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The LENA System measures the early language environment of children birth to 48 months. It consists of a compact digital recorder with clothing so a child can wear it comfortably; software that turns the recording into data; and a cloud-based system for managing the data. Feedback from LENA helps parents and caregivers increase the quantity and quality of interactive talk. While words are important, "conversational turns" are even more so - times when an adult says something and the child responds, or vice versa. Turns measure interactions, and according to research, they're a very powerful predictor of brain growth. LENA devices were mentioned in "In the Beginning Was the Word" article from _The Economist_.

Researchers at the University of Washington developed a play-based, intensive, English-language method and curriculum and implemented the research-based program in four public infant-education centers in Madrid, Spain. Based on years of UW's I-LABS (Institute of Learning and Brain Science) research on infant brain and language development, UW's pilot bilingual education method utilized the following brain-research principles: 1. social interaction 2. play 3. high quality and quantity of language from the teachers. 4. Use of "infant-directed speech", or "parentese": the speech style parents use to talk to their babies, which has simpler grammar, higher and exaggerated pitch, and drawn-out vowels. 5. Active child engagement. The country's extensive public education system enabled the researchers to enroll 280 infants and children from families of varying income levels. Babies aged 7 to 33.5 months were given one hour of English sessions a day, using the UW method, for 18 weeks, while a control group received the Madrid schools' standard bilingual program. Both groups of children were tested in Spanish and English at the start and end of the 18 weeks. Children who received the UW method showed rapid increases in English comprehension and production, and significantly outperformed the control group peers at all ages on all tests of English. By the end of the 18-week program, the children in the UW program produced an average of 74 English words or phrases per child, per hour; children in the control group produced 13 English words or phrases per child, per hour. This 3 minute video succinctly captures the study: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE5fBAS6gf4

This article talks about how society right now is living in "The Age of Profanity," meaning that swearing has become so much a part of our lives, that it isn't really viewed as "inappropriate" anymore. In the article, Benjamin K. Bergen and Michael Adams, who both wrote two different books about profanity, agree that the court system, English teachers, and parents who teach children that swearing is unacceptable, are the only reasons why profane words still exist today. Benjamin K. Bergen, author of, "What the F," talks about how there are very blurred lines between words classified as profane and words that are perfectly okay to say. He also points out that there is no evidence to say that exposure to profanity harms children, but slurs that are directed at people because of their racial, ethnic or sexual identities are. Michael Adams, author of, "In praise of Profanity," talks about how even though we are in "The Age of Profanity" now, it won't last for long because the future of swearing belongs to slurs. On the other hand, he talks about fearing a future where "nothing will be obscene, nothing profane and nothing taboo," because of how socially acceptable and common profanity has become.

Scientist discuss why humans enjoy swearing so much and what actually happens in our brains when we do use curse words.

Babies first start learning language by listening to the rhythm and intonations of speech. They specifically listen to high pitches versus low ones and the loudness of syllables in speech. Before a baby is even born they already begin developing language. When in the womb, the intonation patterns of the mother are heard in the womb. "Baby talk" used by people to infants is a crucial part of an infants learning.Parents often exaggerate these aspects of language, which helps a baby to acquire it. Research shows babies prefer listening to this exaggerated, singsong way of talking compared to regular adult talk.

This article outlines research-based advice regarding teen use of social media. Psychological scientists examine potential beneficial and harmful effects of social media use on adolescents' social, educational, psychological, and neurological development. This is a rapidly evolving and growing area of research with implications for many stakeholders (e.g., youth, parents, caregivers, educators, policymakers, practitioners, and members of the tech industry) who share responsibility to ensure adolescents' well-being.b Officials and policymakers including the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy have documented the importance of this issue and are actively seeking science-informed input.c

Hawaii put forward a plan Tuesday, 1/17/2023, to make preschool available to all 3- and 4-year-olds by 2032, which if successful would put the state in a rarified group of states managing to provide pre-kindergarten education to most of its children. Hawaii's leaders have aspired to universal pre-K for decades but have found it elusive. A recent analysis found the state was moving so slowly toward that goal that it would take 47 years to build all the public preschool capacity Hawaii needed. The state expects it will need 465 new classrooms to serve the additional students. Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, who has been tasked by Gov. Josh Green to lead the state's efforts, said only half of Hawaii's 35,000 3- and 4-year-olds attend preschool, either by paying expensive tuition for private schools or obtaining one of the few spots in publicly-funded pre-K programs. The state estimates there are about 9,200 children whose parents want to send them to preschool but aren't able. It's targeting its plans at this group.

