Early access to a language children can understand was connected with stronger number skills in a study led by a University of Connecticut researcher. Hearing status and the use of signed or spoken language did not explain the differences in performance.
The study examined 178 children: 120 who were deaf or hard of hearing and 58 who were hearing. They were 3.1 to 7.6 years old and were learning spoken English, American Sign Language, or both, according to the research abstract in Child Development.
Researchers tested counting and the ability to produce groups containing a requested number of objects. They also examined a basic concept behind counting: understanding that the last number counted tells how many objects are in the whole group.
Children who had access to language earlier generally performed better. In one statistical model, the timing of language access no longer separately predicted that counting concept after researchers included how high the child could count. For the task involving larger groups of objects, the timing of language access remained a predictor.
The research supports early access to language and points to counting knowledge as part of how children develop number concepts.
UConn professor Marie Coppola conducted the research with Kristin Walker, Emily Carrigan and Anna Shusterman. The paper was published Sept. 1; UConn discussed the findings Oct. 22. The available abstract describes comparisons among children with different language experiences, rather than an experiment assigning children to receive language earlier or later.