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How Mothers Influence Their Baby's Learning Style
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Babies are born into a world rich with
stimulation. From birth they're bombarded with
sights, sounds and sensations.
Depending on his or her inborn style of
learning, a baby tends to favor one type of
stimulation over others in the environment. A
baby who prefers sights we call a Looker, one
who singles out sounds, a Listener, and a
baby who is drawn to tactile sensations, a
Mover.
Mother and Child
In a classic study of mother-child
interactions called The Roots of Individuality,
Dr. S. K. Escalona observed the types of
stimulation that mothers offered their babies.
The author looked at the frequency of
mother-child stimulation in terms of auditory,
visual and tactile input, and noted that most
mothers choose one type of input over the
others. Not surprisingly, the stimulation
chosen reflected the mother's own learning
style.
For example, mothers in the study who
were Lookers used visual stimulation as their
primary means of contact with their infants. A
highly visual mother typically would smile or
hold up an object for her baby to see without
speaking to or touching the baby. In contrast,
mothers who did not emphasize visual
stimulation rarely amused their babies visually.
For example, a mother not oriented to the
visual mode might leave an awake and alert
baby in surroundings which provided no
opportunity for visual exploration.
Mothers who were Listeners by learning
style almost always approached their babies
while speaking or making humming, clucking, or
blowing sounds; and they provided lots of
auditory input by way of a rattle, music box, or
a radio. In contrast, mothers who did not
emphasize the auditory mode seldom attracted
their babies' attention through sound.
Mover mothers frequently stroked, rubbed,
and patted their babies and spent a great deal
of time in play with them, providing ample
holding, kissing, and tickling. Mothers not
employing this mode of contact tended to
dress their babies quickly and to hold them
some distance from their bodies.
What Mothers Can Do
- Become aware of your own learning
style. Understand how you learn best.
- Don't assume your baby is just like you.
This is especially true in blended and adoptive
families, although even biological mother-baby
duos can be quite different in terms of learning
style.
- Make many types of stimulation available
for your baby. (See article "Even Babies Have Learning Styles").
Copyright © Lauren Bradway, Ph.D. is a speech-language pathologist and learning style consultant who has specialized in working with children for over 25 years. Visit her website.
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