Cited by 156Language Development and DisordersSleep and related disordersSleep and Wakefulness Research

Associations Between Sleep-Wake Consolidation and Language Development in Early Childhood: A Longitudinal Twin Study

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Dionne, Ginette, Touchette, Evelyne, Forget-Dubois, Nadine, Petit, Dominique, Tremblay, Richard E., Montplaisir, Jacques Y., Boivin, Michel·2011·Sleep

Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVES: The objectives were (1) to assess associations between sleep consolidation at 6, 18 and 30 months and language skills at 18, 30, and 60 months; and (2) to investigate the genetic/environmental etiology of these associations. DESIGN: Longitudinal study of a population-based twin cohort. PARTICIPANTS: 1029 twins from the Quebec Newborn Twin Study. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Sleep consolidation was derived from parental reports of day/night consecutive sleeping durations. Language skills were assessed with the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory at 18 and 30 months and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test at 60 months. The day/night sleep ratio decreased significantly from 6 to 30 months. The 6- and 18-month ratios were negatively correlated with subsequent language skills. Children with language delays at 60 months had less mature sleep consolidation at both 6 and 18 months than children without delays and those with transient early delays. Genetic and regression analyses revealed that the sleep ratio at 6 months was highly heritable (64%) and predicted 18-month (B = -0.06) and 30-month language (B = -0.11) mainly through additive genetic influences (R(Gs) = 0.32 and 0.33, respectively). By contrast, the sleep ratio at 18 months was mainly due to shared environment influences (58%) and predicted 60-month language (B = -0.08) through shared environment influences (R(Cs) = 0.24). CONCLUSIONS: Poor sleep consolidation during the first 2 years of life may be a risk factor for language learning, whereas good sleep consolidation may foster language learning through successive genetic and environmental influences.

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  • In a longitudinal twin study, longer and more consolidated sleep at 6 months predicted better language development at 18 and 30 months.

    “Dionne et al. (310) showed in a longitudinal twin study that longer and more consolidated sleep at the age of 6 mo predicted better language development at 18 and 30 mo.”

    From About Sleep's Role in Memory (2013) · cites this paper as [310]

    The regression results in “Does Early Sleep Consolidation Predict Language Outcomes after Controlling for Confounding Factors?” show that the 6-month sleep-consolidation ratio predicted language at both 18 and 30 months. But Table 3 shows no significant association between longer consecutive nighttime sleep at 6 months and language at either age. The paper supports more consolidated sleep, not longer sleep as a separate predictor. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  1. McGraw K, Hoffmann R, Harker C, Herman JH. Sleep rhythmicity in premature infants: implications for developmental status. Sleep 1999;22:303-10.
  2. Bates JE, Freeland CAB, Lounsbury ML. Measurement of infant diffi - Measurement of infant diffi- cultness. Child Dev 1979;50:794-803.
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Authors
Dionne, G., Touchette, E., Forget-Dubois, N., Petit, D., Tremblay, R. E., Montplaisir, J. Y., & Boivin, M.
Affiliations
  • Research Unit on Children's Psychosocial Maladjustment (CA)
  • Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal (CA)
  • University College Dublin (IE)
Corresponding author
Dionne, Ginette
Venue
Sleep
Published
2011-08
Volume
34
Issue
8
Pages
987-995
ISSN
  • 0161-8105 (ISSN-L)
  • 1550-9109
OpenAlex
W2115500896
Cited by
156
References
40
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 7
FWCI
10.51
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • SLEEP (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Université Laval
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research
  • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Language Development and Disorders
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
Keywords
sleep consolidation, language development, early childhood, language delay, heritability, additive genetic effects, shared environment, twin studies, sleep duration, language learning
MeSH terms
Age Factors, Analysis of Variance, Child, Preschool, Female, Humans, Infant, Language Development, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Quebec, Sleep, Twins, Cohort Studies

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