Abstract The present longitudinal follow-up study had two main goals. Firstly, this study aimed to describe aspects of maternal interactive/communicative behaviour that could be considered constitutive in sensitive responsiveness. Secondly and most importantly, it aimed to find predictive relations between characteristics of mother-infant interaction around the onset of infant intentional communication and subsequent child communicative and linguistic development. The participants were 27 Finnish-speaking mothers and their healthy first-born infants. Analyses of the amount and types of maternal and infant communicative acts as well as maternal responses to infant signals were carried out from videotaped free-play samples at the infants' age of 10 months. In addition, the CARE-Index was used to rate maternal sensitivity and infant co-operativity. At 12 months, children's communicative and linguistic skills were assessed by using the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories and the Communication and Symbolic Behaviour Scales. At 30 months, the Reynell Developmental Language Scales III was used to assess comprehensive and expressive language. The results suggest that maternal activity in eliciting interaction and conversational interchanges is characteristic of sensitive responsiveness around the onset of infant intentionality. However, very distinctive aspects of verbal behaviour that might be constitutive in sensitive responsiveness were not found — probably as a result of considerable individual variation in all aspects of maternal as well as infant interactive/communicative behaviour that were analysed. As predictors of communicative and linguistic skills at 12 months, both maternal and infant characteristics made a significant contribution. In general, the predictive relations found were quite specific. In turn, except for the predictive validity of maternal sensitivity for comprehensive language at 30 months, later language outcomes were predicted only by children's communicative and linguistic skills at 12 months, suggesting that over time, language development becomes increasingly child-driven. Individual differences in early communicative capacities may also to some extent mask the language-facilitating effects of parenting. On the other hand, some potentially facilitating effects of parental behaviour may be elicited by the infant's well-advanced communicative skills. The importance to acknowledge transactional processes in parent-child interaction is highlighted — both in future research and clinical applications.

Variationsmängder är en egenskap i barnriktat tal som karaktäriseras av successiva yttranden i vilka den vuxne talaren upprepar och omformulerar sitt budskap med en konstant intention. Syftet med studien var att undersöka variationsmängder över tid i tal riktat till barn i åldrarna 7-33 månader. Målet var att studera vilka typer av yttranden som dominerar variationsmängderna vid olika åldrar, samt vilka yttrandetyper som tenderade att förekomma tillsammans inom variationsmängderna. Vidare undersöktes intention och tempusförändringar hos verb i dessa variationsmängder. Ett skript skrevs för att kategorisera yttrandetyper med data från en korpus över barnriktat tal. Resultatet undersöktes sedan kvantitativt utifrån fyra åldersgrupper. Yttrandenas komplexitet inom variationsmängder visade sig stiga ju äldre barn det rörde sig om. Vidare sågs en skillnad i den vuxnes intention då barnen blev äldre, samt en minskning i användandet av interjektioner i kombination med ja/nej-frågor och komplexa satser ju äldre barnen blev. En tolkning av resultatet föreslogs vara att den vuxne själv tenderar att hålla i båda sidor av konversationen då de talar med yngre barn till skillnad från när de talar med äldre, mer verbala, barn som själva kan bidra med svaret. / Variation sets are a feature in child-directed speech characterized by successive utterances in which the adult speaker repeats and reorders their message with a constant intent. The aim of this study was to investigate variation sets over time in speech directed to children in the ages 7-33 months. The purpose was to study which types of utterances that dominates the variation sets at different ages, and which utterance-types that tend to co-occur within the variation sets. Furthermore intent was studied as well as change in verb tense in these variation sets. A script was written to categorize types of utterances with data from a corpus consisting of child directed speech. A quantitative research was performed on the results based on four different age groups. The complexity of the utterances within variation sets was shown to grow with the increasing age of the children. Furthermore a noticeable difference was observed in the intent of the adult speaker, correlating with the age of the child, and also a decrease in use of interjection combined with yes/no- questions and complex utterances the older the children were. A suggested interpretation of the result was that the adult tend to take both sides of the conversation when the children are young as opposed to when they speak to older, more verbal, children that can provide the answer themselves.

