Reading together supports early brain development

Abstract: A new study encourages parents to read aloud to newborns and toddlers to strengthen relationships and promote brain development. Shared reading supports language, literacy and social-emotional development, laying the foundation for school readiness.

It is recommended that pediatricians provide guidance and culturally diverse books during well-child visits. The study highlights that printed books, rather than digital alternatives, offer the greatest benefits for interactivity and child development.

Key facts: :

• Reading together promotes early cognitive, linguistic and social-emotional development.
• The AAP recommends that shared reading begins at birth and continues through kindergarten.
• Print books promote greater interactivity and relationship building than digital media.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics

The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages parents and caregivers to read aloud to newborns and young children for the opportunity to build loving and nurturing relationships during a critical period of brain development, and recommends that pediatricians support families with guidelines and books during well-child visits, according to an updated policy statement.

The policy statement, “Promoting Literacy: An Essential Component of Pediatric Primary Care Practice,” is the first update to the AAP recommendations since 2014. Given the extraordinary amount of research in this area, an accompanying new technical report reviews the evidence supporting shared reading as a way to strengthening and nurturing relationships, stimulating brain circuits and creating early bonds.

“Reading together with young children weaves joyful language and rich interactive moments into the fabric of everyday life,” said Perri Klass, MD, FAAP, lead author of both statements.

“As a pediatrician and parent, I suggest making books a bedtime routine, using them to connect and calm down after a busy day, and generally incorporating them into your life with your young child. It will strengthen the bonds that bind you together and build your child’s developing brain.”

The policy statement, written under the auspices of the AAP Council on Early Childhood, will be published on Sunday, September 29 in Pediatrics online at the 2024 AAP National Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Florida. Claudia Aristy and Dr. Klass will discuss this policy during a plenary session titled “Turning the Pages Together: How Pediatricians Rewrote the Book on Early Literacy,” which begins Sunday at 10:30 a.m. ET in the Orange County Convention Center Valencia Ballroom.

Both the Policy Statement and Technical Report will be published in the December 2024 issue Pediatrics. The policy statements and technical reports produced by the AAP are written by medical experts, reflect the latest evidence in the field, and undergo several rounds of peer review before being approved by the AAP Board of Directors and published in Pediatrics.

The AAP emphasizes that shared reading as a positive parenting practice helps build the foundation for healthy social-emotional, cognitive, language, and literacy development. This sets the stage for school readiness and provides lasting benefits throughout life.

“The best experience is turning the pages of a high-quality printed book, filled with colorful pictures and rich, expressive language,” said Dipesh Navsaria, MD, MPH, MSLIS, FAAP, co-author of the technical report and chair of the Council on Early Childhood.

“While touchscreens and other electronic devices may be popular, for children they tend to be a passive or solitary experience and do not offer the same benefits in terms of interactivity and relationship building.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that pediatricians:

• Encourage shared reading, starting at birth and continuing through at least kindergarten, including, if possible, the NICU.
• Develop skills in discussing strategies with parents for mutually fun and developmentally appropriate reading activities. Encourage meaningful, language-rich engagement with books, images and the written word, and model techniques to encourage reciprocal, responsive and positive experiences.
• Provide high-quality, developmentally and linguistically appropriate, and culturally diverse books during follow-up visits for all young children.
• Make it a top priority to offer books to children from low-income families who may not have access to them.
• Support the AAP’s recommendation for limited screen use in early childhood, with particular emphasis on printed books for young children. Digital books do not promote equivalent parent-child interactions. If you use screen reading or audiobooks, recommend that parents incorporate reciprocal interactions with their children into these digital activities to promote relational connection and enhance children’s learning.
• Highlight the value of books featuring diverse cultures, characters and themes for all children, and support the use of these books to spark conversations about cultural pride, inclusion, belonging and equality.
• Include tips and encouragements for reading aloud, even during child health visits when books may not be readily available, including when primary care is provided virtually.
• He advocated for the establishment of public and private funding for a variety of high-quality, developmentally appropriate children’s books to be provided to all children during pediatric (wellness) visits.

Since 2014, the AAP has recommended promoting literacy as an essential component of children’s primary health care, stating that activities that foster early relationships influence a young child’s ability to sustain attention, executive function, self-esteem and social behavior. All of these characteristics greatly shape school readiness, success, and lifelong development.

“Research tells us that third-grade reading ability is a significant predictor of high school graduation and career success,” Dr. Klass said.

“Children who first encounter books in their parents’ arms come to school from an early age, associating books and reading with time spent on their laps, a sense of security, interactions, stories, rhymes and entertainment, and above all, with a loved one. . the voices of the adults with whom they establish these extremely important first relationships.”

This is news from neurodevelopment and literacy research

Author: Lisa Robinson
Source: American Academy of Pediatrics
Contact: Lisa Robinson – American Academy of Pediatrics
Picture: Photo credited to Neuroscience News

Original research: The results will be presented at the 2024 AAP National Conference and Exhibition and will be published in an upcoming issue Pediatrics