Many parents wish to have a genius (or near-genius) child, one that starts speaking in complete sentences by 12 months, reading by 18 months, and writing novels by 3 years of age. Of course, such expectations are highly unrealistic and put an extreme amount of pressure on a young child, but educational video and computer software companies prey on such insecurities and wants when developing their products. But, despite all of the advertising behind Your Baby Can Read and Baby Einstein, a child’s vocabulary doesn’t significantly improve. As studies have shown, Baby Einstein doesn’t effectively communicate to children in a manner they understand, and Your Baby Can Read may in fact be teaching visual recognition rather than proper reading skills.
Is there a way for children to learn quicker and get ahead of their peers? A recent study by the University of London, Birkbeck, shows that, while computer software may not teach a child words, it can help with helping a baby focus. Detailed by the Telegraph, the study had 42 babies separated into five groups. Some of the babies were instructed to follow a target on several screens of a computer program, and others watched a television cartoon. When the babies were asked later to focus on images or play with toys without getting distracted, the computer software group focused longer.
Because the fronts of their brains are not fully developed, babies are prone to distraction. Nevertheless, being able to learn a language is easier in early years, as opposed to in adulthood. The study, on the other hand, is only the beginning for finding better approaches to teaching children new skills, including language, at younger ages. About these and future findings, Researcher Sam Wass, from Birkbeck’s Centre for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, said to the Telegraph:
“We know the brain is more plastic early on, so an impact at this stage could potentially make a big difference to a child’s abilities later on. We already know that the early years of school are very important; what we have shown for the first time is that it is possible that difference can be made at an even younger age.”
