More Talkative Dads Benefit Children's Literacy

By Dr. Marciene Mattleman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - There has been much study recently about the importance of talking to children from the time of birth, letting them hear the nuances of language and the importance of give-and-take communication.

Almost all of the research has focused on the mother's frequency of communication, size of vocabulary and how both affect preliteracy skills.

However, perhaps it's because mothers, like fathers, work outside the home today and share both work and home responsibilities, that fathers' talk is now being researched.

Research cited in Education Week from the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill indicates that more talkative dads are a benefit to their children beyond language heard from mothers.

The study, one of the first to specifically look at fathers' verbal interaction with their children has been published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology and will probably be a start to the field of dad's language.