This article explains the various ways one might deal with grief. These expressions are narratives, symbolism, metaphors, and analysis. Being narrative is sharing the legacy of the loved one and can be formed as eulogies, organizations, etc. Symbolism represents the relationship between the living and the passed. A common symbol is a "new star in the sky" for children who have lost parents, or a couple's wedding song. A metaphor is a way to describe a loved one or a relationship. An analysis is when one writes down their thoughts to reflect upon them. One may use this in a sudden-death case and the bereaved is overwhelmed by the idea that they "should've done more to save them."

Dr. Michael Rich is the director of the Center on Media and Child Health and the Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders. Rich notes some major takeaways: 1.Babies' brains are elastic: the first three years of life are critical for both language and overall brain development. Unlike other animals, humans are born with embryonic brains, rendering babies helpless and in need of caregivers while also providing a developmental advantage: allowing us to build our brains in response to the challenges and stimuli of the environment we're in," In the first three years of life, the brain triples in volume due to synaptic connections, therefore stimuli and challenges babies receive within that time frame help babies build creative, flexible and resilient brains. 2. Face to face interaction is valuable. 3. It's not just about screen time duration, but the type of content being consumed. For example, young children can interact meaningfully via Facetime, if they've previously interacted with that person. However, screens as a distraction for kids in lieu of human interaction= not good.

This article talks about how screen time affects babies language development. The first nine months of a baby's life are important for a child to understand sounds and how they should be used. They are able to understand language much earlier than they actually start talking. Many doctors and scientists encourage parents to communicate with their babies as soon as possible to develop language. Recent studies found that babies that spent more time in front of a screen than talking suffered in language development. I found it interesting that not all screen time is necessarily bad for a child's language development. For example, FaceTime can be beneficially for children because they are interacting in a meaningful way but using screens as a distraction for kids can be harmful.

This article talks about general language disorders, how to detect impairments, options for treatment, and much more. More specifically, one portion of the article focuses on receptive versus expressive forms of language, and the characteristics that fall beneath each of these categories. Lastly, the article addresses how parents can help their child succeed from a young age.

This article reminded me of the Ted Talk we watched in class. It's interesting how a "language nest" works and how parents get paid to learn and speak Ojibwe with their children. I'm curious how language revitalization will evolve in the future.

When a human baby is born, its first cry is a normal sign of good health. Having never taken a breath before, the baby signals its first inhalation and exhalation-in the form of a screech. How do babies know to create a sound they've never made before? And is their first yelp truly the start of speech development? As it turns out, human babies may be practicing how to cry long before they ever make a sound. That is, if they're anything like marmosets, humans' primate cousins. A study of marmosets by Daniel Takahashi, a co-author of the study and an animal behaviorist at the Brain Institute at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil. shows fetal monkeys practicing crying in the womb. Takahashi notes, "marmosets are monkeys that we know vocalize a lot, and they share a lot of features with humans." For instance, both male and female parents raise their offspring together, and unlike other primates, marmoset babies are relatively helpless when they're born, like human infants. Takahashi says the central finding will help illuminate when speech development begins, and that studying pre-birth-rather than the moment of birth-may help identify speech or motor development problems earlier. "There are a lot of things going on in the womb that might be relevant to what's going on afterwards," he says.

This article talks about the importance of speaking development of babies from ages 0 to 12 months old. It helps parents (and others) understand how a baby tries to communicate their feelings with the noises they make. It is useful to know the way babies try to speak to us in order to understand if they are hungry, tired, happy, etc. and be able to respond to their needs.

This article talks about how children grasp language especially in correlation to physical objects. Further, the article mentions how a study conducted show children's own experience helps them learn new words. Interestingly when parents point out an object the child must attempt to find the object, whereas when children are holding the object the connection between the world is easier.

This article discusses how baby talk can impact child development and explains how baby talk can aid babies/infants in emotional bonding. It talks about the belief that talking in simplified sentences and exaggerated tones helps babies grasp speech patterns and emotions.

This article describes the result of an experiment which examined babies' neural responses to social interactions with their parents. They found the amount of brain activity had a positive correlation with their future language development and acquisition at three years old.