© 2018 – 2023 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved #author-byline-block_4225c754736f614aee38585050f499a8 .author-byline-text{ font-size: 16px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); } How do children learn the secret of good communication? It can’t be too easy, because the world is rife with misunderstandings and crossed signals. Too often, people go through the motions...
© 2008 – 2023 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved #author-byline-block_74de783b4312e7f533d0c00c9213a11e .author-byline-text{ font-size: 16px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); } Babies learn to communicate through eye contact, gestures, and affectionate touch. But when it comes to grabbing a baby’s attention — and helping a baby “crack the code” of spoken language...
© 2018 – 2022 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved #author-byline-block_6230e31129595 .author-byline-text{ font-size: 16px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); } What is “baby sign language”? The term is a bit misleading, since it doesn’t refer to a genuine language. A true language has syntax, a grammatical structure. It has native speakers...
© 2022 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved #author-byline-block_62a9170e126ce .author-byline-text{ font-size: 16px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); } Babies possess amazing learning abilities. But to master language, they need our help. Studies suggest we can support language development by engaging babies in conversation, and by providing them with a variety of...
© 2022 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved #author-byline-block_629ffc4006161 .author-byline-text{ font-size: 16px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); } If you think about it, music and spoken language have a lot in common. They both use tones and rhythms. And studies indicate that there is some overlap in the ways that the...
© 2018 – 2022 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved #author-byline-block_628e8d310b009 .author-byline-text{ font-size: 16px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); } Babies make lots of communicative noises, but coos, gurgles, and cries aren’t true speech. When do babies say their first words? Most babies can say at least one or two words...
© 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved A mother’s voice has special power. It can provide comfort — and improve outcomes — for babies hospitalized in the NICU. It can shape the way infants process language in the brain. And it can help children cope with pain and stress....
© 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Yes, newborns spend most of their time sleeping and eating. But babies are more than mere survival machines. At birth, they are primed and ready for social input, and our loving care has profound effects on their development. Decades ago, people underestimated...
© 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Families are better off when teenagers communicate openly with their parents. But how do we inspire better communication? An experimental study shows the way: We need to provide kids with crucial signals of active, supportive listening. Not only does it make kids feel better. ...
© 2021 Gwen Dewar, all rights reserved What’s the connection between video games and attention? Do video games cause attention problems? Or do they help children focus? It seems that both are true. Certain “action” video games can enhance a variety of visual attention skills, and they may even help...
© 2009 – 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved What are the effects of television on language learning? Studies report a link between TV and language development in young children. The more time kids spend watching television, the more slowly they learn to talk. What’s going on? Some people...
