It has been found that young children can use gestures before language development begins, and these gestures can also predict future language development. The majority of previous studies that focused on gestures in young children have only observed them in neurotypical children; however, there is an increasing amount of work that also examines children who have been diagnosed with autism. One of the criteria necessary for an autism diagnosis is impairment in nonverbal communication, and it affects about 1 in 54 children in the United States. Since gestures have been proven to help aid in early identification and interventions for children who are more likely to experience language difficulties, this article looked to compare findings from both neurotypical and autistic children.

Neurotypical children are able to communicate with gestures before they are able to use spoken language. Their first gestures usually include showing or pointing, and the objects that they point to are more likely to be added to their spoken vocabulary. These gestures emerge around 10 months and by 14 months, pointing specifically at different objects actually predicts their language outcomes. Specifically, index-finger pointing and declarative pointing have been more strongly tied to vocabulary growth than whole-hand and imperative pointing. Painting has also been shown to be connected to an increase in vocabulary, with earlier and more frequent painting serving as strong predictors. Once children can combine speech and gesture (~2 years old) and they can convey meaning beyond single words, these combinations can predict syntactic development.

Children with Autism have shown a reduced amount of gesture production from infancy all the way through adolescence with declarative gestures. The findings for gesture production in children with ASD are mixed, with some studies showing lower performance and others showing similarities. Furthermore, Infants at an elevated likelihood of ASD, especially those who have an older sibling who is diagnosed, are at higher risk for language impairments. Some infants with elevated likelihood can perform as well as or better than neurotypical children, while others, mostly those who are diagnosed later, show reduced gesture use. Children with ASD and an elevated likelihood of ASD produce similar amounts of gesture types and gesture and speech combinations, which help predict language skills as well.

New research is suggesting that the quality and type of gestures may be more important than frequency. Gestures combined with vocalizations, or those used for joint attention and social interaction, are especially predictive of later language. On the other hand, gestures for behavioral regulation are not. In other words, for infants with ASD, the types of gestures rather than just the amount play a huge role in language development.

Overall, gestures allow children to convey meanings before they can do so in speech, and these early gestures consistently precede and predict vocabulary, syntax, and narrative development.

To read more, click here!

Alexandra Lagaros

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

 

When we look at babies, the first thought that comes to mind might be how cute they are and how new they are to the world. However, one aspect we often overlook is how babies think, process information, and perceive their surroundings. Patricia Kull delves into how babies are linguistic geniuses, as they have the ability to acquire a second language extremely quickly until the age of seven. After puberty, we observe a sharper decline to the point where it completely disappears. She mentions that there is a critical period in development, where babies attempt to master the sounds in a language. The fascinating thing about babies is that they can discriminate the sounds of every language, regardless of which country it is from, which is something adults cannot do. Because adults are culture-bound listeners, they can only differentiate the sounds of their primary language, not foreign ones.

Kuhl explains further that they were able to pinpoint when babies become culture-bound listeners, as a study was conducted with babies in Tokyo and the United States, in which they listened to “ra” and “la”—sounds, which are important in English but not in Japanese. It was found that at around six to eight months, the babies were completely equivalent in ability to discriminate between these two sounds. However, only two months later, the babies in the U.S. got significantly better, and the babies in Tokyo got significantly worse. This signified that the babies were preparing for the exact language that they were going to learn in such a short span of time.

Additionally, to provide us with an understanding of how babies can perceive another language, Kuhl explains another study conducted in which they compared Taiwanese babies’ understanding of Mandarin to 6-month-old American babies (who had never heard a second language before) who were exposed to Mandarin through twelve sessions. It was found that after two months, the American babies were just as good at perceiving Mandarin as the Taiwanese babies who had been listening to Mandarin for the past 10 and a half months.

Through both of these studies, scientists were able to figure out two things: babies are listening intently to us, and they are taking statistics while doing so. They can absorb the statistics of which language they are learning, and this changes the way their brains perceive language. The way we perceive language is founded on the representations that were formed extremely early in development.

 

If you want to watch the full Ted Talk, click here!

Alexandra Lagaros

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

 

Cognitive processing language (CPL) is defined as instructional language rich in strategy suggestions, metacognitive references, and memory requests, all of which are important in the learning development of elementary-aged students, as it is linked to children’s early use of strategies and self-regulated learning (SRL). Self-regulated learning includes skills such as planning, monitoring, setting goals, and evaluating progress.

 

This study explores how the combination of a teacher’s instructional language and children’s self-regulated learning both contribute to children’s use of memory strategies in first and second grade. The conclusion was that the groups of children who had higher self-regulated learning abilities and were in classrooms in which teachers utilized more cognitive processing language displayed similar patterns of growth in sorting over time, while groups of children with lower SRL and exposed to lower CPL showed significantly less growth in these same skills.

 

The implications of this study were that the type of language a teacher decides to use is important for the development of memory skills in elementary schoolers, especially with students with lower self-regulated learning abilities. In other words, students who may be at risk with either lower academic levels or lower SRL abilities are the ones who will benefit most from cognitive processing language. The environment that a teacher creates for students, especially at a younger age, is crucial, as all children are able to benefit regardless of academic and self-regulated learning ability!

 

If you want to read more, click here!

Alexandra Lagaros

UConn KIDS, Research Assistant 

Constructionism is defined as the understanding that children actively construct knowledge through the interactions they have with their surrounding environment by building ideas. This can be stimulated by interacting with meaningful objects that allow them to express and materialize their ideas. Hence, building and playing with sandcastles, Legos, dolls, and collectible cards should be considered as models for designing new tools for children’s play. 

