The Washington Post – Valerie Strauss
“Parent talk in the first three years of life is the power propelling our brains to develop to their optimum potentials…Why is the effect of parent talk so profound? Because its results are not only predictive of academic success in general, but on reaching potentials in math, spatial reasoning, and literacy, the ability to self-regulate behavior, reaction to stress, and even perseverance…Self-regulation allows us to solve problems constructively, rather than spontaneously reacting in ways that would exacerbate them. Without self-regulation, intelligence is an almost meaningless gift. A central factor in a child’s ultimate ability to control behavioral impulses and emotional responses is parent-caregiver language, including how words are spoken. Emerging research tells us that this actually begins before a baby understands language, per se…Interestingly, bilinguality may be an enhancing factor.”(more)