En hög andel repetitioner är ett av de utmärkande dragen i barnriktat tal. Tidigare forskning har visat att andelen repetitioner i barnriktat tal varierar beroende på barnets ålder. Dessutom tyder forskningen på att repetitioner i barnriktat tal kan vara främjande för språkutvecklingen. Syftet med studien var att undersöka eventuella variationer över tid i andelen repetitioner i barnriktat tal under det första levnadsåret, samt försöka hitta ett samband mellan detta och barnens språkliga utveckling. Repetitionerna i föräldrarnas tal hos tio förälder-barn-dyader då barnet var 3, 6, 9 och 12 månader undersöktes kvantitativt. Exakta och varierade självrepetitioner samt exakta och varierade repetitioner av barnens yttranden undersöktes och jämfördes med samma barns språkliga nivå vid 18 månader. Resultatet visade att andelen exakta självrepetitioner var cirka en tredjedel lägre vid 12 månaders ålder än vid de tre tidigare inspelningstillfällena. Den totala andelen repetitioner av barnens yttranden mer än fyrdubblades från 3 till 12 månader. Ett samband kunde påvisas mellan repetitionerna under det första levnadsåret och barnens språkutveckling, där en låg andel exakta självrepetitioner vid 6 till 9 månader korrelerade med en hög språklig nivå vid 18 månader. Som en tolkning av resultatet föreslogs kopplingar mellan barnens aktiva språkbruk och repetitionerna i föräldrarnas tal. / A high proportion of repetitions is one of the distinctive features of child-directed speech (CDS). Research has shown that the percentage of repetitions in CDS varies over time depending on the age of the child. In addition, it is suggested that repetitions in CDS correlate with child language development. The aim of the study was to investigate the possible variations over time in the percentage of repetitions in CDS during the child’s first year, and to try to find a connection between repetitions and the child’s language development. Repetitions in parent speech in ten parent-child dyads as the children were 3, 6, 9 and 12 months old were investigated quantitatively. Exact and varying self-repetitions and exact and varying repetitions of the child’s utterances were investigated and compared to the same children’s linguistic level at 18 months of age. The results showed that the percentage of exact self-repetitions was more than 30 percent lower at the age of 12 months than at 3, 6 and 9 months of age. The total percentage of repetitions of the child’s utterances increased more than four times from 3 to 12 months of age. A connection was found between the repetitions during the child’s first year and the child’s language development, indicating that a low percentage of exact self-repetitions at 6 to 9 months of age correlated with a high vocabulary at 18 months of age. A link between the expressive language of the child and the repetitions in parents’ speech was suggested. / MINT: Modelling infant language acquisition from parent-child interaction (MAW 2011.007)

Cette thèse porte sur l'acquisition et le développement de la négation chez deux enfants monolingues anglaise et française, filmées entre 10 mois et 4 ans et 2 mois (66h) en interactions naturelles avec leur mère. Nous adoptons une perspective constructiviste et fonctionnaliste de la langue (Tomasello 2003) en tissant des liens avec la théorie des opérations énonciatives, la socialisation langagière et avec les études sur la gestualité. Notre définition du langage est large car nous analysons toutes les ressources sémiotiques dont le locuteur dispose pour se positionner en interaction. À l'aide d'un système de codage multimodal qui repose sur l'utilisation de logiciels compatibles, nous menons des analyses qualitatives et quantitatives de l'usage des modalités verbales et non-verbales pour l'expression de la négation chez l'enfant avant 4 ans.Après avoir présenté l'ancrage théorique (partie 1) et notre méthode (partie 2), nous montrons que la négation correspond à un grand nombre de fonctions pragmatiques qui sont exprimées à l'aide de la synchronisation de modalités distinctes (partie 3). Les résultats indiquent que distinguer le rôle des modalités dans la construction de l’énoncé permet de travailler sur la complexité du langage. Concernant la négation, nous observons qu’il s’agit d’une opération énonciative qui ne repose pas systématiquement sur les mêmes formes selon la fonction exprimée.Cette recherche montre que l'usage synchronisé de plusieurs modalités en contexte de négation est une compétence linguistique et cognitive. En outre, les formes négatives s’enrichissent et se spécialisent après 3 ans pour permettre l’expression d’intentions communicatives variées. / This research focuses on the acquisition and the development of negation in two monolingual French and English children filmed from 10 months to 4 years and 2 months old (66 hours) in natural mother-child dyadic interactions.We use a functionalist and constructivist theoretical approach (Tomasello 