The Early Dual Language Development Laboratory (EDLD Lab) is dedicated to understanding how young children from bilingual backgrounds develop their home language(s) and English. In particular, the EDLD Lab focuses on the dual language development of Spanish and English of children from birth through preschool-age. The EDLD Lab also conducts research related to early language interventions for Spanish-speaking children and their families in order to develop methods that account for their language and culture.

The Early Dual Language Development Lab is located at the University of Oregon and is directed by Drs. Stephanie De Anda and Lauren Cycyk. They are both Assistant Professors of Communication Disorders and Sciences.

LINES OF INQUIRY

The EDLD lab engages in three areas of research all focused around promoting healthy early language development for Latino/a children:

• Language development in dual language contexts

  Many children from Latino/a backgrounds are exposed to both Spanish and English from an early age. In our lab, we investigate language development within this dual language context. We ask, how does the amount of exposure to English and Spanish affect proficiency in each language? How do young dual language learners organize both languages in memory? When and why do young children mix their two languages (i.e. code-switch) when talking?

• Sociocultural context of language development

  Latino/a children in the U.S. learn language in similar and different ways from children of other backgrounds. In addition to learning two languages, many Latino/a children also come from immigrant families and from a variety of SES backgrounds. Some children live in a home with older siblings or extended families who help with childcare. Our lab tries to understand the influence of these unique experiences and others on early language development. For example, we ask, in what ways do Latino/a parents support the language and learning of their children? How do other people in the home help to support children’s language and learning? How does the well-being of parents influence children’s language and learning?

• Language assessment and intervention

  Educators and clinicians face difficulty in assessing and treating Latino/a children with delays in their language development. One reason for this is the lack of appropriate assessment tools and intervention programs for young Latino/as, especially those who are exposed to Spanish and English. In our lab, we develop new tools and interventions to aid clinicians and researchers in solving this problem. For example, we are testing new treatment programs aimed at promoting the language development for Spanish-speaking toddlers and preschoolers. These interventions take a family-centered approach and incorporate parent coaching in a group setting. It is our priority that assessments and interventions take into account Latino/a children’s home language and cultures so that we can best support children’s success.

RESEARCH PRODUCTS AND MATERIALS 

The English-Spanish Vocabulary Inventory (ESVI): a parent-report tool designed specifically for dual language learners of Spanish and English with and without language delay that captures key vocabulary measure. Check back soon for more ESVI supporting materials for scoring and implementation. Copyright University of Oregon 2021. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND) license.  For additional permissions please contact: Stephanie De Anda (sdeanda@uoregon.edu). We gratefully acknowledge the permission of the CDI Advisory Board to use the vocabulary lists for the CDI and IDHC as the foundation of the ESVI. 

[Download ESVI Here]

The Language Exposure Assessment Tool (LEAT): a parent-report tool designed to capture language exposure histories in the context of young multilingual children.

[Download LEAT Here]

The Center for Early Care and Education Research – Dual Language Learners (CECER-DLL) questionnaires are questionnaires designed to gather information on bilingual children’s language experiences from their parents and teachers. The CECER questionnaire is available in both Spanish and English via this website: https://www.tc.columbia.edu/dll-lab/cecer/

PUBLICATIONS

2023

Cycyk, L. M., Coles, K., O’Dea, K., Moore, H. W., Sanford-Keller, H., Dolata, J., De Anda, S., Gomez, M., Huerta, L., Libak, A., & Zuckerman, K. E. (in press). Serving young children with disabilities from Latinx backgrounds and their families with equity: Provider perspectives. Journal of Communication Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2022.106254

Durán, L., Cycyk, L. M., & Batz, R. (in press). Voces de la gente: Spanish-speaking families’ perspectives on early childhood special education. Journal of Early Intervention. https://doi.org/10.1177/10538151221131514

2022

Cycyk, L. M., Coles, K., O’Dea, K., Moore, H. W., Sanford-Keller, H., Dolata, J., De Anda, S., Gomez, M., Huerta, L., Libak, A., & Zuckerman, K. E. (2022). Serving young children with disabilities from Latinx backgrounds and their families with equity: Provider perspectives. Journal of Communication Disorders.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2022.106254

Cycyk, L. M., De Anda, S., Ramsey, K. L., Sheppard, B. S., & Zuckerman, K. E. (2022). Moving through the pipeline: Ethnic and linguistic disparities in special education from birth through age five. Educational Researcher, 51(7), 451-464. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X221120262

De Anda, S., Cycyk, L. M., Moore, H. W., Huerta, L., Larson, A., & King, M. (2022). Psychometric properties of the English-Spanish Vocabulary Inventory in toddlers with and without early language delay. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 65(2), 672-691. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_JSLHR-21-00240

De Anda, S., Ellis, E., & Mejia, N. (2022). Learning words in two languages: Examining within- and cross-language generalization. Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research, 1-15
https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_JSLHR-21-00350

