Language Development DVDs Are Not Beneficial to Infants or Toddlers: New Study
Language development DVDs like Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby can actually stunt the development of vocabulary in infants between 8 and 16 months of age, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Pediatrics.
Researchers at the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute studied the language acquisition of just over 1,000 infants and toddlers and found that for every hour per day that infants spent watching these DVDs, they understood an average of 6 to 8 fewer words than infants who did not view them. The effects also appeared to be cumulative, indicating that the amount of viewing time made a difference. For toddlers 17 to 24 months of age, the videos appeared to have no effect, positive or negative, on language development. Whether or not a parent watched the DVDs with the children did not significantly affect the language acquisition scores of either age group.
Authors of the study speculate that the instinctive adjustment of a parent's speech, eye gaze and social signals when interacting with a child are important components of language acquisition, but conclude that the relationship is not well understood and that further research should be conducted.
Previously on the D.C. Metro Area Medical Malpractice Law Blog, we have posted articles related to:
Researchers at the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute studied the language acquisition of just over 1,000 infants and toddlers and found that for every hour per day that infants spent watching these DVDs, they understood an average of 6 to 8 fewer words than infants who did not view them. The effects also appeared to be cumulative, indicating that the amount of viewing time made a difference. For toddlers 17 to 24 months of age, the videos appeared to have no effect, positive or negative, on language development. Whether or not a parent watched the DVDs with the children did not significantly affect the language acquisition scores of either age group.
Authors of the study speculate that the instinctive adjustment of a parent's speech, eye gaze and social signals when interacting with a child are important components of language acquisition, but conclude that the relationship is not well understood and that further research should be conducted.
Previously on the D.C. Metro Area Medical Malpractice Law Blog, we have posted articles related to:
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- 20 tips to prevent medical errors in children
- Pervasive Development Disorders (PDD) in children
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