In this webinar, we’ll outline the mismatch between science and practice around multilingualism. How do we push aside myths about barriers and deficits to arrive at a place where one child’s multilingualism is considered an asset for all?
LENA - Building brains through early talk
Webinars (6)
Kindergarten readiness and conversational turns: Study results point to a boost from LENA Start
A study out of South Carolina has found a correlation between increased conversational turns and higher scores on the state’s Kindergarten Readiness Assessment.
The link between language and socioemotional development
Many previous studies have drawn connections between the quantity of back-and-forth interactions in early childhood and later linguistic and cognitive skills. Importantly, newly published research conducted in Chile has taken a novel direction, determining that infants’ language environments predict their socioemotional skills one year later.
Inside Early Talk: Our point of greatest leverage for improving children’s futures
We find ourselves in the unprecedented position to understand the early language environments of very young children and answer questions we’ve been hearing from the early childhood education field for years.
The Power of Conversational Turns
Three studies published in 2018 show the relationship between conversational turns and brain development. Join us for a discussion with the lead researchers, Drs. Jill Gilkerson and Rachel Romeo, moderated by Shannon Rudisill of the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative.
Beyond the 30 Million Word Gap: A Conversation with Dr. Rachel Romeo
Join LENA’s president and chief operating officer, Dr. Steve Hannon, as he hosts a conversation with Dr. Rachel Romeo, lead author on a study from Harvard and MIT that sheds light on the underlying neural mechanism that makes conversational turns so critical for brain development.
Blog Posts (24)
With language and social-emotional delays on the rise, here’s one part of the solution
New data analysis shows that LENA Grow may help boost language and social-emotional Teaching Strategies GOLD® scores.
LENA Grow may help keep early educators in the profession, new evidence suggests
There’s strong evidence to suggest that LENA Grow, the evidence-based professional development program that helps early childhood educators create equitable language environments, has a beneficial impact on teacher retention.
Study finds causal link between conversational turns and socioemotional development in babies
Updated with new data insights! Researchers in Santiago, Chile, have used LENA technology to show important connections between conversational turns and social-emotional development in very young children.
Are we failing our youngest dual language learners?: New data insights on child care language environments
Toddler and preschool classrooms across the U.S. provide significantly fewer conversational turns for dual language learners than for their monolingual, English-speaking peers. “[P]romoting language development for children who use heritage languages is among the most important things we can do,” said Dr. Jill Gilkerson, Chief Research and Evaluation Officer at LENA.
Coaching for impact in Sarasota County: Increased TS GOLD® and CLASS® scores
An organization in Florida saw some amazing results in their very first LENA Grow classrooms. They want those results to have a positive impact on the whole community.
Developmental Snapshot analysis shows that LENA Start’s benefits endure for two years
For children who began LENA Start at risk for language delays, the results are especially encouraging.
Evidence-based professional development for early childhood educators: Webinar highlights
Two independent program evaluations of LENA Grow have established the program as evidence-based professional development. See the highlights from the webinar here.
“Mae Mae’s House”: One teacher’s story behind an evaluation of LENA Grow in Milwaukee
In this video, a long-time preschool teacher in Milwaukee reflects on LENA Grow and what motivates her dedication to the profession.
Bridging research and practice in early childhood education: SproutFive’s independent evaluation of LENA Grow
True to their commitment to bridging research and practice, SproutFive embarked on an independent evaluation of LENA Grow soon after implementing the program.
New research links early vocabulary skills to teacher-child interaction in preschool classrooms
“For all of us who care about the millions of children who spend most of their waking hours in child care, this is a call to action,” said Dr. Jill Gilkerson, Chief Research and Evaluation Officer at LENA.
New data analysis: One in five children in child care spends most of the day in language isolation
According to LENA’s recent analysis of day-long audio recordings from 15,820 children, approximately one in five children spent most of the day in language isolation.
Classroom interaction and teacher experience: Relationships between conversational turn rates and years of experience in child care
While more experienced teachers foster more interactive talk in their classrooms, participating in LENA Grow helps less experienced teachers catch up.
Research Roundup: NICU interventions enhance interactive talk with premature babies
Two recent publications from researchers at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island highlight the promise of interventions aimed at increasing preterm infants’ exposure to adult interaction in the NICU.
QRIS and interaction: Do quality rating systems reflect individual experience?
