The Times - Let The Young Answer Back To Improve Language Skills

An article from The Times and felt it was worth sharing. 

Unfortunately it has a paywall attached. If you have a The Times subscription, it is worth reading the full article.

The brain structure of young children changes when they are regularly engaged in back-and-forth conversations with adults, a study has shown.

The research suggests that parents should concentrate on having conversations with their children and that talking at a youngster or sitting them down in front of the TV is no substitute.

It has been thought that a child’s exposure to language could predict their linguistic and cognitive skills and later academic achievements. However, little research has been done about how talking to a child might cause variety in brain structure.

A study led by Rachel Romeo, of Harvard University, looked at 40 children aged between four and six. It suggested that those who were often engaged in conversation by adults had stronger connections between…