DeGarmo, D.S., De Anda, S., Cioffi, C.C., Tavalire, H.R., Searcy, J., Budd, E.L., McWhirter, E.H., Mauricio, A.M., Ramírez García, J., Cresko, W.A., & Leve, L.D. (2022). Effectiveness of a COVID-19 testing outreach intervention for Latinx communities: A clustered randomized clinical trial. Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open, 5(6), e2216796-e2216796. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.16796

Friend, M., Lopez, O., De Anda, S., Poulin-Dubois, D., Arias-Trejo, N., & Abreu-Mendoza, R. (2022). Maternal education revisited: Vocabulary growth in English and Spanish before 30 months of age. Infant Behavior and Development, 66, 101685. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2021.101685

2021

Hall, M., & De Anda, S. (2021). Measuring “language access profiles” in deaf and hard-of-hearing children with the Language Access Profile Tool. American Journal of Speech-Language and Hearing Research.
https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_JSLHR-20-00439

Cycyk, L., & De Anda, S. (2021). Media Exposure and Language Experience: Examining Associations from Home Observations in Mexican Immigrant Families in the US. Infant Behavior and Development, 63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2021.101554

Cycyk, L., De Anda, S., Moore, H., & Huerta, L. (2021). Cultural and Linguistic Adaptations of Early Language Interventions: Recommendations for Advancing Research and Practice. American Journal of Speech Language Pathology, 30(3), 1224-1246. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_ajslp-20-00101

Hall, M., & De Anda, S. (2021). Measuring “Language Access Profiles” in Deaf and Hard-of-hearing Children with the DHH Language Exposure Assessment Tool. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_JSLHR-20-00439

Huerta, L., Cycyk, L., Sanford-Keller, H., Busch, A., Dolata, J., Moore, H., De Anda, S., & Zuckerman, K. (2021). A Retrospective Review of Communication Evaluation Practices of Young Latinx Children. Journal of Early Intervention, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F10538151211012703

Kapantzoglou, M., Esparza Brown, J., Cycyk, L. M., & Fergadiotis, G. (2021). Code switching and language proficiency in bilingual children with and without developmental language disorder. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_JSLHR-20-00182

2020

Castro, D. C., Hammer, C. S., Franco, X., Cycyk, L. M., Scarpino, S. E., & Burchinal, M. R. (2020). Documenting bilingual experiences in the early years: Using the CECER-DLL Child and Family and Teacher Questionnaires. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 23(5), 958-963.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728920000401

Cycyk, L. M., & Hammer, C. S. (2020). Beliefs, values, and practices of Mexican immigrant families towards language and learning in toddlerhood: Setting the foundation for early childhood education. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 52(A), 25-37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.09.009

Cycyk, L. M. & Huerta, L. (2020). Exploring the cultural validity of parent-implemented naturalistic language intervention procedures for families from Spanish-speaking Latinx homes.  American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 29, 1241-1259.  https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_AJSLP-19-00038

Cycyk, L. M., Moore, H. W., De Anda, S., Huerta, L., Mendez, S., Patton, C., & Bourret, C. (2020). Adaptation of a caregiver-implemented naturalistic communication intervention for Spanish-speaking families of Mexican immigrant descent:  A promising start.  American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 29, 1260-1282. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_AJSLP-19-00142

De Anda, S., Blossom, M., & Abel, A.D. (2020). A Complexity Approach to Treatment of Tense and Agreement Deficits: A Case Study. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 41(4), 250-260. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1525740118822477

De Anda, S., Blossom, M., & Abel, A.D. (2020). Cross-morpheme Generalization in Children with Delays in Morphosyntax. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 63(10), 3501-3524. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_JSLHR-19-00173

De Anda, S., & Friend, M. (2020). Lexical-semantic Development in Bilingual Toddlers at 18 and 24 months. Frontiers in Psychology: Cognition. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.508363

De Anda, S., Larson, A. & Cycyk, L. M. (2020). Considerations in the evaluation and assessment process for Latinx infants and toddlers. Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices Monograph Series (No. 7- Assessment), 7, 25-40.

Hammer, C. S., Cycyk, L. M., Scarpino, S., Sawyer, B., & Jury, K. (2020). Development of the CECER-DLL Child and Family Questionnaire: A new tool for documenting the language and literacy experiences of Latino/a dual language learners. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism
https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2020.1840507

2019

Smolak, E., De Anda, S., Enriquez, B., Poulin-Dubois, D., Zesiger, P., & Friend. M. (2019). Code-switching in young Spanish-English bilingual toddlers and their parents. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition. doi: 10.1017/S1366728919000257

Larson, A. L., An, Z. G., Wood, C. A., Uchikoshi, Y., Cycyk, L. M., Hammer, C. S., Escobar, K., Roberts, K. (in press). Social validity in early language interventions for dual language learners: A systematic review of research. Special Topics in Early Childhood Education.

