Turn‐Taking and Vocal Coordination in Mother–Child Mixed‐Hearing Dyads and the Effect of Home Music Engagement: A Longitudinal Study on Italian Children With Cochlear Implants

OBJECTIVES: Studies have shown that the amount of turn-taking and vocal coordination in mother-child dyads, as well as amount of home music engagement, have important effects on children's language and social development. However, relatively few studies have examined the development of vocal behaviours in mixed-hearing and hearing dyads, and no study to our knowledge has examined the potential effect of amount of home music engagement on dyadic turn-taking and timing in mixed-hearing dyads. DESIGN: This study examined these aspects in 34 mother-child dyads speaking Italian (17 hearing dyads and 17 dyads with children with cochlear implants [CIs]) across two time points, corresponding to before implantation (T1; mean age = 17 months) and to one year after CI activation (T2) for children with CIs. Mother-child interaction was videorecorded and coded offline. For both mothers and children, we extracted the following vocal behaviours: relative frequency of temporally contingent responses and of simultaneous speech, and timing of within- and between-speaker pauses. Amount of home music engagement was assessed using a parent report. RESULTS: Results showed that the amount of turn-taking and degree of coordination between partners changed over time and was influenced by children's hearing impairment. We found reciprocal influences between mothers and children in their pause timing, with mothers seemingly guiding children towards the appropriate interactional timing, while remaining sensitive to their child's vocal behaviour. Finally, we found that greater music engagement at home was associated with more fluid and stable interactional exchanges in mixed-hearing dyads. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight how turn-taking and its timing are affected by developmental trends, language skill, and hearing abilities. Importantly, they also show that children with CIs are sensitive and reactive to their mothers' vocal behaviour, and that the timing characteristics of turn-taking in mixed-hearing dyads are predicted by their amount of music engagement at home. These results suggest that everyday musical experiences may support the development of communicative timing in the early interactions of mixed-hearing dyads, and highlight the potential of music-based interventions in supporting language and communicative development for children with CIs. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on this subject Turn-taking and vocal coordination in mother-child interactions are critical for children's language and social development. Home musical engagement has also been linked to improved language outcomes and coordination skills. Children with cochlear implants (CIs) show sensitivity to the timing of early mother-child interactions. However, few studies have compared the development of vocal behaviours in mixed-hearing dyads (hearing parent and child with CI) to those in hearing dyads, and the findings to date have been mixed. To our knowledge, no study has explored whether turn-taking and timing in mixed-hearing dyads are positively influenced by greater amounts of home music engagement. What this study adds to existing knowledge This longitudinal study is the first to investigate turn-taking and timing in Italian-speaking mixed-hearing dyads over time (from before implantation to one year after CI activation) and in relation to home music engagement. This study confirms previous research showing that turn-taking becomes more frequent and temporally stable with age and increasing language proficiency, and that mothers and children influence each other's timing. In addition, it shows that some temporal characteristics of the interaction are negatively affected by children's hearing impairment. Finally, it shows that greater home music engagement is associated with more stable and fluid interactions in mixed-hearing dyads. What are the actual clinical implications of this study? The findings suggest that mothers' vocal behaviour characteristics play a role in shaping children's vocal coordination skill development and that everyday musical activities may enhance communicative timing in children with CIs and their mothers, supporting smoother early interactions. This opens new avenues for music-based interventions targeting language and social development in populations at risk for communicative difficulties, including those with hearing impairments.