New Research: Babies Born During COVID Talk Less with Caregivers, Slower to Develop Critical Language Skills
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New Research: Babies Born During COVID Talk Less with Caregivers, Slower to Develop Critical Language Skills

April 18, 2022
The 74 Million

“Infants born during the pandemic produced significantly fewer vocalizations and had less verbal back-and-forth with their caretakers compared to those born before COVID, according to independent studies by Brown University and a national nonprofit focused on early language development.

Both research teams used the nonprofit LENA’s ‘talk pedometer’ technology to glean their findings. The wearable device delivers detailed information on what children hear throughout the day. It measures the number of words spoken near the child in addition to the child’s own language-related vocalizations.

It also counts child-adult interactions, called ‘conversational turns’, which both research groups say are critical to language acquisition.”

For more information, stream LENA’s webinar about the findings.

Webinar - Collaborating on Quality: Improving CLASS Scores and Child Outcomes

November 4th, 1:00 p.m. ET

Join our esteemed panel as we discuss the key attributes of quality interactions, learn how CLASS measures interactions in the classroom, and explore how empowering educators to increase interactions translates to better CLASS scores plus better child outcomes. Read the full description …

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