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.
LENA - Building brains through early talk
Webinars (5)
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.
Introduction to LENA SP
Learn more about LENA SP, a tool for researchers, clinicians, language professionals, and others who need detailed, scientifically reliable speech-language measurements of children 2 months to 48 months old.
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)
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.
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.
Study finds causal link between conversational turns and socioemotional development in babies
Researchers in Santiago, Chile, have used LENA technology to show important connections between conversational turns and socioemotional development in very young children.
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.
Inside Early Talk: Our point of greatest leverage for improving children’s futures
LENA has collected and analyzed its most expansive data set to date through the 10,000 children annually impacted by our programs for families and early childhood teachers.
How researchers have adapted to continue using LENA SP during the pandemic
Two teams share how they’ve adapted their data-collection process to continue their studies.
Results from parent survey confirm LENA Start is building stronger families
We analyzed data from 1,700 program participants and found that families report spending more time with children, talking more, and feeling more confident in their parenting abilities.
Research Roundup: Supporting young children and caregivers during crisis
As normal caregiving routines are disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak, three research studies provide insight into how to support children and caregivers.
Children show elevated language skills one year after LENA Start
Children whose families participated in LENA Start are showing elevated language skills one year after the program, an analysis of longitudinal data shows.
Research Roundup: How parents can shape children’s early brain development through reading
Three new studies highlight how reading supports brain growth and cognitive function.
LENA researchers’ work featured in new Netflix series
Research by Dr. Eric Walle and Dr. Anne Warlaumont on the relationship between child language development and movement is featured in a new Netflix documentary, Babies.
Research Roundup: How to reduce the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Explore research-based strategies for helping children overcome adversity.
Q&A with Dr. Beate Peter: Researching early speech and language intervention for children with classic galactosemia
A new clinical trial will use LENA SP to evaluate the effectiveness of a speech-language intervention for infants with a known genetic risk factor for speech and language delays.
Study finds that families who participate in LENA Start increased adult words, conversational turns, and child vocalizations
Families who participated in LENA Start provided increasingly rich home language environments for their children, expanding how much they talked to and with them over the duration of the three-month class, compared to families who did not attend, a new study has found.
Research Roundup: Learning during the first few years of life
Three new studies provide insight into how children learn during the first months and years of life.
Equitable and inclusive classroom experiences: Your questions answered!
We’re answering questions submitted during our webinar about how to create equitable and inclusive classroom experiences for children with Dr. Iheoma Iruka of HighScope, Ellen Roche of Trust for Learning, and Lauren Cooper from LENA.
Infant and parent brainwaves synchronize during playtime
Parents’ brainwaves track and respond to changes in their infant’s brain activity when they play together.
New research strengthens link between adult-child conversation and brain structure, reading skills
A new study exploring associations between family socioeconomic background, children’s brain structure, and children’s reading skills indicates that children who experience more conversational turns may have increased brain growth, and in turn, better reading skills.
Initial longitudinal evaluation results: Huntsville children whose parents participated in LENA Start have stronger literacy skills two years later
Promising new data show that children whose families participated in LENA Start, a parent-group program focused on increasing early talk, demonstrated considerably higher early literacy scores and were far more likely to be at an advanced literacy level entering pre-K.
Infant and toddler CLASS assessment: Your questions answered!
Teachstone’s senior research advisor discusses the state of early childhood classrooms, challenges and opportunities for growth, and answers common questions about CLASS.
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Articles (30)
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.
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 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.
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.
‘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.
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.