2024-07-10 22:59:42
A study found that giving a pacifier, also known as a ‘squeaky’, too often to a child before the age of two can impede their language development.
Researchers at the University of Oslo in Norway conducted a study of 1,187 infants living in Oslo to determine the effect of pacifier use on overall language skills, including vocabulary and expressiveness.
The children were divided into two groups, 12 months (1 year old) and 24 months (2 years old). The parents of the children reported in detail the time their children used the pacifier. The survey was conducted every two months. This allowed the researchers to calculate the total time the children had used the pacifier over their lifetime, which they called “lifespan pacifier use (LPU).”
Parents also completed a detailed questionnaire featuring the Communication Development Inventory (CDI), which was designed to identify common words in each age group’s vocabulary and whether their child was familiar with them. For 24-month-olds, this included up to 731 words.
CDI scores were converted to age- and gender-adjusted percentiles according to Norwegian norms. The results showed that children with higher LPU had a smaller vocabulary at age 2.
As they approached age 2, children with higher average LPUs scored lower on vocabulary comprehension and expression skills. The more frequently pacifier use was used, the lower the child’s vocabulary score.
Pacifiers are sometimes recommended for their health benefits, such as preventing sudden infant death syndrome. However, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that pacifiers be discontinued before age 3. There are also studies that show that pacifiers can cause cavities and acute otitis media.
“Our study provides evidence that persistent pacifier use is associated with lower vocabulary scores in both comprehension and expressive language in young children during the first few years of life,” the researchers said.
Experts point out that excessive use of pacifiers can hinder vocabulary growth by limiting the time for infants to practice verbal communication. Having a pacifier in the mouth reduces the opportunity to practice forming words by making sounds, which has a significant impact on the development of language skills.
The paper was published in the Wiley Online Library.
Reporter Park Hae-sik, Donga.com [email protected]
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2024-07-10 22:59:42