Pointing is a boost to toddlers’ language skills

At my center, we encourage the use of ASL sign language amongst our infant/toddler classrooms. Basic ASL (American Sign Language) taught along with everyday use of English language helps children to communicate their needs to each other as well as their teachers. Now there is new research done by Meredith Rowe and Susan Goldin-Meadow, from the University of Chicago that encouraging toddlers to use hand gestures can improve their vocabulary and boost their chances of doing well at school a few years later.

The following is an excerpt from the study:


Pointing and other hand signals seem to give babies a head start in learning language skills, possibly by helping them to make connections between words and the objects in the world around them, psychologists found.

The research highlights how interacting with toddlers can have a marked impact on their brain development, even before they have started talking, the researchers said.

Children are known to perform better at school if they have a large vocabulary when they start, but precisely why some are able to master more words than others before reaching school age has been hard to pin down. The parents' education plays a major role, because more-educated parents use a wider range of words, but psychologists suspected other factors were also important.

Meredith Rowe and Susan Goldin-Meadow, from the University of Chicago, worked with 50 young families from different socio-economic backgrounds to investigate why some toddlers seemed to grasp language more quickly than others.

They filmed 14-month-old children during an hour and a half of play with their parents and noted down the words and gestures that were used. Later, when the children were aged four and a half, they were given a vocabulary test to assess their language skills.

The video sessions showed that better-educated parents used gestures more often, and as a result, their children learned to use hand signals themselves in a variety of ways. On average, toddlers from well-educated families used gestures to convey 24 different meanings during a 90-minute play session. Toddlers from less-educated families used gestures to convey only 13.

"At 14 months of age, children are in the very early stages of productive language, they are saying very few words," said Rowe. "We didn't see any differences in their spoken language, but we did see a difference in their gestures and that's what we think is so striking."

The study, published in the journal Science, goes on to find that once in school, the children who gestured most as toddlers scored on average 26% higher in the language test than the other children.

By learning to gesture, toddlers pick up new words more quickly because it prompts parents to name the object the gesture is directed at. For example, if a child points at a doll, the parent might repeat the word "doll" a few times, boosting the child's chances of remembering the word.
Writing in the journal, the psychologists suggest that teaching babies to gesture early on could help to boost their performance at school.

"Whether or not early gesture plays a direct or indirect role in word learning, it is clear that gesturing partially accounts for the relation between socio-economic status and later vocabulary skill," they write. "The next step is to explore whether increases in gesturing lead to vocabulary gains in early childhood."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3, 2009
Release #09-137
Firm's Recall Hotline: (888) 289-5306
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Children's Flip Flops Recalled by Alpargatas Due to Violation of Lead in Paint Standard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.
Name of product: Children's flip flops
Units: About 210,000
Manufacturer: Alpargatas USA Inc., of New York, N.Y.
Hazard: Decorative paint on the sole of the flip flops can contain levels of lead in excess of the federal standard.
Incidents/Injuries: None reported
Description: Flip flops of the Havaianas brand containing decorative paint were sold under the following model names: Baby Estampas, Baby Pets, Kids Apple, Kids Fairy, Kids Flores, Kids Lighthouse, Kids Monsters, Kids Surf, Baby Letrinhas, Kids Sports, Kids Candies, Kids Fun, Kids Love, Kids Sereias, Kids Speed, Kids Lucky Bug, Kids Pets, Kids Rock, Kids Slim, Kids Wonder Woman, Kids Small Flowers and Kids Tropical w/Kit.

A photo of a representative flip flop is provided below. Havaianas flip flops without decorative paint are not being recalled.
Sold by: Department and specialty stores nationwide from November 2006 through February 2009 for about $15 to $24 a pair.
Manufactured in: Brazil
Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the recalled flip flops away from children and return them to Alpargatas USA, Inc. to receive a replacement.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, please contact Alpargatas USA at (888) 289-5306 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the company's Web site at www.havaianasus.com
To see this recall on CPSC's web site, including pictures of the recall product, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09137.html

Ways Ilnesses Spread - Infections in A Childcare Setting - cont.

