Talking to oneself improves performance in kids

Washington, Mar 30 (UNI) If your little one talks out aloud to no one in particular, don't panic thinking it to be a psychological disorder. It might just enable him/her to perform better.

A new study published in 'Early Childhood Research Quarterly' has found that children performed better on motor tasks when they talked to themselves, either spontaneously or being asked by an adult to do so, then when they were silent.

''Young children often talk to themselves as they go about their daily activities, and parents and teachers shouldn't think of this as weird or bad,'' Mr Adam Winsler, the author of the study said and added the private speech of kids could be a fantastic window into the minds of children.

Private speech is very common and perfectly normal among children between the ages of two and five, Mr Winsler, professor of psychology at George Mason University noted. As children begin talking to themselves, their communication skills with the outside world improve, he said.

However, the study also found that children with behavioural problems tend to talk to themselves more often than those without signs of behavioural problems.

Teachers often ask children to be quite in classroom out of fear that such speech from difficult-to-manage kids would cause problem behaviour, but the author maintained that non-disruptive private speech would actually help these kids as they grow up.

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