Media mentions | Children's Communication Lab

Media mentions of research and outreach at the Centre!

Our new research is now posted regularly to twitter! Follow @daniela_oneill

The most up-to-date information about the Language Use Inventory is found at LanguageUseInventory.com and on its facebook page

The Language Use Inventory (LUI)

The Faces of Health Research 2020 on CIHR’s website: No more “wait and see”: The Language Use Inventory provides a standardized measure to assess early language development in 2- and 3-year-olds
Predicting children’s language development, Science Daily, Feb. 28, 2012
Understanding a child’s language delay. News and WATCH Issue 3. David Johnston Research and Technology Park Magazine
How can we catch early problems in language development? Council of Ontario Universities: Making an Impact: Researchers July 8, 2015.
Video: Language is an important indicator of early child development: Canadian-designed questionnaire is providing some critical insights. from May 11 2015 Launch of national showcase of Canadian research, Research2Reality: Shining a light on research and innovation
University of Waterloo study probing children's language skills (PDF) in The Record, July 2, 2011.
Parents can help researchers evaluate language skills in autistic children (PDF) in The Record, July 18, 2009
Can we talk? in Fall 2006 issue of Waterloo Magazine highlighting different research studies pertaining to communication being carried out at the University of Waterloo.
October 25, 2004: Ten minute interview with Cathy Alex of CBC Radio concerning the Canadian Early Childhood Language Project was broadcast nationally.
When words come slowly (PDF) in The Record, December 5, 2003
Child language research in the spotlight (PDF) in the University of Waterloo Gazette 003

The value of picture books in fostering complex talk

Sing and read with your child inCountry Guide, Jan. 9, 2015.
Picturebooks offer rich information and learning opportunities, Waterloo study showsin Canadian Children’s Booknews, News Roundup (p.6), Summer 2014.
Le pouvoir des livres…sans mots in Le Monde de L’intelligence (Paris, France) Jan/Feb. 2014:
Picturebooks aren't just for fun: Children learn sophisticated animal facts when parents read them in Science Daily, April 23, 2014.
Worth a thousand words in The Telegraph (UK), April 30, 2013.
Reading wordless storybooks to toddlers may expose them to richer language in Science Daily, April 29, 2013
Wordless books speak volumes in The Toronto Star, April 29, 2013 (print edition).

Stepping into the minds and shoes of storybook characters

University of Waterloo study shows kids relate to stories read to them (PDF) in The Record (Kitchener-Waterloo), November 2010.
The secrets of storytelling: Why we love a good yarn in Scientific American Mind, September, 2008.
Very young children can step into the minds of storybook characters in Science Daily, September 14, 2007.
Interview with Jeremy Shere, the producer of “Sound Medicine” on National Public Radio, Indianapolis, September 26, 2007.
Research File: How well do children grasp story details? (PDF) in The Record (Kitchener-Waterloo), September 22, 2007.
Other Websites: Medical News Today; Edukey, Science Blog.

A link between storytelling ability and mathematical ability

Our study demonstrating a link between children's early storytelling abilities at age three and four and their mathematical ability two years later was featured in newspapers, magazines, and over 100 websites around the world! Here are some of the articles!

Apr. 14, 2020. Hannah Fry on BBC 6 Music’s The Maths of Life.
A mathematician considers the early signs of mathematical ability (PDF), Journal Club, Nature
Predicting mathematical ability in Devlin's Angle, American Mathematical Association (December 2007)
Good stories, good math in Science News, November 10, 2007
"Narrative skills linked to mathematical achievement" in Literacy Today (UK), December 2004
"It all adds up" in Psychology Today, November/December 2004 Issue (USA)
Science Update (USA - American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS]) Radio Interview, August 23, 2004
"Vruchtbare verhalen" in NRC Handelsblaad, August 14, 2004 (Netherlands)
"Geschichten, die sich rechnen" in FACTS, Issue August 5, 2004 (Switzerland)
Narrative skills linked to math prowess, Why Files (University of Wisconsin), August 5, 2004.
"Quasseln fur Algebra" in Gehirn & Geist, Issue 5 2004 (Germany)
The Vancouver Sun, July 28, 2004 (Canada) (Front page)
"Storytelling ability predicts math skill" in The National Post, July 28, 2004 (Canada)
The Globe and Mail, April 10, 2004 (Canada)

Busy toys

This study won the 2020 Editor's Award for the Canadian Journal of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology published by Speech-Language Audiology Canada
When it comes to toy design, simpler may be better. Waterloo News. Oct. 17, 2019

Board game outreach

Our Board Game Family Fun event as part of International Games Day at Kitchener Public Library was included in article in The Record entitled Toddler goes on laugh-provoking rampage at Kitchener Public Library. July 21, 2019.

Media interviews with Daniela O'Neill on topics related to early child development

November 2009: Prof. O'Neill is interviewed in an article in Canadian Family magazine by Angela Pirisi entitled Play date prep: Seven secrets to planning a drama-free get-together.
April 2008: Prof. O'Neill is interviewed in an article in Canadian Family magazine by Angela Pirisi entitled Guys n' dolls: Forget boy toys and girl toys. Here's how to find the best toy for your tot (PDF) .
September/Octember 2007 issue of Grand Magazine. Prof. O'Neill's work involving the development of peer-to-peer conversation in preschool-aged children was mentioned in an article entitled, “Gentle Nurturing,” about award-winning Early Childhood Education (ECE) teacher Dawn Russel of the Psychology Department’s Early Childhood Education Centre.
November/December 2006 issue of the Grand Magazineincludes an interview with Prof. O'Neill for an article entitled “Lasting play value in classic toys.”

Launch of the Canadian Early Childhood Language Project

December 2, 2003: To help launch the Canadian Early Childhood Language Project, the Centre hosted a visit by Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr, Regional Chair Ken Seiling, and David Johnston, president of the University of Waterloo! It was a wonderful morning for the Centre, with many our research assistants helping out and several families present who have participated in the Canadian Early Childhood Language Project and other studies at the Centre. You can read about the visit in the uWaterloo Daily Bulletin. The visit was also featured in an article in the University Gazette .

Photo: From bottom left to right: Regional Chair Ken Seiling, Charlotte, Daniela O'Neill, Mayor Carl Zehr, Lucas, Ariana and uWaterloo President David Johnston.