How toddlers learn words reveals their language development

Published on April 20, 2023

Imagine you’re a toddler on a treasure hunt, searching for shiny new words. Some toddlers are like superheroes, zooming straight to the hidden word treasures, while others take a slower, more cautious approach, exploring back and forth. A new study looked at where these little language learners direct their gaze when encountering new words. It discovered that tots with bigger vocabularies quickly lock onto objects associated with the word. In contrast, tots with smaller vocabularies dart their eyes between words and objects, taking extra time to connect the two. The researchers believe this insight could help identify kids with language delays sooner, allowing for earlier interventions. Just like a superhero needs to sharpen their powers before starting a new mission, kids can now receive targeted support to build their best vocabulary early on, setting them up for success when they enter school. Want to dive deeper into this fascinating research? Check out the link below!

A new study investigates where toddlers look when they learn new words. It finds that children with larger vocabularies looked quickly towards objects when learning new words. Meanwhile, children who knew fewer words looked back and forth between objects and took more time. The research team say that their findings could help identify children with delays in language development at an earlier stage. Importantly, it means these children could be given earlier support to build their best vocabulary before starting school.

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