Adelphi University / New York

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Adelphi to Offer Families Help with Maintaining Heritage Languages in an English-Speaking Environment

Garden City, NY (01/11/2022) — Adelphi University's Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders will offer a free Language Environment Analysis (LENA) Start community program for Arabic-and Spanish-speaking families, starting on Wednesday, January 26, at the Sunset Spark organization in Brooklyn. The 10-week program is designed to assist parents in strengthening the quantity and quality of verbal engagement with their children.

Research into language development for heritage speakers of languages such as Arabic and Spanish in the United States reveals that exposure to native home languages, namely the language spoken by the parents, decreases with age or even ceases entirely. The LENA program in Arabic offered by Adelphi aims to further our understanding of parents' engagement and language maintenance in Arabic heritage speakers and the specific needs of the Arab-American community to facilitate maintenance of their heritage language.

"It's been over six months since our graduation from this program, and I still incorporate many of the tips I learned from this program on a daily basis when communicating with my child," said Nour Abu Mokh, doctoral student in linguistics at Indiana University and parent who participated in LENA in 2021. "Participating in this program did not only enhance my child's linguistic skills in Arabic, it also positively impacted his receptive language, which was noticeable to others who interact with my son."

Organizations around the US have offered LENA Start programs in order to enrich children's linguistic environments, build their early literacy skills, and prepare them for school. Adelphi's LENA Start program was the first to be offered in New York State in 2019, when Khamis-Dakwar, PhD, professor of communication sciences and disorders at Adelphi, received the LENA Start Program matching grant.

The grant will assist in facilitating the enrichment of the Arabic heritage children's linguistic environment. The Arabic LENA Start programs to be offered over the next two years is funded by the Qatar Foundation International (QFI), an educational organization committed to advancing Arabic language teaching and learning. QFI supports innovative, research-based Arabic language programs.

"Racial equity is part of the scope of practice of speech language pathologists and that includes assuring all families are empowered to maintain their heritage language at the most critical period of language development," said Dr. Khamis-Dakwar. "We are happy to be able to offer our LENA Start parent education services to Arabic speaking families and learn more about the needs of the community to advance Arabic language teaching and learning in early childhood."

To learn more about Adelphi's LENA Start program services and/or to sign up for an upcoming program, visit sites.google.com/adelphi.edu/AUlenastart.

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The 10-week program is designed to assist parents in strengthening the quantity and quality of verbal engagement with their children.

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