(RxWiki News) A new study by Ratib Lekhal the Norwegian Institute of Public Health examines the relationship between the type of child care that children receive and the development of their language skills.
According to the study, which is published in the journal Early Child Development and Care, children who attend full-time center-based child care are less likely to be late talkers at 1.5 years and 3 years of age than their peers who are cared for by a parent or babysitter, or in an outdoor nursery.
Other studies have shown that about 12 percent of three year old children exhibit some form of language development problems, whether it be delayed language or some other divergence from the accepted norms of language development.
The study, which analyzed data concerning 19,919 Norwegian children, not only provides insight into children's language development in early life but also into the development of language skills as the children grow older and are required to read and write. Additionally, the study's findings present a compelling argument in support of institutions such as universally accessible child care.
