Language development starts at infancy
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2014 14:33 PM

Newborns, toddlers and young children all need cognitive, sensory and physical stimulation in order to develop strong and healthy minds and eventually score well on IQ tests. Unfortunately, many children in the U.S. who come from low-income households and less-educated parents will not have the luxury of such stimulation. This deprivation ultimately leads to poor performance on standardized language tests by the time they reach elementary-school age. Five decades of research reached the conclusion that children living in poverty and with parents who have little or no education score two years behind grade level standards.

Closing the language gap
Anne Fernald, a psychology professor at Stanford University and a prominent researcher in the language development field, believes that a critical period between birth and infancy exists. This crucial time marks the beginning stages of language development in children. Verbal interaction, or lack thereof, during this period has the potential to bridge or increase the language gap existing between poor and wealthy children.

Through years of research, Fernald has shown that significant differences in language processing proficiency and depth of vocabulary exist between 18-month-old babies in higher socioeconomic status (SES) families and those living with lower SES families. The gap in processing skills crucial to language development increased by the time the babies reached 24 months. Some parents might find this data unsettling, however, Fernald remains hopeful that parents will use this knowledge to benefit their children.

"What's most exciting is that by 24 months the children of more engaged moms are developing bigger vocabularies and processing spoken language more efficiently," Fernald told the Stanford Report. "Our goal is to help parents understand that by starting in infancy, they can play a role in changing their children's life trajectories."

Language domain in early childhood development
Parents can approach language development in their children from multiple angles. The language domain include alphabetics, phonemic awareness, and oral and written communication. Reading to your infant provides a solid foundation of phonemic awareness even though your child cannot read. Talking to your baby conversationally as you would an adult acts as a primer for your child's mind. They might not understand you just yet, but the mere act of verbally communicating with your children heightens their language skills.

You can also search for books that explain how to do language activities with your infant. There are multiple approaches experts suggest that combine both reading comprehension and enjoyment. Some provide tips for identifying letters while others show you how to promote literacy by incorporating the five senses. Whatever you choose to use, your child's language development will benefit.