Two languages better than one for kids' brains

Video Gallery

Migraines and your brain

1:20

Health

more>>

Many U.S. adults under-vaccinated against whooping cough

Whooping cough cases are escalating in the United States, and many American adults are unknowingly exposing vulnerable babies to the potentially deadly disease because their vaccinations are not up to date.

A deadly form of diabetes that doctors sometimes miss

Addie Parker was a happy 4-year-old who appeared to have the flu. But within hours she was in a coma.

Gene variants may play role in obesity

Two new studies offer some solace to those who can't control their weight despite diet and exercise by providing more evidence that genetics may play a role in obesity.

Could catching up on sleep lower your diabetes risk?

Catching up on your sleep on weekends may help protect you from developing diabetes, a small, early study suggests.

Facebook users really 'liked' organ donor option

Adding an organ donation option to the average Facebook user's profile prompted a dramatic rise in potential donors, researchers report.

Could 'moderate' drinking be safe during pregnancy?

Children of women who drink moderate amounts of alcohol while pregnant don't appear to have any neurodevelopmental problems when it comes to balance, a new British study suggests.

Concussion damage looks much like early Alzheimer's

Concussion can lead to damage in the white matter of the brain that resembles abnormalities found in people in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, a new study suggests.

Many Americans want health care via smartphone

Plenty of Americans are eager to use their mobile phones and tablet computers to better manage their health care, a new poll finds -- though the nation has a way to go before we're all consulting Dr. Smartphone.

Scans uncover dangerous hardening of abdominal aorta

People with a "hardening" of the abdominal aorta are at increased risk for heart attack and stroke, according to a new study.

Minority kids with autism less likely to use specialty services

Black and Hispanic children with autism are markedly less likely than children from white families to receive specialty care for complications tied to the disorder, a new study finds.

THURSDAY, Aug. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Children who speak more than one language seem to have a learning advantage: Being bilingual can improve children's problem-solving skills and creative thinking, a new study suggests.

The mental sharpness needed to switch between two languages may develop skills that boost other types of thinking, explained researchers from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland.

"Bilingualism is now largely seen as being beneficial to children but there remains a view that it can be confusing, and so potentially detrimental to them," study leader Fraser Lauchlan, a lecturer at the University of Strathclyde's School of Psychological Sciences & Health, said in a university news release. "Our study has found that it can have demonstrable benefits, not only in language but in arithmetic, problem-solving and enabling children to think creatively."

The study involved 121 children roughly 9 years old in Scotland and Sardinia who spoke English or Italian. Of these children, 62 were bilingual and also spoke Gaelic or Sardinian. The children were given set tasks in English or Italian. Specifically, they were asked to reproduce patterns of colored blocks, orally repeat a series of numbers, define words and solve mental math problems.

The bilingual children performed much better on the tasks than those who spoke only one language, the investigators found.

"We also assessed the children's vocabulary, not so much for their knowledge of words as their understanding of them. Again, there was a marked difference in the level of detail and richness in description from the bilingual pupils," said Lauchlan, who is also a visiting professor at the University of Cagliari in Sardinia.

"We also found they had an aptitude for selective attention -- the ability to identify and focus on information which is important, while filtering out what is not -- which could come from the 'code-switching' of thinking in two different languages," Lauchlan added.

The study authors pointed out that the bilingual children who spoke Gaelic performed better than those who spoke Sardinian. They suggested the Gaelic-speaking children may have benefitted from the formal teaching of the language and its extensive literature. In contrast, Sardinian has a largely oral tradition with no standardized form of the language.

The study was released online in advance of print publication in the International Journal of Bilingualism.

More information

The U.S. National Institutes of Health provides more information on bilingual effects in the brain.

*DISCLAIMER*: The information contained in or provided through this site section is intended for general consumer understanding and education only and is not intended to be and is not a substitute for professional advice. Use of this site section and any information contained on or provided through this site section is at your own risk and any information contained on or provided through this site section is provided on an "as is" basis without any representations or warranties.