Early Communicative-Language Emergence: Identification of Late Talkers and Parental Perceptions of a Web-Based Parent-Report Assessment Tool

Evidence on communicative-language development paths across children with and without a late language emergence (LLE) is mixed, particularly concerning socio-conversational skills (SCS) and executive functions (EFs). We administered a web-based communicative-language assessment completed by parents of 202 children aged 24–36 months. Ninety-four parents completed the assessment in person and provided feedback on their experience with the assessment, while 108 participated remotely. No significant differences emerged across assessment administrations (in person vs. remotely). Parental perceptions indicated positive experiences highlighting the need for clearer instructions to enhance assessment reliability. Children with LLE (N = 32) exhibited significantly lower SCS (both responsiveness and assertiveness) and socioeconomic status (SES) scores. Also, SES and responsiveness were significant predictors of LLE. Our findings highlight the emphasize the significant role of SCS and SES in early language development. Furthermore, we discussed our findings on parental perceptions, administration procedures, and gender differences, promoting early LLE identification through our web-based tool.