Using LENA HOME to Improve Child Vocabulary

One objective of Every Child Succeeds is to foster the timely development of language and emerging literacy in young children. We conducted a pilot of LENA HOME, an approach in which children wear a device that records the number of words spoken to the child over the day. Mothers receive feedback used to encourage them to speak often to their babies. Led by John Hutton, MD, we enrolled 31 children with an average age of 7 months old. We measured the number of words, reading minutes, and screen time. We found that LENA HOME was generally feasible, although some families struggled with logistics of the device. Mothers who began as “low talkers” showed increases in speaking to their child. Screen time was higher than recommended, and LENA HOME did not have an impact on this measure.