topic for children with atypical development. Previous studies on children’s early lexical processing efficiency have suggested that the formation of mental representations for lexical structure and phonological representations with language input from ambient language may be related to individual differences in children’s early expressive word acquisition. Considering the relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and early word acquisition in children, related factors, such as language experience, mind-mindedness, and sharing mental representation with their caregivers, are essential. In addition, it is necessary to confirm whether the trajectory of each factor, including fine motor skills and cognitive development in the child’s home, affects individual differences in expressive word acquisition. To date, the dynamic systems and domain-relevant approaches from the viewpoint of self-organization are still essential. Thus, by using these techniques, evidence of continuity from the pre-linguistic period, based on the viewpoint of individual differences in early word production for children with atypical development, can be obtained.