Abstract
This study evaluates a low-cost intervention aimed at encouraging mothers and other caregivers to converse with their infants as a way of promoting language and brain development. In our study setting of Ghana, as in many lower-income contexts, the practice of "infant-directed speech" is not common and its value for child development is not fully appreciated by parents. We developed a short (3-minute) animated video that encourages the viewer to talk to her baby, describing her actions and commenting on the surroundings, in a purposeful manner, and to encourage family members to do so as well. We also developed a calendar with images and messages from the video as a way to keep the message salient and to facilitate common knowledge in the household about the importance of infant-directed speech. A randomly selected subset of study participants will be shown the video and receive the calendar. We will measure the impact of the interventions on parental behavior, child development and language skill.