Doctors Encourage Reading to Young Children at Well-Child Visits

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TULSA, OKLA. – Many children at OU-Tulsa’s Schusterman clinic have received as many as 36 books, one per month for the first 36 months of life. The Book Bundle Project, administered by Reach Out and Read and sponsored by the George Kaiser Family Foundation, has allowed pediatricians to share the importance of early reading with parents and caregivers.

“Through the Book Bundle Project, we've given out thousands of books to children at their well-child check-ups from newborn to age three,” said Susan Studebaker, MD, medical director for the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine in Tulsa. Dr. Studebaker was also the lead author on a research study about the project published in the Journal of the Oklahoma State Medical Association. 

Reach Out and Read is a national early literacy program implemented within the pediatric clinic to provide patients with books. The clinic partnered with ROR Oklahoma on the Book Bundle Project to give even more books to patients in the last three years. Studebaker and colleagues then utilized this program to research caregiver reading habits with their youngest patients. An anonymous survey was distributed to families both before and after the program's implementation. Questions included whether the caregiver had previously spoken with or received books from the child’s health care provider and the caregiver’s reading frequency and reading habits with the child.

As far back as 1985, the importance of reading to very young children was emphasized when the Commission on Reading published an article stating, “The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading out loud to children.” More recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics has publicly encouraged pediatric medical providers to promote early literacy development for children.

“Previous research has found that reading together is not only enjoyable for families,” says Studebaker. “It also promotes emotional bonding between the child and caregiver and helps prevent speech delays. Children who are read to tend to do better in school because of the richness of the language they hear around them.”

The study's results indicate that while there is still much room for improvement, the program has benefits. Reading frequency from the first survey to the second did increase, but not by a statistically significant amount. There were also increases in the number of times reading regularly was encouraged during medical visits.

“All the families loved getting the books. They all reported a positive response to receiving new books for their children at office visits,” said Studebaker.

She also mentioned an unanticipated outcome of the program. Physicians use the books for children who are restless or upset during exams. The children enjoy looking at or even chewing on the books, shared Studebaker. The doctor can demonstrate ways to use books with very young children, including pointing out colors, animals, or people’s faces and expressions.

The Book Bundle Project at the Schusterman Clinic ended recently, but important lessons have been learned. There is more to be done in the effort to open the exciting world of reading to more children, but those involved with the initiative note that even small victories are cause for celebration.

“The message we share is to start reading to your babies when they're newborns and continue when they're a month old, two months old, even before they developmentally can start engaging with the books,” says Studebaker. “As your health care providers, we will help encourage our patients’ families in this effort all along the way.”