Researchers Say Noise Can Restrict Children's Learning Process
According to a new study presented at the 2016 American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting, noise can restrict a child's learning process. It is noted that certain types of noise can be more distracting to a child's brain, causing delay in learning compared to adults, per AAAS.org.
Dr. Lori Leibold of the Center for Hearing Research at Boys Town National Research Hospital said that one of her studies showed that some children can have trouble identifying speech and learning words while surrounded by noise and unrelated voices. She said, "What a child hears in a noisy environment is not what an adult hears."
"The language learning systems of the brain presumably evolved in far-quieter ambient environments than present-day settings," Dr. Rochelle Newman of the University of Maryland added. Newman pointed out that on her studies, children aged one to three cannot recognize speech in noise levels of a typical daycare center.
Newman also said, "We need to be much more aware of the impact that this noise might have on children and make a point of trying to turn off background television, background radio, background noise sources for at least some of the time when we're interacting with our children, to give them the best opportunity to learn from that input."
"We tend to think bustling environments and creating background noise is stimulating for kids but what's stimulating on the part of the parent may not be for the child," Professor Nan Bernstein Ratner from the University of Maryland told the Associated Press.
Ratner, along with other specialists, have tips for parents such as turning off the television, radio and other devices while talking to their children as music, sound and lyrics can cause a distraction. Another one is to speak very clearly while making eye contact. Also, if talking in a very noisy area, make sure that the baby or child sees the face of the speaker as children tend to pick up based on mouth movements.
It is also recommended to repeat what you said in simpler terms if the child did not understand what you said. Lastly, for older kids in school having behavior problems, parents should know that their child is listening in class because not paying attention is a problem.
On the other hand, Dr. Amir Lahav from the Harvard Medical School found out that infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Units that were able to hear recordings of their mother talking and singing put on more weight. Lahav added that the auditory cortex part of the brain of these babies is bigger compared to those who only listened to the sound of their incubator fans.
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