The Effects of Noise on Pre-School Children's Pre-Reading Skills

Previous research has shown a link between chronic noise exposure and reading skills. Elementary school-age children are thought to be negatively affected by such exposure. A limited amount of work has been done on the effects of chronic noise on pre-school children, and such work has primarily focused on attentional skills. A cohort model was used in this study to examine the effects of chronic noise on pre-school children's pre-reading skills. All of the children attended the same child care center. Ninety 4 and 5-year-old children were tested on cognitive measures of pre-reading skills and were rated by classroom teachers on their understanding and use of language. Children were tested in year one, before sound attenuation work in the classrooms, and in year two, after the installation of sound absorbent panels. In the quieter condition, children scored higher than their noisier cohort on the letter–number–word recognition measure and were rated higher by their teachers on the language scale. In addition, children in the quieter classrooms were less susceptible than those in the noisy classrooms to induced helplessness.