The Digital Dilemmas of Ebook Reading with Children

by Holly F. News
books vs ebooks for reading with children

source: digitalmediadiet.com

 

Ebooks are everywhere – from the classroom to the coffee table – and it’s apparent that this is changing the face of reading for our kids. According to a new report from Digital Book World and PlayScience, more than half of U.S. children are reading ebooks – that’s twice the number of adults! This includes platforms such as iPads, NOOKs and Kindle Fires. The report, “The ABCs of Kids & Ebooks: Understanding the E-Reading Habits of Children Aged 2-13”, finds that among children ages 2-13, 54% are reading ebooks. Most of these children, 85%, are doing so once a week. Knowing shared parent-child book reading is an integral part of language development and crucial for speech and language therapy – what do we really know about these books? Are digital stories really the same as  paperback books? What are children gaining or losing  as e-readers? Here’s the rundown:

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Little Einsteins – Three Easy Things Parents Can Do To Boost Children’s IQ

by Holly F. Language Development

Forget the toys and gimmicks that promise to make your baby smarter, research published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science show three key things you could do to raise your child’s IQ. Part of being a profession that provides speech therapy services is knowing what factors influence a child’s cognitive and emotional development. This study highlights essential elements for cognitive and language growth in a child’s early, critical years.

 

What makes a child smart

Source: www.teacherportal.com

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See Spot Run! Give Your Child a Reading Boost with Kids’ Games

by Jacky G. News
Kids Games and Reading

Image source: Rossieronline.usc.edu

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have long known that early intervention with speech therapy techniques is critical for encouraging the best possible outcome for children with speech disorders. This is particularly true for youngsters with autism; they typically progress more with speech and language when they receive early and intense therapies. And parents everywhere have also long known that encouraging kids – even those without speech delays or disorders – to read early and often is ideal for language development. But teaching kids to read has progressed just a tad since the popular Dick and Jane series with its ubiquitous catchphrase, “See Spot run!” (Did you know that Spot was originally a cat when the series was first published in the 1930s?) Now, researchers are adding further proof to the idea of using kids’ games to encourage early literacy and language development.

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Talk to Your Belly: Language-Centric Pregnancy Care

by Jacky G. News
Music and Pregnancy Care

Image source: Facebook.com

Did you know that at-home speech therapy for kids can actually begin in the womb as part of your pregnancy care routine? It’s true – and even young children without speech delays or similar issues can benefit from speech therapy techniques to encourage language development. These speech therapy techniques can start before your child is even born. One of the hot trends in pregnancy care, other than loading up moms-to-be with eco-friendly gifts, is putting a headset on a pregnant belly and exposing the fetus to Mozart or Beethoven. And yes, the fetus can hear that and learn from it. But a recent scientific study reveals that a fetus actually begins learning individual sounds in the womb.

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Texting Dangers Extend Beyond Impaired Driving, Impact Language Skills

by Jacky G. Language Development
Texting Dangers - Teens with Cellphones

Image source: Debaird.net

The holidays are right around the corner and the kids are begging for new smartphones. Buying a new phone takes a lot of research. Even with Black Friday coming up and crazy deals on iPhones, it can take some hunting around to find a great cellphone with a reasonable plan. But before you give in to your youngster’s pleas for a fancy smartphone, consider potential texting dangers like the impact it might have on his language development. According to a couple of studies, “LOL” is no laughing matter, and kids who text frequently place themselves at risk for texting dangers like poor language skills.

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