Impact of language experience on early numerical cognition

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Early proficiency in math is related to later math performance, and more general academic achievement, as well as employment success. Deaf children already lag behind in math upon entrance in kindergarten. At the socio-economic level, this means these children are not entering STEM-related fields which are seen as a growing part of the workforce and an engine for continued economic development. In this project, the team will investigate how early language experiences can impact the acquisition of foundational number skills. The project explores how the use of a visual language (e.g., American Sign Language) from birth can support the acquisition of early number skills as well as how a delay in language exposure can impact these foundational understandings. Results from this study will inform teaching, standardized testing, and remediation for children using a visual language but can also open new opportunities more broadly for intervention in children struggling to learn mathematics, including students with learning disabilities Approximately 120 three to five year-old children with optimal exposure to language (either ASL or English) and children with delayed full access to language, will be tested every six months on the counting sequence, approximate numerosity comparison, and exact number concepts. Children will also be evaluated for their spontaneous focusing on numerical information and undertake standardized tests for language and IQ. Parents will answer a comprehensive survey on their child's language use and in-home language. Children will be followed for approximately two years or until they reach proficiency in counting, that is they understand the cardinality principle.By comparing performance and the developmental progression of the three groups, it will be possible to evaluate the impact of language experience and determine how a delay in full access to language can affect the development of these foundational conceptsThis award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.