Data analysis suggests that approximately 1 in 4 children experiences very little adult-child interaction, even within classrooms at centers that have achieved the highest QRIS rating possible.
Webinar follow-up and reflections: Do COVID babies “talk” less?
Highlights and topics that emerged from our webinar on caregiver-child interactions during COVID with Dr. Sean Deoni and Dr. Jill Gilkerson.
COVID-era infants vocalize less and experience fewer conversational turns, says LENA research team
COVID-era babies may be at greater risk of experiencing language delays.
Kindergarten readiness, parent education, and conversational turns: A statistically significant correlation in a rural South Carolina school district
A study out of Cherokee County, S.C., has found a correlation between parent participation in LENA programs and higher scores on the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment.
Preliminary findings suggest LENA Grow accelerates language development
Children participating in LENA Grow gained nearly 1.5 months’ worth of language skill acquisition in just one month’s time, achieving developmental milestones at an accelerated rate.
The positive impact of LENA Grow certification
LENA’s research team completed an analysis of the impact that certification has on teachers who participate in LENA Grow.
With technology uptake, individual circumstance is everything
A study out of Australia has applied a unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model to LENA, underlining the importance of paying attention to parents’ individual circumstances.
Research Roundup: Maternal depression and paternal parentese in the context of COVID
In the context of COVID, two studies put mothers, fathers, and the language environments they nurture in stark relief.
Australia’s LiLO study: Analysis of home language environments from birth to school
Researchers with the LiLO study have set out to measure children’s home language environments every six months from birth to school entrance.
New study links conversational turns with increases in children’s verbal and nonverbal abilities using brain imaging and LENA technology
A study from MIT and Harvard uses LENA technology to investigate how children’s brains changed following an early language intervention.
Q & A: How autism researchers are using LENA technology for early detection and intervention
University researchers who are using LENA technology share their perspectives on current and future autism research.
Articles (37)
Baby talk: how early childhood centres can help multilingual children
A study out of Australia analyzing teacher-child language interactions in early eduction settings could shed light on why children from non-English speaking backgrounds often start school with weaker language skills than their English-speaking peers.
In Babies’ Brains, White Matter Is Crucial—and Conversational Turns Make It Grow
A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience uses MRI and LENA technology to show that conversational turns as early as six months of age uniquely predict brain development at two years of age.
Pandemic has made babies and toddlers miss talking and reading milestones
Multiple studies show that infants are talking less because parents haven't been able to engage them in language developing conversations due to COVID.
Covid-Era Babies Are ‘Talking’ Less, Signaling Future Reading Challenges
We know the pandemic has had a serious negative impact on the academic achievement of school-age children. But recent evidence shows we also need to worry about Covid-era babies and toddlers.
Do COVID Babies Talk Less
A decline in socializing during COVID could mean less verbalizing for babies born during the pandemic.
New Research: Babies Born During COVID Talk Less with Caregivers, Slower to Develop Critical Language Skills
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.
Babies Are Saying Less Since the Pandemic: Why That’s Concerning
Amid the stress and disruption of the pandemic, parents and caregivers have had less time and energy to engage their babies and toddlers in conversation—and the lack of talk already shows in their language skills.
Can science help poor kids earn more?
In a provocative video, Economist Films explores the role conversational turns may play in what they call "breaking the class ceiling."
Parenting: It takes a village
In this podcast episode, host Walter Isaacson and guests discuss parenting, how it's evolved from a group activity to something more singular, and how experts and technology are filling in the gaps for new parents.
Big Ideas for Early Childhood Innovation and Education Partnerships
About 100 federal, national, state, and local leaders – including LENA president and CEO, Steve Hannon — shared ideas for innovation in early childhood at a recent event hosted by the Office of Early Childhood Development.
What went missing when Vice President Biden talked about the ‘word gap,’ record players and poor children
The former vice president correctly referred to recent research about poor children hearing 4 million fewer words, on average, than those in wealthier families, said Jill Gilkerson, the lead author of a 2017 study that the Biden campaign says he was citing. But she adds that there’s way more to the story when it comes to increasing a child’s verbal ability and IQ through early language.
Early speech exposure could boost language skills for kids with autism
The more words autistic children hear as infants — and the more verbal interactions they have with their caregivers — the better their language skills at age 2, a new study suggests.
Randomized Trial of LENA Home in A Home Visiting Program
A new study will evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of adding the LENA Home program to the standard Every Child Succeeds (ECS) home visiting curriculum.
