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Parent-Implemented Music-Based Play Intervention Enhances Neural Speech Encoding and Vocabulary Development in Infants with Poorer Baseline Encoding
Poster Session F, Friday, October 2, 2:45 - 4:45 pm, Wangari Maathai
This poster is part of the Sandbox Series.
Ching Man Lai1, Shaoqi Pan1,2, Nikolay Novitskiy1,3, Peggy H.Y. Chan1,4, Mavis S.M. Chan, Fushi Li5, Patrick C.M. Wong1,3; 1Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 3Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 4Department of Paediatrics, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 5Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Introduction: Accurate neural representation of speech is foundational to spoken language development. Speech-evoked electroencephalography (EEG) provides a window into neural encoding of speech, whose disruptions are often associated with communication impairments. While infancy is a period of heightened plasticity for music-related auditory training, longitudinal evidence for the sustained impact remains limited. This pilot study evaluated a parent-implemented, play-based intervention designed to enhance auditory and spoken language development. Methods: One hundred nineteen families (Music: n = 63; Art: n = 56) with 6- to 12-month-old Chinese infants were randomly assigned to a 10-week music- or art-based play (active control) intervention program. Language outcome was measured via vocabulary production percentile from the Chinese MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory (CCDI) at baseline, 6 (Post6), and 12 months (Post12) post-program. Neural speech encoding was assessed using a normative, predicted language development percentile (PLDP) derived from 18 EEG measures for each of three speech stimuli (/ga2/, /ga3/, /ga4/), validated against over 600 typically developing infants (Wong et al., 2021, 2026) at baseline, immediately (Post0), and 12 months post-program. Three-way (Time × Group × Baseline) linear mixed-effects models (LMM) tested intervention effects, with regression to the mean and sociodemographic covariates controlled. Age-standardized percentiles allowed us to distinguish intervention-related changes from typical normative growth. Results: LMMs demonstrated significant vocabulary growth over time (Post6: β = 9.61, p = .016; Post12: β = 14.41, p < .001), indicating that the parent-coaching program effectively supported vocabulary development regardless of group assignment. While there was no overall group and group-by-time interaction effects on vocabulary production or PLDP scores, baseline measures significantly moderated longitudinal change of vocabulary production (Post6: β = −17.79, p < .001; Post12: β = −21.60, p < .001) and PLDP scores (Post0: β = −7.60, p < .001; Post12: β = −8.48, p < .001). Infants with lower baseline scores showed steeper gains regardless of group assignment. Crucially, a marginal trend toward a three-way interaction on PLDP was observed at Post0 (β = −3.49, p = .092). Post-hoc stratified analyses revealed a significant immediate improvement in the music group relative to the art group in the lower baseline PLDP tertile (Post0 × Music: β = 9.46, p = .017). This effect was absent in the middle and upper tertiles and no longer significant at 12 months. Conclusion: This study provides longitudinal evidence for the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying training-induced spoken language improvement. Structured parent coaching supporting parent-child interactions and play skills functions as a general support mechanism for vocabulary development, regardless of intervention methods Additionally, musical play-based intervention had its clearest neural benefit immediately after the program, specifically among infants who began with the lowest neural encoding precision. We propose that these infants with lower baseline PLDP exhibit greater neuroplasticity in response to auditory stimulation, making them more responsive to music intervention. Consistent with a precision medicine framework, screening for early speech encoding allows clinicians to identify infants displaying higher baseline-dependent plastic sensitivity, thereby optimizing early intervention resources.
Topic Areas: Speech-Language Treatment, Language Development/Acquisition