Thinking cap records electrical signals from the brain of one-year-old Elise Hardwick, who is helping scientists figure out how the youngest children process sounds that make up the building blocks of language. Image: Photograph by Andrew Hetherington
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Research on how infants only a few months old process sound in their brains may provide a means to predict later language difficulties. An article in Scientific American's August 2011 issue—"How to Build a Better Learner"—chronicles the work of April Benasich at Rutgers University and how she and her colleagues use electroencephalographic recording to test the adequacy of a baby's ability to process sounds. The researchers are also developing interventions that might correct any deficiencies encountered.
Watch this short video of Benasich and her work with infants to get an idea of how this research is carried out.