LENA HOME – Developing children’s language
Article Summary:
In the UK, LENA is partnering with Home-Start to increase language development in young children through a home visitation program. By working directly with caretakers, LENA Home focuses on increasing the breadth and frequency of speech between caretakers and children, relying on a LENA device to track number of words, conversational turns, and other important factors of communication. By examining this data with coaches, parents are able to understand how they can improve their children’s language skills early on in life. By involving parents as primary educators of their child, LENA programs have been shown to increase the quality and quantity of speech, as well as increasing parent/child engagement. Though LENA Home is still in its pilot stages across many homes in the UK, Home-Start is planning on expanding the project to 21 new locations nationwide.