This blog continues where I left off back aways. It takes a look at the various infections that are commonly found in childcare settings. Today I discuss ways illnesses spread as related to fecal and oral.

Fecal --> oral-
Intestinal tract infections are often spread through exposure to viruses, bacteria, or parasites in the feces and are transmitted by the fecal --> oral route. This means the that the germs leave the body of the infected person in the feces (or "poop") and enter the body of another person thought the mouth. In most situations this happens when objects that have become contaminated with undetectable amounts of feces are placed in the mouth.
Fecal --> oral transmission can also occur when food or water is contaminated with undetectable amounts of human or animal feces. Studies have shown that the sites most frequently contaminated with feces are hands, classroom floors, faucet handles, diaper changing areas, toilet flush handles, toys and tabletops. Germs spread this way include: campylobacter, cryptosporidium, E. coli O157, giardia, hepatitis A, salmonella, shigella, and a variety of intestinal viruses.

CPSC Recall "JCPenney Arizona(r) Newborn and Infant Pants"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 25, 2008
Release #09-056
Firm's Recall Hotline: (888) 333-6063
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

JCPenney Recalls Arizona(r) Newborn and Infant Pants Due to Choking Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with J.C. Penney Corporation, Plano, TX, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately.

Name of Product: Arizona(r) Newborn and Infant Denim Pants
Units: About 24,000
Importer: JCPenney Co., of Plano, Texas
Hazard: The metal snap at the waist can detach posing a choking hazard to infants.
Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: The recall involves Arizona(r) brand newborn and infant girl's and boy's denim pants. They were sold in sizes 0-3 months, 3-6 months and 6-9 months. Only those pants made in Bangladesh are affected; pants made in China are not included in the recall. The country of origin is located on a label sewn into the waistband.

Sold Exclusively at: JCPenney stores nationwide and at www.jcp.com from July 2008 through October 2008 for about $15.

Manufactured in: Bangladesh

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled pants and return them to any JCPenney store for a full refund. Pants purchased through the firm's Web site may be returned to the Catalog Desk at any JCPenney store.

Consumer Contact: For more information, contact JCPenney toll-free at (888) 333-6063 anytime or visit JCPenney's Web site at www.jcp.com

To see this recall on CPSC's web site, including pictures of the recalled product, please go to:http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09056.html

Infant/Toddler Product Recall Bead Maze Toys by ImagiPLAY

ImagiPLAY Recalls Bead Maze Toys Due to Laceration Hazard

NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety CommissionOffice of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 20, 2008
Release #09-052
Firm's Recall Hotline: (800) 882-0217
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

ImagiPLAY Recalls Bead Maze Toys Due to Laceration Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Bead Maze Toys
Units: About 500
Importer: ImagiPLAY, of Boulder, Colo.
Hazard: The trees on the toys can detach, exposing a metal screw. This poses a laceration hazard to young children.
Incidents/Injuries: None reported.
Description: The recalled products are painted wooden toys with beads that slide on a curved metal track. The product was sold in three styles: the Apple Tree Bead Maze, the Cactus Tree Bead Maze and the Palm Tree Bead Maze.
Sold by: Toy retailers nationwide from August 2008 through October 2008 for about $13.
Manufactured in: United States
Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the recalled toys away from children and return them to the retail store where purchased for a full refund.
Consumer Contact: For more information, contact ImagiPLAY at (800) 882-0217 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at www.ImagiPLAY.com (pdf).

To see this release on CPSC's web site, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09052.html

I'm Baaack! Sorry for the lost time!

I am at a point again where I can keep up with this blog and be sure that I meet the needs of all teachers and parents of Infant/Toddlers (birth to 36 months). I've had favorable comments on the listing of recalls related to infant/toddlers only, so this will continue throughout next year as well. I will finish up the information on common infections in child care settings and then move on to other topics.

What I would like to do on this blog is stimulate discussion as well about developmental issues regarding infant/toddlers. I will pick out different topics and maybe put out a poll or two to get a variety of discussions started regarding different aspects of child development amongst infant and toddlers. I am open to topic suggestions as well, just e-mail me with your suggestions and I'll review them for possible upcoming polls/discussions. I hope those who visit and read this blog will join in with the discussions as well.