Digital manipulatives (interactive, web-based representations of manipulatives like base-ten blocks) allow for a hands-on, engaging alternative to traditional digital tools by promoting exploratory learning and encouraging creativity and collaboration. Research shows Digital manipulatives enhance engagement, verbal interaction, and social skill development. However, early childhood curriculums often separate play from digital tool use, suggesting a need to better integrate children’s play with digital learning tools through deeper understanding of their play experiences

This study looked at Digital manipulatives and how they influence constructionism and found that children were able to explore and use the functions of the Digital Manipulative without any sort of help. Additionally, the children created their own play rules through negotiations with each other on how to handle the block, allowing autonomy and being able to create things on their own, which resulted in playful interactions and collaborations. The children also used the blocks for both creating visual narratives and for construction material, ensuring that children were able to engage in a diverse range of activities and not be confined to the computer. The blocks also gave democratic interactions, giving kids equal power to interact with the device, further encouraging social interaction and collaboration.

Overall, digital manipulatives have the ability to transform early learning by making digital experiences more playful, collaborative, and engaging. However, there’s still a gap between how play is understood in educational settings and how digital tools are used. In order to start bridging this gap, we need to rethink how children can play and how technology can support, NOT replace, those meaningful experiences!

To read more, click here!

Alexandra Lagaros, UConn KIDS Research Assistant

Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday!

The answer to last week’s Trivia Tuesday is…it boosts emotional and social skills! Pretend play allows for children to express themselves and explore different roles and situations, allowing them to understand and regulate their emotions.

This week’s question is: At what age is acquiring a second language with near-native proficiency the easiest?

A. Before puberty
B. Between puberty and adulthood
C. During Adulthood
D. There is no specific age, it varies widely from person to person

 

Tune in next week to find out the answer to this week’s question!

Previous research has shown a consistent positive correlation between the arts and both children’s and adolescents’ intellectual development. Specifically, musical education and participation have shown the strongest association, as creating music is a complex task that engages multiple brain systems. 

This article explores whether this positive association between music and learning is causal or not, as existing research is speculative at best. Using data from a large, nationally representative sample, researchers found that there is no evidence that education in the arts causes better academic or personal outcomes (higher GPA, self-esteem, etc.). However, children who chose to engage in arts when they were younger are more likely to stay engaged in the arts later in life, meaning it is good to encourage children to get involved in the arts at a young age.

 

To read more, click here!

 

Alexandra Lagaros, UConn KIDS Research Assistant

Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday!

The answer to last week’s Trivia Tuesday is… 6-7 years old! This is usually when children are in first or second grade. At this age, children are able to recognize common words, use phonics to decode new words, and are able to read simple sentences smoothly.

 

This week’s question is: At what age are children able to recognize and label different gender groups?

1. 6-12 months
2. 12-18 months
3. 18-24 months
4. 24-30 months

Tune in next week to find out the answer to this week’s question!

Children’s language development is essential for children, as it helps them develop communication skills and the ability to understand the world around them. It is also a communication tool that is important in shaping a child’s character. Good language skills allow children to build healthy interpersonal relationships, understand differences, and adapt to their environments.

 Implementing character education through language development is essential in primary education. Character education includes activities that combine the development of children’s language with character learning, such as reading stories, singing, and group games. It plays a key role in shaping elementary school children’s development, helping them build the skills needed to navigate various obstacles that will come up in their lives. Additionally, it fosters self-reliance and encourages them to contribute positively to society. However, integrating character education in primary schools faces several obstacles, including teachers’ limited understanding and expertise, heavy curriculum demands, and time constraints. This article goes into detail about the potential solutions in order to overcome these challenges. 

It was found that the implementation of character education through language development can be accomplished by combining language development activities with character learning activities such as storytelling, singing, and group games that involve all students. In addition, the results showed that through language development, children can learn communication and social skills that help them build good character. This means that language development can be an effective medium for implementing character education in primary schools.

To read more, click here!

Alexandra Lagaros, UConn KIDS Research Assistant

There is no such thing as a perfect parent; mistakes and struggles are just part of the job. That being said, there is almost nothing as impactful as interpersonal relationships, as repair can be. Repair can be defined as the act of going back in a moment of disconnection, taking responsibility for your behavior, and understanding the impact it had on the other person. This is different from an apology, which aims to shut a conversation down due to the desire to move on, while a good repair opens a conversation up. 

Repair also helps to avoid self-blame, which is something that works in childhood, as it is a survival mechanism in which a child feels safer internalizing the blame and thinking that they are bad rather than perceiving their parents and the world as unsafe. This helps them build a sense of security. However, this is not healthy going on in adulthood, as it fuels feelings of unworthiness, anxiety, and depression Recognizing that self-blame might be an old, adaptive story rather than a current truth is the first step towards healing, allowing us to understand our past and strive for a more self-compassionate present without needing to achieve perfection.

Learning how to repair allows for compassion and understanding, models emotional regulation for your child, and is a model that is ideal to pass down to the next generation!

To watch the full Ted Talk, click here!

Alexandra Lagaros, UConn KIDS Research Assistant

Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday!

The answer to last week’s Trivia Tuesday is… theory of mind! Theory of mind refers to the capacity to understand and anticipate others’ actions by recognizing they have their own thoughts, feelings, and intentions. This ability to grasp that others have different perspectives is fundamental to social interaction and communication.

This week’s question is: At what age do babies begin to say their first words?

1. 6-12 months
2. 12-18 months
3. 18-24 months
4. 24-30 months

Tune in next week to find out the answer to this week’s question!