I was approached by the Leap Lab team at NTU ( https://www.facebook.com/leaplabntu ) to bring Zoey to participate in a Language Development Study conducted by Dr Luca Onnis for babies and toddlers. So 2 weeks ago, I picked Zoey up after school and brought her all the way across Singapore to NTU.
I wanted to participate in this study because I believe that there is not enough information about how language develops for young children in Singapore. While in many other countries, most children are exposed to only 1 or 2 languages, I believe in Singapore, children can be exposed to as many as 3 or 4 languages. For example, Zoey is exposed to English, Mandarin and Indonesian on a daily basis. So I thought I would contribute to the research by bringing Zoey in.
The session itself does not take long. It's about 45 mins long, conducted in a nicely decorated room with a comfortable couch and a corner with a play mat. I was first given a book to read to Zoey and after that the research assistant Ashley conducted the BRIGANCE Early Childhood Screening ( http://www.curriculumassociates.com/products/BRIGANCEoverview.aspx ) for Zoey on the play mat. It took Zoey a little while to warm to Ashley, but once she got comfortable, she was very happily exploring all the toys and other areas in the room.
At the end of the session, Zoey was given a cert that awards her the title of "Baby Linguist". She was extremely pleased with her cert and allowed me to take a photo of her holding it.
Ashley emailed me the report of Zoey's results after the session. I'm so proud to know that she has advanced development for her age. Looks like we are doing something right!
I would strongly encourage parents of young children who are between 6 and 36 months to participate in this study. To find out more, please see the information below:
> At the LEAP Lab, we explore how language develops in infants and young children and by doing this work, we hope to promote better learning practices in the home. We are housed at the Nanyang Technological University and have just opened our doors to enthusiastic parent volunteers early this year.
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> A day out at the LEAP lab would be a fun outing for parents with young children who are keen to learn more about their child's language development. Our studies employ behavioral methods and only require the young ones to watch a puppet show or listen to a story. Participating children are awarded a certificate for participating and a small gift (https://www.facebook.com/leaplabntu). We also reimburse parent's transport costs to the lab (capped at $50). Certain studies can even be done online.
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> The concept of citizen science is still very new to Singapore and increasing the awareness of this work would be very beneficial in helping us promote healthy learning in Singapore. Please register your interest here if you are keen: http://goo.gl/forms/ZjYymMIqJZ
Please consider contributing to young children healthy learning in Singapore by participating!