Cycyk, L. M., & Durán, L. (in press). Supporting young children with disabilities and their families from undocumented immigrant backgrounds: Recommendations for program leaders and practitioners. Young Exceptional Children. doi: 10.1177/1096250619864916

Larson, A. L., Cycyk, L. M., Carta, J., Hammer, C. S., Baralt, M., Uchikoshi, Y., An, Z. G., & Wood, C. (in press). A systematic review of language-focused interventions for children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Early Childhood Research Quarterly.

Ramírez, R., Cycyk, L. M., Scarpino, S. E., López, L., & Hammer, C. S. (in press). Teachers’ beliefs regarding dual language learners in Head Start: An opportunity for enhancing professional development. NHSA Dialog.

2018

Soberón, A., Carlier, M. E. M., Jiménez, C., Harmony, T., & Cycyk, L.M. (in press). Programa de educación para padres sobre estimulación del desarrollo del lenguaje de lactantes prematuros con riesgo de daño cerebral. [Parent educational program for the stimulation of language development among premature infants at risk for brain damage]. Revista de Logopedia, Foniatría y Audiología.

Calderón-Carillo, M., Ricardo-Garcell, J., Cycyk, L.M., Jackson-Maldonado, D., Avecilla-Ramírez, G., & Harmony, T. (2018). Los padres como promotores del desarrollo de lenguaje de bebés prematuros: propuesta de intervención temprana. [Parents as promoters of language development in premature babies: A proposal for early intervention]. Actualidades en Psicología, 32(124), 51-63.

Friend, M., DeAnda, S., Arias-Trejo, N., Poulin-Dubois, D., & Zesiger, P., (2018). Changes in SES and Minimal L2 Exposure Effects on Vocabulary Growth Across the Second Year. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 164, 250-259. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp. 2017.07.003

Sawyer, B., Cycyk, L.M., Sandilos, L., & Hammer, C.S. (2018). “So many books they don’t even fit on the bookshelf”: An examination of low-income mothers’ literacy practices, beliefs and influencing factors. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy. doi: 10.1177/1468798416667542

2017
DeAnda, S., Hendrickson, K., Poulin-Dubois, D., Zesiger, P., & Friend, M. (2017). Lexical Access in the Second Year: a Study of Monolingual and Bilingual Vocabulary Development. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition. 21(2), 314-327. doi:10.1017/S1366 728917000220

Willard, J., Hammer, C.S., Bitetti, D., Cycyk, L.M., & Leyendecker, B. (online 2017) Maternal depressive symptoms associated with slower growth in children’s Turkish heritage language vocabulary. International Journal of Bilingualism. doi: 10.1177/1367006917709095

2016
DeAnda, S., Bosch, L., Poulin-Dubois, D., Zesiger, P., & Friend, M. (2016). The Language Exposure Assessment Tool: Quantifying Language Exposure in Infants and Children. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 59(6), 1346-1356. doi: 10.1044/2016_JSLHR-L-15-0234

DeAnda, S., Poulin-Dubois, D., Zesiger, P., & Friend, M. (2016). Lexical Processing and Organization in Bilingual First Language Acquisition: Guiding Future Research. Psychological Bulletin, 142(6), 655-667. doi: 10.1037/bul0000042

DeAnda, S., Arias-Trejo, N., Poulin-Dubois, D., Zesiger, P., & Friend, M. (2016). SES, Minimal L2 Exposure, and Early Word Comprehension: New Evidence from a Direct Assessment. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 19(1), 162-180. doi: 10.1017/S1366728 914000820

Sawyer, B.E., Hammer, C.S., Cycyk, L.M., López, L., Blair, C., Sandilos, L., & Komaroff, E. (2016). Preschool teachers’ reported beliefs and observed practices with dual language learners. Bilingual Research Journal, 39, 35-49. doi: 10.1080/15235882.2016.1138904

2015
Cycyk, L.M., Bitetti, D., & Hammer, C.S. (2015) Maternal depressive symptomatology, social support, and language development of low-income bilingual preschoolers. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 24, 411-425. doi:  10.1044/2015_AJSLP-14-0038

Cycyk, L.M., & Iglesias, A. (2015). Parent programs for Latino families with young children: Social, cultural, and linguistic considerations. Seminars in Speech and Language, 36, 143-153. doi: 10.1055/s-0035-1549109

Sandilos, L.E., Cycyk, L.M., Hammer, C.S., Sawyer, L.B., López, L., & Blair, C. (2015). Depressive symptomatology, control, and climate: An examination of factors impacting teaching quality in prekindergarten classrooms. Early Education and Development, 26, 1111-1127. doi:  10.1080/10409289.2015.1027624

Case Studies