What does the Male Australian Zebra Finch and a smart new mommy or daddy have in common?
Did you know that the male Australian zebra finch teaches his babies important life lessons before they are even hatched from their eggs? Not only does he sing beautiful melodies to his unborn chicks, but he sings a different tune when the weather rises above 79 degrees to warn them that is hot outside and they shouldn’t wear a heavy coat of feathers! Several studies have been performed and it has been found that because of global warming, Australian zebra finch chicks are hatching from their eggs weighing less than they did previously and having a lighter coat of feathers. How do they know the temperature outside before they enter into the world? Their daddies tell them through a very specific melody. When this specific melody is not sung for them, they hatch at the more typical, higher weight, wearing a thicker coat of feathers. Scientists were even able to replicate this in the lab. Eggs that were subject to a recording of the specific melody yielded chicks ready for the warm weather, while those eggs subjected to no song at all, or other melodies yielded chicks with higher weights and more dense feathers. The magic number seems to be 79 degrees. Anytime the temperature hits 79 or over, the Australian zebra finch daddies change their tune.
Human babies have also been studied by scientists in labs and in their homes and we know that they can learn before they are even born. Babies’ vocabulary comes directly from parents and care-givers vocabulary. Babies’ language is directly derived from what they hear throughout the first three years, when their brain develops 85% of its full potential.
As early as two to three months babble sounds uses the noun and consonant sounds of their parent’s language, so French babies actually coo in a different language than American or German babies! Voules-voys coo?
The most recent studies have found that babies are even beginning to listen in utero- just like the Australian Zebra finch. Hearing is one of the first senses to develop in utero. Babies show signs of hearing and reacting to noise as early as eighteen weeks gestation. Unlike vision, hearing is very acute in utero and at birth and we can take advantage of this sense by starting to build a connection. Studies show that babies heart rate slows when they hear their mother’s voice for the first time after birth, indicating familiarity. We also know that a one day old baby will not only turn her head toward familiar sounds, but her respirations and heart rate will increase with fast-beat music and slow down with slower music. Even before they are born, babies are listening. Babies show signs of understanding the pause and flow of a conversation by as early as three weeks! Pay close attention to your baby as you have a conversation with another person. She may bring her gaze to you while you are talking, then whey you pause, she may bring her eyes to the other person, anticipating them to speak next. This is forming the foundation for her own language and conversation, not to mention interpersonal skills. Notice when she starts to babble, that she will pause and look at you, giving you a chance to talk back.
Additional studies by Hart and Risley have identified the problems that occur when parents do not talk to their babies throughout the first three years. They have termed this lack of language skills in the child’s first three years the “word gap”. Children who are not adequately stimulated through frequent and positive interactions do not develop a large vocabulary, and they start school at a disadvantage, already behind their peers. They fall behind in literacy and reading skills, and even suffer socially, lacking interpersonal skills. Long term studies find that these children never catch up and they have higher rates of not graduating from high school, becoming incarcerated, and living below the poverty line.
At the 2014 Family Summit, Barack Obama called the word gap a crisis in America and initiated a call to action for America to work together as a whole to bridge the word gap and help give all babies the best start possible. There are lots of organizations that provide information and education to parents to ensure they don’t fall victim to the word gap, but it really needs to start with each family. Everyone involved in the care of a young child needs to understand the value in interacting with the child all day long. Reading, singing, playing, talking, narrating what they are doing (both the parent and the child), and finding every opportunity possible to talk and encourage interactions is so important. Turn off the TV, computer, phone, and all screens and increase human interaction. The average four-year-old is allowed four and a half hours of screen time per day! That is roughly 40% of their waking hours. That’s 40% of their day when they are missing out on important human interactions. The Early Childhood Promise offers tons of great suggestions for interacting with children from before they are even born through kindergarten age.
Our babies do not need our help to prepare for the temperature when they are born, but they do need our help to prepare their language, intellect, and social skills for the rest of their lives. Let’s learn from the male Australian zebra finch and use all the skills we have to give all babies the best start possible.