2003) but we also bring together French utter-centred approach to language, language socialisation and gesture studies. Our definition of language encompasses all verbal and non-verbal means of expression speakers use to position themselves within interaction. We developed a multimodal coding system relying on the use of several compatible programs to combine qualitative and quantitative analyses. This method offers the opportunity to investigate the expression of negation in verbal and non-verbal modalities in children under 4.After laying the theoretical background (Part 1), we will present our methodology (Part 2). Results show that negation refers to a vast range of pragmatic functions whose expression is fully embodied because it is conveyed through the synchronisation of several modalities of expression (Part 3). Our analysis of the interplay of modalities in the construction of meaning happens to be a great locus to account for the complexity of language. We also observe that negation is a meta-category which can be expressed by a variety of forms.Our research shows that the usage of synchronised modalities in negative contexts can be considered a linguistic and cognitive skill. Moreover, the set of forms for negation develops and specialises after 3 years and helps the child express various communicative intentions linked to negation.

Cette thèse propose une analyse multimodale de l’expression des émotions chez deux enfants américaines et leurs parents monolingues. Les enfants ont été filmées entre 11 mois et 3 and et 10 mois pour l’une et entre 1 an et 1 mois et 4 ans pour l’autre au cours d’interactions spontanées en milieu familial. Nous adoptons une définition du langage large car toutes les ressources sémiotiques sont à prendre en compte : ressources verbales (lexique, marqueurs grammaticaux), vocales (vocalisations), gestuelles et corporelles (gestes, expressions faciales, actions).Nous nous concentrons sur l’acquisition et le développement des marqueurs verbaux et non verbaux exprimant les émotions chez l’enfant et sur l’usage de ces marqueurs chez l’adulte. Nous montrons que des profils expressifs bien précis et distincts semblent déjà émerger chez les enfants, grandement influencés par l’input auquel ils sont exposés chaque jour.Au plan théorique, notre recherche s’inscrit dans une approche constructiviste et fonctionnaliste de la langue (Tomasello, 2003) et nous analysons les données à l’aune de la socialisation langagière, et des études sur la gestualité et les expressions faciales comme vecteurs d’informations communicationnelles. Au plan méthodologique, nous réalisons des analyses quantitatives et qualitatives afin d’éclairer les comportements propres à chaque locuteur.Après avoir exposé notre socle théorique et notre méthodologie (partie I), nous révélons nos résultats sur l’expression de trois émotions (colère, joie, et tristesse) chez les locuteurs adultes et enfants (partie II). Nos résultats suggèrent que le développement linguistique des enfants n’a pas d’incidence sur l’expression de leurs émotions, mais que l’input et les attitudes parentales jouent un rôle majeur dans l’acquisition et le développement de chaque modalité et dans la transmission de modèles expressifs. / This research provides a multimodal analysis of the expression of emotion in two monolingual American children and their parents. The children were filmed in natural interactions in a family setting from the ages of 11 months to 3 years 10 months, and from 1 year 1 month to 4 years.We adopted a broad definition of language in this research which encompasses various semiotic resources – from verbal resources (lexicon and grammatical features), to nonverbal (vocalizations, facial expressions, and gestures). We focus on the children’s acquisition and development of these verbal and nonverbal markers and on how they are used by their parents. Our research shows that children develop specific and distinct communicational patterns, which are greatly influenced by the input to which they are exposed.From a theoretical perspective, our research draws from a constructivist and functionalist approach (Tomasello, 2003), and our data is analyzed in light of language socialization and of studies which have shown that facial expressions and gestures are used as communicational signals in face-to-face dialogue. Our methodology combines quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate each speaker’s verbal and nonverbal behavior when expressing emotions.Having outlined our theoretical and methodological foundation (Part I), we present our results on the expression of three emotions (happiness, sadness, and anger) in children and adults (Part II). Our research suggests that while children’s linguistic development has little impact on the richness of their emotional expression parental input and attitudes both play a crucial role in the acquisition of each modality and in the transmission of communicational patterns.

