Project Summary This project will investigate late language emergence in the context of the ongoing Baby’s First Years Study (BFY; “Household Income and Child Development in the First Years of Life”; 2R01HD087384). We will analyze existing data from the first four waves of follow-up assessments. The proposed supplement will enrich our understanding of (1) the extent to which poverty reduction decreases rates of late language emergence among low-income children; (2) the extent to which late talking is a risk factor for subsequent language, executive function, and brain activity outcomes among low-income preschoolers; and (3) the extent to which resting infant brain activity predicts language emergence, and subsequent persistence vs. catch-up among children with late language emergence. This will be the first research to estimate the causal impact of poverty reduction on late language emergence. This work will additionally inform parents, clinicians, public health officials and other stakeholders about the developmental course of late talking among low-income children, and will inform policymakers on the possible benefits of cash transfers to low-income children.