Government of Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada

Toddlers learn from ums and uhs

A recent study involving the University of Waterloo shows that toddlers respond to hesitations in speech. It seems they interpret ums and uhs in adult speech as signals that they are about to receive new information. Researchers also found that these hesitations, known as disfluencies, can help adults to process new information. So the next time you're, um, wondering what to say to your toddler, remember that you're, uh, helping with the learning process! Read more at Ums and uhs help babies learn from us(www).