Repetitions in child-directed speech (CDS) have been shown to vary over time, and are suggested to affect first language acquisition. Correlations between verbal contents of repetitions in CDS and children’s language development have been suggested. The verbal contents of repetitions in Swedish CDS have not yet been investigated. The aim of this study was to examine the verbal contents of repetitions in Swedish CDS during the child’s first 2 years and possible changes in proportions of repetitions during the same time span. Verbal contents of repetitions in parents’ speech in 10 parent-child dyads as the children were 3, 6, 9, 12 and 24 months old were investigated focusing on word classes, sentence types and whole-constituent change. The results were compared to the children’s productive vocabularies at the age of 30 months. Possible occurrences of item-based constructions and frequent frames in the repetitions were also examined. The overall results revealed patterns concerning change in verbal contents in repetitions over time and correlations between verbal contents in repetitions and child language development. Two proposals were made: parents adjust the complexity of their speech to linguistic developmental stages of their children, and linguistic variation in the input increases as the child grows older. / Repetitioner i barnriktat tal (BRT) har visat sig variera över tid, och har föreslagits påverka förstaspåksinlärning. Även ett samband mellan det verbala innehållet i repetitioner i BRT och barns språkutveckling har föreslagits. Det verbala innehållet i repetitioner i svenskt BRT har inte undersökts tidigare. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka det verbala innehållet i repetitioner i svenskt BRT under barnets två första år och möjliga förändringar gällande andelen repetitioner under samma tidsperiod. Det verbala innehållet i repetitioner i föräldrars tal hos tio förälder-barn-dyader då barnen var 3, 6, 9, 12 och 24 månader gamla undersöktes med fokus på ordklasser, satstyper och förändringar gällande konstituenter. Resultaten jämfördes med barnens produktiva ordförråd vid 30 månaders ålder. Även den möjliga förekomsten av typbaserade konstruktioner (item-based constructions) och frekventa ramar (frequent frames) undersöktes. De övergripande resultaten uppvisade mönster gällande förändringar inom det verbala innehållet i repetitioner över tid samt ett samband mellan det verbala innehållet i repetitioner och barns språkutveckling. Två antaganden gjordes: föräldrar justerar komplexiteten i sitt tal efter språkliga utvecklingsfaser hos sina barn, och den språkliga variationen i inputen ökar med barnets ålder. / MINT: Modelling infant language acquisition from parent-child interaction (MAW 2011.007)

The subject of this thesis is presence of endpoints in child-directed speech of Czech native speakers. It is based on researches, which show that czech language prefers holistic perspective. This occur for exemple in description of the motion event; a speaker tends to include the endpoint. Thanks to its holistic perspective, Czech language is unique among other Slavic languages, which use a phasal perspective. The phasal perspective highlights the motion process instead of the endpoint. There are several reasons, why Czech language uses holistic perspective: the most common is the proximity to German langugae, which also uses holistic perspective, and specific category of aspect. My thesis examines whether children can learn one of the feature of the holistic perspective, often referring to endpoints in the description of motion events. Research data consists in transcribing informal conversations between children and parents over incentives made for this purpose. I examine total amount od endpoints and how they are expressed. The analysis of the data proves high concentration of endpoints and also proves, that parents direct child's attention to them.