Measuring the tides of talk
Using LENA technology, researchers have discovered new insights into children’s home language environments.
Before I had kids, I vowed never to use baby talk. Here’s why I was wrong.
Research shows that using “Motherese” — a form of communication with a higher pitch, more variability in tones, and lots of repetition — helps babies learn language.
Speak to Me, Baby
Advice columnist Mr. Dad shares tips to help your child develop verbal skills.
Study aims to prevent children’s speech and language disorders before they start
Speech and language researchers at Arizona State University's College of Health Solutions, together with collaborators at Washington State University, have received a National Institutes of Health grant of almost $1 million to use LENA technology in a study that will try to prevent speech and language problems before they happen.
Want to Boost Your Baby’s Intelligence? Talk to Them – A Lot
New research finds parents who frequently talk to toddlers not only help improve their child’s vocabulary, but they also give nonverbal abilities like reasoning and numerical understanding a boost.
Baby talk linked to later adolescent IQ
The findings of a recent long-term study by LENA researchers confirms two-way interaction between adults and infants correlates with increased IQ, verbal comprehension, vocabulary and other language skills 10 years later.
Parents learn, babies talk: How coaching moms and dads leads to better language skills among infants
A new study from the University of Washington shows that coaching parents on how to talk with their babies positively affects child development.
Early Language Exposure and Middle School Language and IQ: Implications for Primary Prevention
Two doctors reviewed the LENA Longitudinal Study and noted its contribution to the field and implications for pediatric policy and clinical practice.
Your toddler is learning 8 new words a day. Here’s the best way to make use of that language
Children’s frequency of conversation with adults predicts language skills and IQ a decade later, according to a new study from LENA researchers.
Talking To Your Baby Might Make Them Smarter, New Study Finds, Especially When They Can Respond
A team of researchers led by Jill Gilkerson, director of child language research at the LENA Foundation, looked at the effect talking to your baby might have on their later success.
Speaking with toddlers could boost IQ scores and language skills later in life
Having conversations with toddlers has been linked to higher IQ scores and better language skills by the time they reach school, a new study suggests.
Talking with your toddler could boost IQ scores and language skills later: Study
Early conversation with toddlers is linked to better language skills and higher IQ scores later in life, according to a new study.
Boulder non-profit LENA publishes research on importance of early talk with infants, toddlers
A 10-year study by LENA shows that the amount of talk with adults that babies experience in the first three years of life is related to their verbal abilities and IQ in adolescence.
Importance of language development in low-income, high-risk children
Study shows that conversational turns with teachers are positively related to language skills in children who are high-risk.
Back And Forth Conversation With Children Important For Children’s Brain Development
Using LENA technology, scientists at MIT discovered a relationship between conversational turns and children’s language development.
Infant nutrition and machine-based learning: Preliminary findings from Danone reveal colic promise
LENA partnered with Danone Nutricia Research to develop an expanded LENA capability to automatically detect and categorize crying and fussing in infants.
Here’s an intervention to keep our youngest learners from falling behind
Verbal engagement can influence child development more strongly than parental income or education, study shows
New Study Aims To Identify Autism Early With Telehealth
Researchers at Purdue University are including LENA technology in a “telehealth” kit for better understanding early risk factors for autism.
Talking with—Not Just to—Kids Powers How They Learn Language
Researchers at MIT use LENA technology to study brain activity and the importance of conversational turns to language development.
Back-and-forth exchanges boost children’s brain response to language
Researchers at MIT used LENA technology to find that the amount of conversational turns is more strongly related to positive language development than the number of adult words spoken to a child.
Talking with babies helps them bridge word gap
As talk is found to be increasingly important to the development of childhood linguistic and cognitive development, more communities are using programs like LENA to improve communication behaviors in families.
Baby vest measures talk between parent and child
CBC Radio interviews Jill Gilkerson from LENA, explaining the importance of interactive talk between children and their caregivers.
New “Babies” Series on Netflix Features UC Merced Professor’s Research on Development
A professor who uses LENA technology to study the relationship between children’s motor development and language development is featured in Netflix’s new series, Babies.
‘Nothing short of remarkable’: Study finds parents’ chats with their toddlers pay off 10 years later
A 10-year study by LENA researchers confirms that the amount of talk with adults that babies experience in the first three years of life is related to their verbal abilities and IQ in adolescence.