Dana Suskind – författare

This critical volume combines theoretical and empirical work across disciplines to explore what threatens scalability—and what enables it—in the early childhood field. Authors and editors provide specific recommendations to help professionals refine and apply the science of scaling in their programs, research, and decision making.Written by leading experts in early childhood, economics, psychology, public health, philanthropy, and more, chapters and commentaries shine light on how to effectively use experimental insights for policy purposes. The result is a comprehensive and forward-thinking guide to the challenges and possibilities of effective scaling in early childhood and beyond.Essential reading for researchers, practitioners, funders, and policy makers alike, this book raises vital questions and provides a vision for the long-term journey to scalable evidence.

This critical volume combines theoretical and empirical work across disciplines to explore what threatens scalability—and what enables it—in the early childhood field. Authors and editors provide specific recommendations to help professionals refine and apply the science of scaling in their programs, research, and decision making.Written by leading experts in early childhood, economics, psychology, public health, philanthropy, and more, chapters and commentaries shine light on how to effectively use experimental insights for policy purposes. The result is a comprehensive and forward-thinking guide to the challenges and possibilities of effective scaling in early childhood and beyond.Essential reading for researchers, practitioners, funders, and policy makers alike, this book raises vital questions and provides a vision for the long-term journey to scalable evidence.

*Nominated for the Books for a Better Life Award*The founder and director of the Thirty Million Words Initiative, Professor Dana Suskind, explains why the most important—and astoundingly simple—thing you can do for your child''s future success in life is to talk to him or her, reveals the recent science behind this truth, and outlines precisely how parents can best put it into practice. The research is in: Academic achievement begins on the first day of life with the first word said by a cooing mother just after delivery.A study by researchers Betty Hart and Todd Risley in 1995 found that some children heard thirty million fewer words by their fourth birthdays than others. The children who heard more words were better prepared when they entered school. These same kids, when followed into third grade, had bigger vocabularies, were stronger readers, and got higher test scores. This disparity in learning is referred to as the achievement gap.Professor Dana Suskind, MD, learned of this thirty million word gap in the course of her work as a cochlear implant surgeon at University of Chicago Medical School and began a new research program along with her sister-in-law, Beth Suskind, to find the best ways to bridge that gap. The Thirty Million Word Initiative has developed programs for parents to show the kind of parent-child communication that enables optimal neural development and has tested the programs in and around Chicago across demographic groups. They boil down to getting parents to follow the three Ts: Tune in to what your child is doing; Talk more to your child using lots of descriptive words; and Take turns with your child as you engage in conversation. Parents are shown how to make the words they serve up more enriching. For example, instead of telling a child, "Put your shoes on,” one might say instead, "It is time to go out. What do we have to do?” The lab''s new five-year longitudinal research program has just received funding so they can further corroborate their results. The neuroscience of brain plasticity is some of the most valuable and revolutionary medical science being done today. It enables us to think and do better. It is making a difference in the lives of both the old and young. If you care for children, this landmark book is essential reading.

From New York Times bestselling author Dana Suskind, a timely, urgent guide to parenting in the age of artificial intelligence—and protecting what matters most in childhood“A stunning book about how to protect our children—and our humanity—in the age of AI." —Adam Grant"Hope is not lost. It’s right here. If there is a young person in your life, Human Raised is for you." —Angela Duckworth As AI enters nurseries, playrooms, and classrooms, parents are being sold a “smart” childhood at every turn. This book is a guide to protecting the most important label of all: human raised.In her groundbreaking book Thirty Million Words, Dr. Suskind revealed the extraordinary power of parent talk and interaction in building children’s brains. Now, with the advent of artificial intelligence, the stakes of that nurturing interaction have become even clearer. New AI applications demonstrate what technology can replicate—but they also illuminate what it cannot: the capacity of human interaction to build not just children’s skills but their very capacity for human connection.Human Raised reveals the possibilities and perils of using AI and related technologies for child-rearing. From monitors that decode cries, to smart cribs that soothe babies to sleep, to interactive chatbots designed to engage an inquisitive toddler, the parenting landscape is shifting fast—and Dr. Suskind helps parents navigate this uncharted territory with clarity and confidence.Readers will learn four guiding principles for raising children alongside AI:Human connection is irreplaceableOwn your imperfectionsProtect the early yearsEnhance—don’t replace—connectionThe book also offers a concrete evaluation framework to help parents (and anyone shaping children’s environments) assess individual technologies, along with evidence-based guidance for fostering the skills children will need to thrive in an AI-driven future. Critical thinking, empathy, creativity, and resilience form what Suskind calls the Human Edge—capabilities no algorithm can replicate and no artificial teacher can cultivate.Drawing from neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and the lived experience of countless families, Human Raised prepares parents to act as essential guardians to the gateway between AI and their children’s developing minds—keeping human connection, in all its beautiful imperfection, at the center of childhood.