White House Invites Patricia Kuhl to Speak on Early Learning; Recognized UW Professor Explains Effects of Early Language Experience On Later Reading Ability.

Health/Medical/Education & Parenting Writers

SEATTLE--(BW HealthWire)--July 30, 2001

Patricia K. Kuhl, Ph.D., co-director of the Center for Mind, Brain and Learning at the University of Washington, explained to a White House Summit on Early Childhood Cognitive Development that the fundamental steps in language acquisition later play a critical role in the ability to read.

Kuhl's comments were made on the opening day of a two-day summit called "Ready to Read, Ready to Learn," hosted by First Lady Laura Bush. The event is designed to expand awareness of research and highlight proven early-learning activities that parents and educators can use to prepare young children for school. Addressing more than 350 government, education and community leaders gathered at Georgetown University, Kuhl explained that new research findings may make it easier to diagnose children with reading problems.

"Our studies now show that infants' abilities to distinguish speech sounds at 6 months of age correlate with language abilities," Kuhl said. "The better infants are at distinguishing the phonetic units -- the building blocks of speech -- the better they are years later at other more complex language skills."

The language that parents, caretakers and most other people use unconsciously to communicate with infants is called "motherese" or "parentese." Kuhl discovered that this exaggerated, well-formed type of speech is used in cultures around the world and babies prefer and learn from it. "It's as important to explain that 'parentese' may help infants learn as it is to say that showing flash cards to 9-month-olds will not cause them to read any sooner," Kuhl said.

Children with language and reading problems have trouble distinguishing the basic sound units used in speech. Since early speech skills predict later language skills, there is enormous hope that new tests will allow us to identify, very early, children who are at risk for later language difficulties. Early identification allows for intervention.

Kuhl is a professor of Speech and Hearing Sciences and the co-director of the Center for Mind, Brain, and Learning (CMBL) at the University of Washington. CMBL's research is sponsored by Talaris Research Institute, a non-profit institute whose initial funding came from Seattle philanthropists and Talaris Trustees Bruce and Jolene McCaw.

"We have always been interested in education. Now our experience as parents gives us first-hand knowledge of the importance of research in such areas as language skills," says Bruce McCaw. "We want parents, caregivers and educators to benefit from what the researchers know. Talaris will help in that effort."

Beyond sponsoring research on early learning, Talaris is committed to disseminating the research findings to parents, caregivers, educators, and the healthcare and business communities.

About Talaris Research Institute

Talaris Research Institute is an interdisciplinary research facility that supports research on how infants to five-year-olds acquire and process information. Equally important to the mission is the dissemination of information derived from the research to parents, caregivers and educators. Talaris' Founding Director and CEO is John J. Medina, Ph.D.

About the Center for Mind, Brain, and Learning (CMBL)

CMBL is an interdisciplinary center that conducts research on early learning and the brain. Presently located at the University of Washington, it is co-directed by Patricia K. Kuhl, Ph.D., and Andrew N. Meltzoff, Ph.D.