Communicative development happens within a dyadic system of caregiver and child, in which partners interact through auditory and visual channels. This interaction leads to mutual reciprocal influences in which speech is modified to meet the perceptual and developmental needs of the child (i.e., infant- and child-directed speech).
In this talk I will outline key aspects of this dyadic system using a variety of methodological approaches (eye tracking, acoustical analysis, motion tracking and perceptual studies), to examine how listeners influence talkers and how talkers influence listeners. These studies provide evidence that a dyadic approach is essential for understanding and remediating communicative challenges for children.