Wearable Tech Helps Early Learners Improve Language Contact

Article Summary:

In Virginia, Rappahannock County’s Child Care & Learning Center is using LENA technology in order to increase caregiver awareness of the importance of interactive talk. Using a LENA device which acts as a “talk pedometer,” speech between children and caretakers is captured, analyzed, and reviewed by parents and educators. Through the use of LENA reports, caretakers can be more cognizant of patterns in conversational turns and number of words spoken in order to improve the results of interactions with children. For many educators and parents, LENA has proven to be a valuable resource for better understanding the importance of talk to early childhood development. Virginia teachers are already praising the program for providing eye-opening results and definitive suggestions for how to improve the quality of interactions between parents and children.