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Around 75,000 children enjoyed hours of fun chattering away in the first
ever 'Chatterbox Challenge' which raised more than £100,000 for charity.
More than 1,900 nurseries across the UK took part in the event, in which
children learned and recited nursery rhymes. It was organized by the Tesco
Baby & Toddler Club and I CAN, the charity for the one in ten children
in the UK who have speech and language difficulties.
Nursery workers and teachers will be able to use a new resource pack produced
by I CAN to help children improve their communication skills. Up to 10,000
early years settings across the UK will receive the free pack I CAN TALK!,
which contains a video, booklet, poster and questionnaire.
( Nursery World, 5 June 2003)
The next Chatterbox Challenge takes place from 2-6 February 2004.
Visit www.ican.org.uk/chatterbox.
Previous studies have shown that many birds learn to sing through social
interaction and feedback rather than by simply imitating others. For example,
adult female cowbirds, which do not sing, use social gestures and displays
to encourage particular song qualities in young males. Now research in
the United States suggests infants learn to speak in much the same way.
Michael Goldstein and colleagues at Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania
studied eight-month-old infants and their mothers in play sessions. During
the first part of the study the researchers monitored how often the babies
made vocal noises and how their mothers reacted to each vocalisation.
Later the mothers' responses were manipulated. Half the mothers were allowed
to respond to their infants' baby noises by smiling, moving closer and
touching their children. The other half, while paying as much attention
to their offspring, could not synchronise their responses with vocalisations.
After analysing recording of the babies' babbles, the researchers found
that noises from the first group developed faster during the play session.
Their sounds contained more syllables and faster consonant to vowel transitions
than those of babies in the second group.
Writing in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
the researchers said: "These data are empirical evidence of a parallel
in function between vocal precursors of songbirds and infants. Because
imitation is usually considered the mechanism for vocal learning in both
taxa (species), the findings introduce social shaping as a general process
underlying the development of speech and song."
Dr Alan Slater, a reader in psychology at Exeter University, backed the
findings. "This is a complex area but what they are claiming has
to be true. If you had infants who were not given any encouragement when
they are speaking then their language development would be delayed."
He said providing infants with feedback is the best way to ensure they
learn to speak when they are supposed to. Dr Slater said: "The best
advice is to provide infants with a lot of verbal feedback and to talk
to children in a manner that is called infant directive speech. This means
that you should not talk to them about the state of Iraq, for instance,
but rather about what is happening in the here and now, for instance when
parents are taking off their clothes."
(BBC News online, 3 June 2003)
According to research, early years workers, who are expected to play
a major role in identifying speech and language disorders, are not getting
the training they need.
Researcher Maria Mroz, of Newcastle University, surveyed 829 early-years
workers for the Nuffield Foundation. She found that nine out of 10 had
had no post-qualification training in speech and language work.
She also found that almost a third had sought help about language disorders
from informal sources, such as magazines, friends or relatives with specialist
knowledge or through experience with their own children.
A follow-up study of 50 workers found that 46 wanted training in speech
and language. Ms Mroz's report says: "The roles of an early years
professional are multiple but it is clear that talking and playing are
not as prominent as one might wish in terms of developing children's language.
"Early-years professionals are united in recognising their broad
responsibility to access all of the children in their setting.
"However, they lack tools and knowledge to specifically assess speech
and language development and to identify delay or disorder."
(TES, 7 March 2003)
Babies learn to follow objects with their eyes at between four and six
months old according to American researchers. Scott Johnson of New York
University said: "Our research provides the first conclusive documentation
of how and when infants learn about object concepts, and serves as a strong
argument against theories that infant knowledge in this area is innate."
Humans are born with brains that must start making connections from the
first gasp. The question has always been: how much knowledge is innate
and how much acquired at an early age? Psychologists have focused on how
babies make sense of language, how early they can identify music, how
they make sense of motion, and how quickly they recognise faces. Dr Johnson
and his colleagues used an eye-tracking instrument to measure how babies
aged between four and six months watched a ball moving across a screen.
Babies as young as four months who had seen the whole trajectory of the
ball, could anticipate where it would re-emerge. Dr Johnson said that
one implication was that babies could learn from observation, and did
not necessarily benefit from "stimulating toys or exercises".
(Guardian, 26 August 2003)
Under-threes provision that "will support well-being, companionship,
shared understanding, and a sense of belonging, and facilitate development"
was identified in a report published by the Scottish Executive Education
Department in July 2003.
The report is a review of the research evidence on the development of
children from birth to three years old, and considers the implications
of that evidence for the provision of out-of-home care. It provides an
overview of the ways in which adults can contribute to children's development
from the earliest stages, the kinds of adult attention and care that are
beneficial, and the characteristics of out-of-home provision that meets
young children's changing needs.
The report highlights the increasing pleasure 3-12 month infants get
from vocal play and song, and the emphasis on expressive play required
from caregivers (not largely reliant on toys or other material resources)
in order to foster the child's disposition to learn in company. At 9-24
months a growing vocabulary comes along with a repertoire of gestures,
behaviours and imitations. Before they can use words, infants communicate
interest and pleasure in what they are doing non-verbally and use imitation
to negotiate interests and form relationships. They will respond to talk
and action that aims to foster their natural sociability and concern for
others. Very young children need a social environment rich in opportunities
to develop language, symbolic coding and classifying, movement and engagement
with music, rhyme and creativity.
