New language tasks in GenV & Me: why your child’s voice matters

Most of GenV happens in the background. A few times a year we check in with families through short surveys or simple activities. Parents know their children best, so your input helps us learn things we cannot learn any other way. 

Recently, we have invited families to try new language tasks in GenV & Me (GV&M). These tasks are like short games that look at how children understand and use words. They help us build a clearer picture of language development across kids in Victoria. 

We spoke with Loretta Gasparini, from MCRI’s Speech and Language Group, who co-designed these tasks. Below, Loretta explains what they are and why they matter. 

WHAT IS YOUR ROLE AT GENV AND WHY DID YOU GET INVOLVED (WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO CONTRIBUTE)? 

I am a linguist at MCRI. This means I study how people talk. We are looking at how GenV children talk. 

About 1 in 10 kids have difficulty learning language (or talking). They might find it hard to find the right words or understand complicated sentences. We know language is so important for things like making friends and doing well at school. So, it’s important that we support kids who need extra help learning language. 

GenV lets us see how lots of 4-year-olds talk. We expect a lot of differences, because every child is unique! So, I’m excited to see all those differences. 

TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE LANGUAGE TASK – WHAT IS IT AND HOW DO PARTICIPANTS TAKE PART IN THIS? 

The language tasks look at how children talk. Parents open it on a phone or computer. Activities will come up on the screen, like a picture for the child to describe. The phone or computer will record the child talking. 

Later, our researchers will use those recordings to see how 4-year-old children talk. I love that every child is unique in how they talk! The tasks will help us understand these differences. The more families that take part in this task, the clearer patterns in talking become. This may help us develop ways for families to pick up any difficulties sooner, so that future kids get help earlier. 

HOW WILL THIS RESEARCH HELP KIDS WHO NEED HELP WITH THEIR LANGUAGE? 

It can be hard to spot which kids need extra help with their language when they are still young. The earlier we can find them, the sooner we can help! This language tasks may help us do that. By listening to how 4-year-old kids all across Victoria talk, we can try to figure out what are the subtle signs that they will need extra help with their language. 

For example, we’ll look at the different words they use, how complicated their sentences are, and how they pronounce words. In the years ahead, GenV will also learn how these kids are going at school and how their talking changes. We can hopefully connect those bits of information across time, to look back at how they talked at 4 and how they did later at school. We might be able to say something like “If they talked this way at 4 years, they were more likely to have more problems at 7 years.” Then we can connect these pieces over time. 

HOW ELSE WILL THE LANGUAGE TASK HELP? 

We’re interested in the amazing diversity of kids and their language skills. The language task lets kids be creative in how they talk and express themselves. For example, about 1 in 3 people in Victoria speak a language other than English at home. That includes about 300 different languages. What wonderful diversity! Kids using our language task can answer in any language. 

This helps us see the many ways children talk and lets us celebrate those differences. 

WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR GENV AND HOW IT WILL HELP CURRENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS? 

GenV lets us find out lots of things about each child, like their language, health, family, community, and more. This helps us connect these pieces of information. Then we can learn how to give kids extra help if they need it. I hope that in the future every child can be themselves, be happy and feel well. GenV is helping us get closer to that future.