LENA technology is the industry standard for measuring talk with children, which is a critical factor in early brain development. LENA uses a small wearable device — often referred to as a “talk pedometer” — combined with cloud-based software to deliver detailed feedback that helps adults make proven, sustainable increases in interactive talk with children.

LENA Device
The LENA device is a small, child-safe recorder that children wear for a day at a time. It meets U.S. and international safety standards for electronics and toys. Unlike a cell phone, it does not transmit, and it uses the same type of low-power processors as hearing aids.

LENA Software
The LENA software processes the audio captured by the device into data about talk, which is presented in clear reports that can be shared with caregivers. Secure online tools enable efficient program management with built-in, real-time measures of fidelity and effectiveness.

How does early talk impact brain development?
The science is clear: the first three years of life present a key window of opportunity for all children. School readiness and, more importantly, the path to opportunity begin at birth. Both of these outcomes are heavily influenced by the amount of interactive talk children experience in their earliest years.

The challenge is that simply saying “talk more” or “interact more” isn’t enough. Research tells them that they’re poor estimators of how much they talk: most of them tend to overestimate. In fact, those of them that talk the least tend to overestimate the most (Richards et al., 2017). Thus, objective feedback on interactive talk is needed. This is where LENA comes in.

How does LENA technology work?
After a full day of talk is captured by the LENA device, the audio files are transferred to a cloud processing system that uses complex algorithms to analyze the audio file. The algorithms are trained to identify and differentiate adult speech, child speech, and tv/electronic noise. The algorithms can also differentiate the speech of the key child from the speech of other children and from non-speech sounds like cries.

The software does this without knowing any words or the language being spoken. It only looks at the sound frequencies and the spaces between sounds to determine whether noise is human speech or something else. The software then generates objective, actionable feedback reports for caregivers on the quantity and quality of talk in their child’s environment.