First three years propels child's "Power of Talk

(ARA) - New research has confirmed the sheer quantity of words a child hears every day from birth to age three is related to his or her academic success, according to the just-released "Power of Talk" study. In fact, 30,000 words is the target number - the same number heard in 18.5 readings of Dr. Seuss' "The Cat in the Hat."Between birth and age 3, a child's cognitive abilities develop more rapidly than at any other time in life. Language development, as well, progresses quickly during this period, from single words to simple sentences and multi-clause sentences. Several hundred research studies over the last 50 years document the importance of talking to and interacting with your baby, especially during those first three years. Recent studies have shown that simply talking with your child is more powerful than flashcards, computer programs, television or DVDs.

In researching their book, "Meaningful Differences," noted University of Kansas researchers Dr. Betty Hart and Dr. Todd Risley conducted multi-year studies in which they tracked the number of words parents and caregivers spoke to children during the first three years of life. Follow-up studies by Hart and Risley with the same children at age nine showed a very close link between the academic success of a child and the number of words the child's parents spoke to them by age three.

These findings were recently confirmed and further researched by a team of scientists, including language experts and speech technology engineers, in "The Power of Talk" study. The study examined the relationship between talk and child language development. Some key findings included:

1. Parents of advanced children in the 90th to 99th percentile on language assessments spoke substantially more to their children than did parents of children who were not as advanced.

2. Most language training for children came from mothers, with mothers accounting for 78 percent of total talk.

3. Mothers talked more to daughters than they did to sons.

4. Parents talked more to first-born children than to children who followed later in the birth order.

5. Most adult talk between parent and child occurred in the late afternoon and early evening.

Given these results, the question naturally becomes one of how much talking is enough? According to Hart and Risley, children who scored the highest in reading and math at age 10 heard 33 million words from birth to age three, or an average of about 30,000 words per day.

However, the "Power of Talk" study also showed that most parents overestimate the number of words they speak daily to their children. Knowing this, it can be difficult for parents to ensure they are engaging in enough conversations with their child, which is where a measurement system like LENA comes into play.

LENA, which stands for Language Environment Analysis, records a child's verbal interactions throughout the day and, using proprietary software, provides information about the quality of the child's language environment. Parents then use this information to modify and improve their conversational interactions with their children, helping to lay the cornerstone of the foundation for their child's future success.

Other simple suggestions for increasing speech and language skills of young children have been developed by Dr. Judith K. Montgomery, a professor at the Department of Special Education and Literacy at Chapman University. Dr. Montgomery has developed guidelines for parents that include speaking to the child face to face, calmly, in a fairly quiet environment; using "self talk" ("I am putting on my jacket," " I am zipping my jacket"); using "parallel talk" ("You picked up the blue car," "Now you turned the car"); and reading to the child as often as possible.

Dr. Montgomery also has developed some warning signs to help detect whether a child may need extra attention in his or her verbal development. Things to watch for include poor eye contact from the child most of the time; the child doesn't watch your face when you talk; the child gets anxious when others talk; and the child doesn't use sounds or words to get his needs met.

Every child will develop at different rates and with varying strengths and weaknesses. However, with research supporting the concept that verbal interaction between children, parents and caregivers has integral importance to the child's later intellectual development, every parent should strive to be that one person we all know who just won't stop talking.

For more information, visit www.lenababy.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent