Abu Dhabi: Child development experts in the UAE have long wondered if exposing children to nannies from foreign backgrounds at a young age could hamper their overall development.
A new study will now look into the effect of these nannies and other caregivers on children’s language skills, including fluency in their native tongue, the researcher told Gulf News.
“It is very common for children in the UAE, especially those from Arab families, to be taken care of by housemaids and nannies. These caregivers usually come from non-Arab backgrounds, and such exposure could have a significant impact on language abilities,” said Dr Huda Al Danhani, resident doctor at Tawam Hospital’s paediatrics department in Al Ain.
“Unfortunately, not much research exists on this phenomenon. My study will therefore focus specifically on language development, which takes place mainly between the ages of two and three,” she added.
The research will be conducted over the next year as Dr Huda pursues a fellowship at the philanthropic organisation, the Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation. For this first phase, Dr Huda will study children using information that is provided when families visit hospitals and nurseries across the UAE.
“I have not yet decided on a method of collecting information. But I hope to gather data on children’s knowledge of words, their ability to form sentences and other language skills,” Dr Huda said.
The aim is to determine how a caregiver’s background affects children’s language abilities, and to find out whether being brought up by someone from the same nationality or background could be more advantageous for the development of the native language.
“There are many other developmental aspects to look into when children are brought up by caregivers from foreign backgrounds, and perhaps in future phases I will study these as well,” Dr Huda said.
Hers is one among a series of projects that explore childhood development in the UAE. These studies are being organised by eight fellows as part of the one-year Shamsa Bint Mohammad Al Nahyan Fellowship, conducted in collaboration with experts from Yale University.
Another project will delve into the elements which make classrooms ‘emotionally literate’, and is being carried out by Sara Al Suwaidi, acting manager of the pedagogy and resources section at the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec).