Between 24 and 36 months young children need imaginative and inventive
play and discovery in groups, alone and with interested adults. The report
highlights that practitioners are the most important resource in out-of-home
provision.
Meeting the needs of children from birth to three: research evidence
and implications for out-of-home provision, by Christine Stephen (University
of Stirling), Aline-Wendy Dunlop (University of Strathclyde) and Colwyn
Trevarthen (University of Edinburgh).
Visit www.scotland.gov.uk/insight/
Learning nursery rhymes together has always been a source of joy for
parents and children. Both delight in the moment when a youngster can
recite unaided the words to Sing a Song of Sixpence, Humpty Dumpty and
other favourites.
But all that could be a thing of the past as many middle-class couples
duck out of teaching their children songs and rhymes. Instead, parents
are 'buying' themselves out of devoting time and effort to their offspring
by splashing out on expensive toys which they can play with by themselves.
Alan Wells, director of the Basic Skills Agency, said better-off parents
were not too busy for such time-honoured activities but gave them little
importance.
The loss of the tradition, he warned is contributing to the huge decline
in language skills among millions of primary school pupil. "Culturally,
it's taken less seriously," he said. "I don't think it's to
do with having less time. We have families who leave children with their
own games rather than spending time with them and teaching them skills.
A lot of parents "buy out" of having to spend time with their
children. They buy them toys that don't require help."
The trend is concentrated on the better-off, he added.
"Certainly the "buying out" of having to give time is
quite often by middle-class families," said Mr Wells. "Poorer
families can't do that by buying expensive gifts."
Many nursery rhymes date back centuries and some have bleak origins.
Ring-a-ring o'roses is thought to refer to the plague which swept 17th
century London, while Humpty Dumpty may have referred to a cannon used
to defend Colchester during the Civil War.
Mr Well's warning came as his government-funded Agency unveiled the results
of a survey of 718 primary school heads. More than 60 percent believed
that four and five-year-olds knew fewer nursery rhymes and songs now than
in the mid-1990s.
Forty-two percent thought fewer children could recognise their own name
compared to five years ago and 49 percent said pupils talked less about
stories and picture books than before.
Sixty-four percent also said that younsters spoke less audibly now than
in the past.
Mr Wells, who has described youngsters' lack of linguistic skills as
the 'daily grunt', said it was vital for parents to regularly devote time
to reading with children and reciting nursery rhymes.
"These make a big difference to how they do when they start school,"
he said.
To fight the decline, the National Literacy Trust is starting a campaign
to encourage parents to read books and sing nursery rhymes to boost their
language skills.
"Parents can make a powerful contribution to children's language
and communications skills," said director Neil McClelland. "It's
enjoyable and is also helping them to develop literacy skills."
Another recent survey of 121 headteachers found that more than half said
parents should be encouraged to teach their children nursery rhymes to
boost their language skills.
In 2001, a five-year study at London University found that children having
fun at home by enjoying nursery rhymes and songs was the best way to give
them a headstart at school.
(Daily Mail, January 2003)
Sure Start Language Measure - The First Implementation (September 2002),
by Frances Harris, Department of Language and Communication Science, City
University.
This summary presents an overview of the national baseline results which
were collected from Sure Start local programmes during November/December
2001. It includes feedback on the use of the SSLM, with plans for future
development and implementation.
 Download
the summary
Babbling baby-talk may seem to mean very little except to besotted parents.
But scientists have found the first evidence that infants making apparently
incoherent noises are busy preparing for speech and language.
"They are hard at work figuring out the sound system of their language
and how those sounds are put together," said Professor Laura-Ann Petitto
of Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, in the US. "The baby is actually
building an understanding of the sounds of their language."
Researchers from Dartmouth College, working with another team from Canada,
analysed videos of ten infants, between five and 12 months. Some babies
babbled - making repetitive sounds such as da-da-da-da, or ba-ba-ba-ba
- and some made non-babbling sounds such as 'aaaaaah', while others just
smiled.
In each case the scientists measured whether the babies' mouth opened
more on the right or the left side. The brain's language centre is located
on the left side of the brain, which controls the right of the face. More
movement towards the right side of the mouth indicates that the language
machinery is being engaged. The researchers found that the babies' mouths
opened more on the right side during babbling. However, when the babies
made non-babbling sounds both sides opened equally.
The study, published in the journal Science, used babies from both English
and French-speaking families to make sure the mouth movements were
not specific to one language. It is hoped that by accurately interpreting
the infant mouth motion during babbling, researchers will be able to develop
a system to diagnose speech problems at a very young age and start treatment
early.
(Daily Mail, 30 August 2002)
Reading and Early Literacy is one of a series of reports designed to
support the implementation of Proposition 10: The California Children
and Families Act. It takes as its basis that "success in school and life
in today's society is more dependent upon literacy skills than ever before".
The paper provides practical evidence-based guidelines for considering
strategies to promote children's development relevant to emergent literacy
from birth to 5 years of age. It summarises the findings and recommendations
of the Committee on the Prevention of Reading Difficulties in Young Children,
and discusses examples of systems and programmes that may serve as models
for promoting early literacy.
Finally, the paper provides guidelines for best practices and policy
in the area, and makes recommendations for developing services to enhance
early literacy programmes.
M. Regalado, C. Goldenberg and E. Appel, Building Community Systems for
Young Children: Reading and Early Literacy, in N. Halfon, E. Shulman and
M. Hochstein, eds., Building Community Systems for Young Children,
UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities, 2001. Website:
http://healthychild.ucla.edu
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