The relationship between reading aloud and a toddler's language development

The purpose of this research was to determine the relationship that reading to a toddler had on the child's language development. Thirteen children with special needs, ages 27 months through 33 months, took part in the study. Instrumentation included a parent survey and the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3rd Ed.. Analysis of the data included a Spearman rho correlation coefficient that considered the relationship between the information from the parent survey and the Bayley language test scores. Results of the study concluded that there is a weak relationship between the amount a child is read aloud to, the number of books in the home, and the parent's enjoyment of reading to their child and the toddler's Bayley language test score. The qualitative results revealed the challenges facing families of children with special needs which have an impact on the early literacy skills that take place in the home.