Dr. John Hutton: Reading to Babies Helps Their Brains

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. John Hutton discuss the impact of early reading exposure on brain development in infants and young children. He explains that babies are born with 100 billion brain cells, each with around 1,000 connections and that these connections are shaped by experiences. Dr. Hutton emphasizes the importance of a nurturing home literacy environment, which includes regular reading routines and interactive reading. He also addresses the negative effects of excessive screen time on brain development, particularly in preschoolers, and advocates for reducing screen usage to allow for more real-world engagement. Additionally, he highlights programs like Reach Out and Read and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library that aim to increase access to books for children from underprivileged backgrounds.

 

 Key Takeaways:

• It takes a long time for the human brain to develop compared to other animals. Humans are uniquely more sensitive to experiences in their environment than other organisms because of this long development process.

• The Home Literacy Environment can be divided into quantitative (such as the number of books and amount of time spent reading) and qualitative (such as questions asked, format of books, interest in reading, etc.) components.

• There is no “reading network” built-in to the brain. If kids aren’t taught to read, they are not going to just magically know how to read.

• Do your best to form your own routines, and try to make reading fun, enjoyable, and nurturing. 

• Kids want to emulate their parents. If we want them to use less screen time, as adults, we must also have less screen time. 

 

"Books, more than anything, are a catalyst that brings grown-ups and kids together to exchange language, to exchange emotions, to show love and affection, and that can be a source of nurturing for all these different aspects of development that are related to that experience." —  Dr. John Hutton

 

Episode References: 

• Read Aloud 15 Minutes: https://readaloud.org/ 

• Reach Out and Read: https://reachoutandread.org/ 

• Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library: https://imaginationlibrary.com/usa/ 

• Dr. John Hutton Introduces the SHARE STEP Method for Reading with Young Children: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuQhnbrwutw 

 

Connect with Dr. John Hutton:

Professional Bio: https://profiles.utsouthwestern.edu/profile/226447/john-hutton.html 

Twitter: https://x.com/drjohnhutton 

Books: https://www.bluemanateepress.com/our-authors#/dr-john-hutton/ 

 

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Threads: @critically_speaking

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

 

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