Objective and aim: Adults use child-directed-speech in their interaction with infants,w hich has been confirmed to have positive effects on their language learning. This study was a part of the Words make a difference project at Karolinska Institutet (KI). Within this project, a new intervention model has been developed for caregivers of children with a hearing impairment, called the Prevention Education Program forParents (PEPP). The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether caregiver’s use of child-directed speech differed between a structured play situation and in home environment. The aim was also to evaluate the PEPP model's methods of analysis; video and LENA-recording, concerning measurement of child-directed speech in a structured play situation. Data from the present study were also collected as reference data for the Words make a difference. Methods: The study involved four families with typically hearing infants aged 0-7months and their caregivers. Data collection was undertaken using PEPP's evaluation methods in a short, structured play situation and a full day recording in a home environment. Results and conlusion: In some cases, the care-givers’ use of child-directed speech differed between the structured play situation and the full-day recording in the home environment. The two data collection methods (audio recording and video recording) during the structured play situation were in good agreement regarding the use of child directed speech. The conclusion is that the PEPP model is a functional method for examining the spoken language environment of infants. Bakgrund och syfte: Barnriktat tal (BRT) används av vuxna i samspel med små barn och har visat sig innebära positiva effekter för språkinlärningen. Denna studie var en del av Ord gör skillnad- projektet på Karolinska Institutet (KI) där en ny interventionsmodell för föräldrar till barn med hörselnedsättning utvecklas: Prevention Education Program for Parents (PEPP). Den aktuella studiens syfte var att undersöka spädbarns talspråksmiljö och om föräldrars användning av BRT skiljer sig mellan en strukturerad leksituation och i hemmiljö. Syftet var också att utvärdera PEPP- modellens bedömningsmetoder; LENA-inspelning och videoinspelning. Metod: I studien deltog fyra normalhörande spädbarn i åldrarna 0-7 månader och deras mammor. Datainsamlingen gjordes med hjälp av PEPP:s bedömningsmetoder dels under en kort strukturerad leksituation dels genom en heldagsinspelning i hemmiljö. BRT analyserades utifrån fem språkspecifika särdrag; segmentell fonologi, prosodi, syntax, ordförråd och pragmatik. Resultat och slutsatser: Användning av BRT skiljde sig i enstaka fall mellan den strukturerade leksituationen och heldagsinspelningen i hemmiljö. De två bedömningsmetoderna stämde väl överens med avseende på användningen av BRT under den strukturerade leksituationen. Slutsatsen är att PEPP-modellens bedömningsmetoder är användbara vid undersökning av talspråksmiljön hos spädbarn i åldrarna 0-7 mån gällande BRT och kan med fördel användas i föräldrahandledning. Resultaten från den här studien kan komma att användas för metodutveckling av PEPP- modellen och även som referensdata till Ord gör skillnad- projektet.

Contexte. L’étiologie des comportements antisociaux est complexe et varierait au cours de la vie. Tandis que les études antérieures suggèrent que de nombreux facteurs de risque soient impliqués, plusieurs incertitudes demeurent quant aux gènes spécifiques liés à ces phénotypes et en regard de la nature indépendante ou jointe de leurs contributions avec l’environnement. Objectif. L’objectif de cette thèse est d’étudier la contribution des gènes sérotoninergiques et de la violence parentale aux comportements antisociaux à trois périodes développementales : l’enfance, l’adolescence et le début de l’âge adulte. Méthodologie. Afin d’atteindre cet objectif, les données de 410 participants de l’Étude Longitudinale des Enfants de la Maternelle du Québec (ÉLEMQ), un échantillon populationnel à devis longitudinal et prospectif ayant débuté à l’enfance et s’étant poursuivi à l’âge adulte, ont été analysées. Plusieurs comportements antisociaux ont été mesurés à l’enfance (7 ans à 11 ans), à l’adolescence (15 ans) et au début de l’âge adulte (21 ans) par le biais de plusieurs méthodes et d’informateurs: 1) questionnaires complétés