Five Research Studies At International SRCD Meeting In Denver Use Technology From Boulder Foundation

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Article Date: 01 Apr 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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The not-for-profit LENA Foundation is putting forth a strong presence at the 2009 Biennial Meeting of the Society of Research in Child Development (SRCD). At the event, April 1-4 in Denver, Colorado, four talks and one poster will be presented based on findings using LENA System technology.

"This year's SRCD is a great opportunity for our colleagues to see how LENA technology is fostering discoveries in different disciplines," said Jill Gilkerson, Ph.D., the foundation's language research director. "We're making strides with children with language delays and disorders, including significant advancements toward releasing an automatic autism screen."

A special preconference event on the development of children with hearing loss launches the SRCD conference on Wednesday, April 1. From 11:10 a.m. to 11:40 a.m., Gilkerson presents "Automatic Assessment of the Language Environment of Infants and Toddlers." LENA Foundation scientific advisor D. Kimbrough Oller, Ph.D., follows Gilkerson with "Naturalistic Recording and Representative Sampling of Vocal Behavior: Prospects for Screening, Diagnosis, and Monitoring of Progress in Intervention" from 11:40 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.

International expert on children and the media, Dimitri A. Christakis, will give a Pecha Kucha presentation from 10:20 a.m. to noon on Thursday, April 2. The presentation, "TV Displaces Talk: The Relationship Between TV Exposure and Family Interaction," is based on data from the LENA Natural Language Study.

Researchers with the Stanford University Center for Infant Studies will present the poster "Using the LENA Automated Speech Analysis System to Explore the Language Environments of Latino Children Learning Spanish" from 8:20 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on Friday, April 3.

During the paper symposium Cry and Non-Cry Vocalizations in Autism: Potential Markers in Infancy, from 4:20 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 4, Oller and foundation scientists will present "Automated Assessment of Naturalistic Recordings as a Potential Diagnostic Tool for Autism." Utilizing a unique acoustic analysis of non-cry vocalizations, this paper provides evidence that atypical vocal quality discriminates children 16 months to 48 months with autism from children with language delay.

For more information on SRCD, visit http://www.srcd.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=134&Itemid

About LENA Foundation

Established in 2009, the LENA Foundation develops advanced technology for the early screening, diagnosis, research, and treatment of language delays and disorders in children and adults. Philanthropists Terry and Judi Paul formed the not-for-profit organization through a multimillion-dollar gift and the donation of assets from Infoture Inc. Over a five-year period, Infoture created the LENA (Language ENvironment Analysis) System, the world's first automatic language collection and analysis tool and the foundation's principal product. The foundation employs a team of scientists and engineers who are skilled in computerized speech and speaker recognition, microelectronics, statistical research, and children's language acquisition and development; they are passionately devoted to helping the foundation enhance language development worldwide.

LENA Foundation
http://www.lenafoundation.org

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