Multi-lingual people are more flexible thinkers

University of Washington's Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, co-directed by Patricia Kuhl and Andrew Meltzoff, was founded in 2003. I-LABS has "revolutionized" how we look at early childhood education and development, according to experts familiar with its work.

"Twenty years ago, we thought that babies were born as this blank slate and when they got to be about 4 or 5 they started to learn," said Nina Auerbach, president and CEO of Thrive by Five Washington, a public-private organization. "Now we know that from day one they are actively learning, and the most important brain development is going on in those first three years."

Play is one of the things we do naturally that improves brain development, Lebedeva said, but it also can be enhanced to promote those first relationships.

Ever since cognitive psychology began as a science in the 1960s and '70s, it was thought that we are all a little different - some learn at different rates - and that's true, Lebedeva said. But there has been a revolution in the past generation of scientists, who now know we can predict how a child will do in school based on how the child interacts with parents [and in playgroups] as early as infancy.

"Long-term research data show relationships, how we interact with children, what kind of input, the quality and quantity of that input early on, can predict kindergarten and school readiness much earlier than we think," Lebedeva said.

Among the institute's most significant work is in the area of language acquisition.

"People who are bilingual early on in life have a certain advantage in other domains outside of language," Lebedeva said.

I-LABS research has shown that multilingual people, including children, are more flexible thinkers and therefore better at problem-solving.

"We also know the brain picks up languages early, so if you want a child to pick up a second language, the best thing to do is expose them early on," Lebedeva said. "Most languages taught in this country are taught at a later age when it is absolutely less efficient."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014798386_apwafostercarestudy1stldwritethru.html

In Le Beaumont, massive evidence shows that babies who start early, from 2nd 3rd or 4th month, and join the 4- or 5-language playgroups, become avid learners. Beaumont kids grow up with better IQ, higher energy level in learning and with outstanding language ability. The age of entry, diversity and frequency in Le Beaumont's multilingual playgroups can predict success in school and in life.