par les enseignants, 2) des entrevues semi-structurées, ou 3) des questionnaires auto-rapportés. Les données relatives à la violence parentale ont été obtenues via les questionnaires complétés de façon rétrospective par les participants à l’âge adulte. Des analyses de régressions négatives binominales ont été réalisées afin de vérifier l’association indépendante et conjointe des variants mesurés dans 11 gènes impliqués dans le système sérotoninergique (HTR1A, HTR2A, HTR2C, HTR5A, HTR6, HTR7, SLC6A4, MAOA, MAOB, TPH-1, TPH-2), deux formes de violence parentale – la violence subie et l’exposition à la violence conjugale – et les comportements antisociaux. Résultats. Les indices cumulatifs de risque génétique dérivés à partir de blocs d’haplotypes des gènes investigués permettaient d’expliquer entre 2% et 8% de la variance des comportements antisociaux, que ces derniers soient mesurés à l’enfance, l’adolescence ou à l’âge adulte. De plus, ces indices multigéniques modifient, dans certains cas, l’association entre la violence subie ou l’exposition à la violence conjugale et les comportements antisociaux. Conclusions. Les résultats de cette thèse soutiennent ceux issus des études antérieures soulignant le rôle des gènes impliqués dans le système sérotoninergique à la manifestation des comportements antisociaux. D’autre part, ces résultats suggèrent l’interaction entre les indices cumulatifs génétiques et la violence parentale à la manifestation de comportements antisociaux de l’enfance à l’âge adulte. Or, ces interactions ne sont pas observées de façon consistante et peuvent prendre diverses formes. L’investigation de l’étiologie génétique et environnementale des comportements antisociaux doit être poursuivie de façon à mieux circonscrire leurs effets synergiques, s’il y a lieu, et afin que ces connaissances puissent, éventuellement, éclairer l’examen des mécanismes impliqués et bonifier les modèles théoriques et conceptuels en découlant. / Background. The etiology of antisocial behaviors is complex, and likely vary across the life course. While the multifactorial nature of these phenotypes is clear, uncertainties remain as to which genes are involved whether or not these genes interact with putative pathogenic environments. Aim. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the unique and joint contributions of serotonergic genes and parental violence in three developmental periods: childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. Methodology. Data were from 410 male members of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Children, who were prospectively followed from kindergarten to early adulthood. Antisocial behaviors were assessed in childhood (7-12 years), adolescence (15 years) and early adulthood (21 years) using a multi-method and multi-informant strategy, including teacher ratings, clinical interviews and self-report questionnaires. Negative binominal regressions were used to investigate the main and interaction effects between the cumulative indexes encompassing 11 serotonergic candidate genes (HTR1A, HTR2A, HTR2C, HTR5A, HTR6, HTR7, SLC6A4, MAOA, MAOB, TPH-1, TPH-2), two forms of parental violence – child-directed and child-witnessed parental violence – and antisocial behaviors. Results. Haplotype-based cumulative genetic indexes explained between 2% and 8% of the variance in antisocial behaviors, measured in childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. Moreover, these multigenic serotonergic risk indexes moderated, in some instances, the association between parental violence and antisocial outcomes. Conclusions. This thesis offers additional support suggesting that the serotonergic candidate genes may be involved in the etiology of antisocial behaviors. It also provides further evidence that these genes may interact with parental violence in antisocial social behaviors exhibited in childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. However, these interactions did not arise uniformly and took multiple forms. Overall, our findings suggest that the investigation of the genetic and environmental etiology of antisocial behaviors should be pursued to better delineate their synergic effect, if any, and to eventually mobilize this knowledge to inform the search of the underlying mechanisms and to improve our theoretical and conceptual models.

