Background Noise Might Hinder Learning in Young Children

A presentation at the recent gathering of the American Association for the Advancement of Science caught the attention of several news outlets, including Associated Press, The Latin Post and Herald-Whig. The panel of pediatric and communication sciences experts spoke about research showing how infants and young children get distracted by background noise. Studies discussed included one on premature infants exposed to the constant whirring of an incubator fan, as well as how electronic background voices affect toddlers learning to understand speech. ASHA member Nan Bernstein Ratner, a professor of hearing and speech sciences at the University of Maryland, was one of the panelists. She told the Associated Press that she often suggests to parents of preschoolers that they turn off potentially distracting background noise like television, radio or electronic games and interact one-on-one with their child. For school-aged children, even just a sudden load noise like a car horn or a cough might cause them to miss an important point their teacher makes. “We tend to think bustling environments and creating background noise is stimulating for kids,” she says, adding that “what’s stimulating on the part of the parent may not be for the child.” All of the panelists agreed that distracting background noise might lead to developmental delays in speech and language, and even behavior issues for children who can’t differentiate between a teacher’s voice and...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech Therapy Authors: Tags: News audiology background noise language development social skils speech-language pathology Source Type: blogs