Talk, Read, Sing: Early Language Exposure As an Overlooked Social Determinant of Health
2018; American Academy of Pediatrics; Volume: 142; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1542/peds.2018-2007
ISSN1098-4275
AutoresDanielle LoRe, Peter H. Ladner, Dana Suskind,
Tópico(s)Infant Development and Preterm Care
Resumo* Abbreviations: AAP — : American Academy of Pediatrics SES — : socioeconomic status I took note of my senior resident’s polished words and facial expressions as we stood in the newborn nursery. Anxious parents consumed every word of her discharge education. They laughed as she reassured them that spit-up is normal and solemnly absorbed all the ways they could minimize the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. “Everything make sense?” she asked me later in the work room. “As the third-year medical student, it will be your responsibility to do the discharge education on this rotation.” She carefully ran through the 10-point discharge list and neatly paired each education point with supporting evidence and significance. However, the final piece of advice, “Talk, read, and sing to your infant,” was not mentioned. I wondered if her omission came with an implicit prioritization. Not talking, reading, or singing to a newborn is, admittedly, less life-threatening than most recommendations on the newborn discharge list. But as I have since learned, the quantity and quality of parent–child interactions (how much and how often caregivers talk, read, and sing to their children) are key in shaping healthy brain development during the first few years of life.1–3 The first 1000 days of life are a critical time for brain development. Early experiences, transmitted via rich language … Address correspondence to Dana Suskind, MD, Department of Surgery, University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Ave, MC1035, Chicago, IL 60637. E-mail: dsuskind{at}surgery.bsd.uchicago.edu
Referência(s)