The Science of Reading and Connection in Early Childhood

The Science of Reading, Connection in Early Childhood

Decades of research in developmental psychology, education, and pediatrics show that early language exposure, shared reading, and responsive interaction between caregivers and children play important roles in early development.

This page highlights selected peer-reviewed studies and academic research related to:

• shared reading
• early language development
• home literacy environments
• caregiver-child interaction
• digital media and childhood

Our goal is to make the research accessible to parents, educators, and journalists.

 

Shared & Dialogic Reading

Accelerating language development through picture book reading.

Citation

Whitehurst, G. J., et al. (1988). Accelerating language development through picture book reading.Developmental Psychology.

Summary
This seminal study introduced dialogic reading, a method where adults ask questions and prompt children to actively participate during reading.
Key findings
  • Interactive reading significantly increased expressive vocabulary.
  • Gains were strongest when parents used questioning and expansion techniques.
Link https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.24.4.552

Parent-Child Book Reading and Language Development

Citation

Bus, A. G., Van Ijzendoorn, M. H., & Pellegrini, A. D. (1995). Joint book reading makes for success in learning to read: A meta-analysis.Review of Educational Research.

Summary
Meta-analysis examining shared reading and early literacy outcomes.
Key findings
  • Shared reading significantly improves vocabulary and literacy skills.

  • Early reading routines are predictive of later reading achievement.
Link https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/00346543065001001

Shared Reading and Parent-Child Language Interaction

Citation

Mol, S. E., & Bus, A. G. (2011). To read or not to read: A meta-analysis of print exposure from infancy to early adulthood.Psychological Bulletin.

Summary
A large meta-analysis examining the relationship between reading exposure and language development.
Key findings
  • Print exposure strongly predicts vocabulary growth.

  • Early shared reading has long-term academic benefits.
Link https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021890

The Impact of Physical Books

The Home Literacy Environment and Emergent Literacy

Citation

Sénéchal, M., & LeFevre, J. A. (2002). Parental involvement in the development of children’s reading skill.Child Development.

Summary
Results showed that children’s exposure to books was related to the development of vocabulary and listening comprehension skills, and that these language skills were directly related to children’s reading in grade 3. In contrast, parent involvement in teaching children about reading and writing words was related to the development of early literacy skills. Early literacy skills directly predicted word reading at the end of grade 1 and indirectly predicted reading in grade 3. Word reading at the end of grade 1 predicted reading comprehension in grade 3. Thus, the various pathways that lead to fluent reading have their roots in different aspects of children’s early experiences.
Key findings
  • Shared reading predicted vocabulary development.
  • Direct teaching predicted decoding skills.
Link https://academic.oup.com/chidev/article/73/2/445/8283895

Number of Books in the Home Predicts Educational Outcomes

Citation

Evans, M. D. R., Kelley, J., Sikora, J., & Treiman, D. J. (2010). Family scholarly culture and educational success.Research in Social Stratification and Mobility.

Summary
Children growing up in homes with many books get 3 years more schooling than children from bookless homes, independent of their parents’ education, occupation, and class. This is as great an advantage as having university educated rather than unschooled parents, and twice the advantage of having a professional rather than an unskilled father. It holds equally in rich nations and in poor; in the past and in the present; under Communism, capitalism, and Apartheid; and most strongly in China. Data are from representative national samples in 27 nations, with over 70,000 cases, analyzed using multi-level linear and probit models with multiple imputation of missing data.
Key findings
  • Growing up with more books in the home strongly predicted educational attainment.
  • This remained consistent independent of their parents’ education, occupation, and class

Link https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rssm.2010.01.002

Impact of Screen Media & Child Development

Screen Time and Developmental Outcomes

Citation

Madigan, S., et al. (2019). Association Between Screen Time and Children’s Performance on a Developmental Screening Test.JAMA Pediatrics.

Summary
Longitudinal cohort study examining early screen exposure.
Key findings
  • Higher screen time predicted lower developmental screening scores later.

Link https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.0327

Mobile Media Device Use and Expressive Language Delay

Citation

Birken, C. S., et al. (2017). Association Between Mobile Media Device Use and Expressive Language Delay in 18-Month-Old Children.JAMA Pediatrics.

Summary
Our study demonstrated that in 18-month-old children, an increase in 30 minutes per day in mobile media device use was associated with a 2.3 times increased risk of parent-reported expressive speech delay but not an increased risk of other parent-reported communication delays. Almost a quarter (22.4%) of the 18-month-old children used mobile media devices on a daily basis, with a median duration of 15.7 minutes per day. Our findings address a gap in the literature on mobile media device use in 18-month-old children and its association with communication delays.
Key findings


Higher mobile device use was associated with expressive language delays

Link https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6382042/

Screen Exposure and Sleep

Citation

Carter, B., et al. (2016). Association Between Portable Screen-Based Media Device Access and Sleep Outcomes.JAMA Pediatrics

Summary
Sleep is vital to children's biopsychosocial development. Inadequate sleep quantity and quality is a public health concern with an array of detrimental health outcomes. Portable mobile and media devices have become a ubiquitous part of children's lives and may affect their sleep duration and quality.
Key findings

To date, this study is the first systematic review and meta-analysis of the association of access to and the use of media devices with sleep outcomes. Bedtime access to and use of a media device were significantly associated with the following: inadequate sleep quantity, poor sleep quality, and excessive daytime sleepiness. An integrated approach among teachers, health care professionals, and parents is required to minimize device access at bedtime, and future research is needed to evaluate the influence of the devices on sleep hygiene and outcomes.

Link https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27802500/
No studies added yet. Add studies in the block settings.

Language Exposure & Conversational Turns

Conversational Turns Predict Language Development

Citation

Romeo, R. R., et al. (2018). Language exposure relates to structural neural connectivity in childhood.Journal of Neuroscience.

Summary
Study linking conversational interaction to brain development.
Key findings

Interactive reading significantly increased expressive vocabulary. Gains were strongest when parents used questioning and expansion techniques.

Link https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0484-18.2018

Parent Speech and Vocabulary Growth

Citation

Huttenlocher, J., et al. (1991). Early vocabulary growth: Relation to language input and gender.Developmental Psychology.

Summary
Examined how caregiver speech influences vocabulary growth.
Key findings
  • The quantity and diversity of parent speech predicted vocabulary size.

Link https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.27.2.236