New resource - Understanding how babies communicate

Researchers at Western Sydney University have released a new podcast series designed to unlock the mysteries around how babies communicate.

The podcast has been created to help parents, and people working with babies and children, understand and support babies as they learn to communicate.

The BabyLab podcast was created by the MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development at Western Sydney University, in partnership with Babyology, and it is freely available to download.

Hosted by journalist Jamila Rizvi, the eight-part series discusses ground-breaking research from Western Sydney University experts in psychology, linguistics, speech and language, and explores topics such as baby talk, bilingualism, learning to read, first words and play.

Director of the MARCS Institute at Western Sydney University, Professor Kate Stevens, says the BabyLab podcast series is an exciting new initiative, which could help make a tangible difference in the world.

"The MARCS BabyLab has been conducting world-class research into language acquisition, speech perception, bilingualism and reading since 1999," says Professor Stevens.

"As one of the leading infant communication research centres in Australia, we are delighted to showcase our research and world-renowned experts through our new BabyLab podcast series, which has been designed to unlock some of the science behind how babies communicate.

"We pride ourselves on evidence-based research, and we are excited to share our findings with parents as we talk about the wonder and science behind the rapid development of the baby brain."

The BabyLab podcast series features eight episodes released weekly, and stars various MARCS BabyLab researchers. Episodes are being released into mid April, and previous episodes are available as follows:

Episode One (28/02) – The secrets behind Baby Talk
Is talking to your baby like that really a good idea?

Episode Two (04/03) – The origins of language
Where does a baby's first words come from and what can it tell us about the evolution of human language itself?

Episode Three (11/03) – Raising a bilingual baby
Busting the myths behind raising a bilingual baby – will it confuse them or cause speech delays? Is bilingualism the language of the future?

Episode Four (18/03) – The benefits of bilingualism
What are the effects on the brain and does bilingualism make your baby smarter?

Episode Five (25/03) – Learning to read
What is the right age to start teaching your child to read? How can we diagnose dyslexia earlier than ever?

Episode Six (01/04) – The parent factor
How parents can influence a baby's development and why more new dads should be taking time off work.

Episode Seven (08/04) – The importance of play
How pretend plays a role in language learning.

Episode Eight (18/04) – Your questions answered
A chance for parents to send their questions in and have them answered by the experts.

The BabyLab series can be downloaded on iTunes.