Understanding Language “Nutrition”

By the time children enter pre-school they have begun to develop the important skills necessary for school success. Unfortunately, differences in the child’s home environment can already be seen.  In past work, children from higher income households are exposed to approximately 30million more words by age 3 than children from lower income homes. This “30 million word gap” translates in differences in language and vocabulary skills at school-entry and can become magnified throughout early schooling.  We want to address this inequity.  Using LENA language recorders (a ‘Fitbit’ for spoken words), we measure the number of words spoke to, and by, the child and relate these to measure of brain development. Building from this, we hope to increase the number of words a child experiences by encouraging reading and playful interaction between parents and children using age-appropriate books and games.