En stor del av den tidiga språkutvecklingen sker i samspel med vuxna, och kommunikationen mellan vårdnadshavare och deras små barn är därför särskilt betydelsefull. Vuxna anpassar ofta sitt sätt att tala till små barn genom att göra anpassningar i de språkliga parametrarna prosodi, segmentell fonologi, syntax, pragmatik och ordförråd. Dessa anpassningar kallas ofta för barnriktat tal (BRT) och har visat sig ha både en kortsiktig såväl som långsiktig positiv inverkan på barns tidiga språkutveckling. Tidigare forskning gällande barns tal- och språkmiljö har främst fokuserat på kommunikationen mellan kvinnliga vårdnadshavare och deras små barn. Det finns därmed ett behov av forskning som undersöker manliga vårdnadshavares kommunikation, särskilt med fokus på kvalitativa aspekter så som användandet av BRT. Inom Ord gör skillnad-projektet på KI utvecklas en ny interventionsmetod, Preventive Education Program for Parents (PEPP). I metoden kartläggs kvantitativa och kvalitativa aspekter av barns tal- och språkmiljö med hjälp av Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA), videoinspelning och ett framtaget PEPP-protokoll. I föreliggande studie undersöktes förekomsten av de parametrar som utgör BRT i manliga vårdnadshavares kommunikation med sina små barn. Mer specifikt undersöktes förekomst eller icke förekomst av parametrarna samt mest respektive minst förekommande parameter. Studien syftade även till att undersöka om PEPP-protokollets nuvarande beskrivningar av parametrarna kan användas för att bedöma förekomst av BRT. I studien deltog 6 manliga vårdnadshavare och deras barn i åldrarna 0 till 12 månader. Material från barnens tal- och språkmiljö samlades in med videoinspelning under en strukturerad leksituation och med LENA under en heldag i hemmiljö. Användandet av BRT analyserades både med hjälp av PEPP-metodens bedömningsprotokoll samt genom en kompletterande uppskattning av mest respektive minst förekommande parameter. Resultaten visade att 5 av 5 parametrar som utgör BRT förekom i samtliga deltagares kommunikation i hemmiljön samt i majoriteten av deltagarnas kommunikation under den strukturerade leksituationen. För hälften av deltagarna noterades parametern pragmatik som mest förekommande parameter och segmentell fonologi som minst förekommande parameter. I studien påtalas brister gällande PEPP-protokollets beskrivningar av parametrarna och författarna presenterar förslag på förbättringsåtgärder. / A large part of early language development takes place in interaction with adults, and the communication between caregivers and their young children is therefore particularly important for the child’s language development. Adults often adapt their way of speaking to young children by making adjustments in the linguistic parameters’ prosody, segmental phonology, syntax, pragmatics and vocabulary. These adaptations are often referred to as child-directed speech (CDS) and have been shown to have both adirect, as well as long-term positive impact on young children's language development. Previous research on children's speech and language environment has mainly focused on communication between female caregivers and their young children. Therefore, there is a need for research that examines male caregivers’ communication, especially with focus on qualitative aspects such as the use of CDS. Within the Words make a difference project at Karolinska Institutet (KI), researchers are developing a new intervention method, Preventive Education Program for Parents (PEPP). The method maps quantitative and qualitative aspects of children's speech and language environment using Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA), video recordings and a protocol developed within PEPP. The present study explored the occurrence of the parameters that constitute CDS in male caregivers' communication with their young children. More specifically, the occurrence or non-occurrence of the parameters as well as the most and least occurring parameter were examined. The study also aimed to investigate whether the PEPP protocol's current descriptions of the parameters could be used to assess the occurrence of CDS. The study involved 6 male caregivers and their children aged 0 to 12 months. Data from the children's speech and language environment were collected with a short video recording during a structured play situation, and with LENA from a daylong recording in the child’s natural home setting. The use of CDS was analyzed both by using the PEPP protocol, and well as by a supplementary estimation of the most and least occurring parameter. The results showed that 5 out of 5 parameters that constitute CDS occurred in all participants' communication in the natural home setting as well as in the majority of the participants' communication during the structured play situation. For half of the participants, pragmatics was noted as the most occurring parameter, and segmental phonology as the least occurring parameter. The current study highlights shortcomings regarding the PEPP protocol's descriptions of the parameters and the authors proposes suggestions for improvement of the PEPP method.