Other Titles

Early Brains, Early Language: Translating Neuroscience into Family-Centered Care [Title Slide]

Other Titles

International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame Recipient Presentation

Abstract

This session highlights a translational program of science spanning neuroimaging and implementation research to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes for infants. Drawing from fNIRS studies in preterm-born children demonstrating differences in executive function and neural efficiency, alongside family-centered interventions including Háblame Bebé, participants will explore how nurses can translate developmental neuroscience into scalable strategies that strengthen early language environments.

Notes

Presenter notes available in attached slide deck. To see the notes in Adobe Acrobat, go to Tools > Comment or look at your Layers Panel. If the notes were saved as comments or layers, you can toggle them visible. 

References:

Darcy Mahoney, Ashley PhD, NNP, FAAN; Velasquez, Annalyn MSN, NNP; Brito, Natalie PhD; Baralt, Melissa PhD. Leveraging Health Technology to Support Early Bilingual Development: Insights From Neonatal Clinicians. Advances in Neonatal Care

Gillenson, C. J., Bagner, D. M., Darcy Mahoney, A., & Baralt, M. (2023). A Preliminary Study of Executive Functioning in Preterm-Born Children: A Bilingual Advantage. Advances in neonatal care : official journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses, 23(6), E121–E128.

Baralt, M., Mahoney, A. D., & Brito, N. (2020). Háblame Bebé: A phone application intervention to support Hispanic children's early language environments and bilingualism. Child language teaching and therapy, 36(1), 33–57.

Baralt, M., & Darcy Mahoney, A. (2020). Bilingualism and the executive function advantage in preterm-born children. Cognitive Development, 55, Article 100931.

Author Details

Ashley E. Darcy Mahoney, PhD, NNP, FAAN, ANEF

Ashley Darcy-Mahoney, PhD, NNP-BC, FAAN, is a neonatal nurse practitioner, researcher, and professor of nursing at The George Washington University School of Nursing and Pediatrix. A nationally recognized expert in neonatology and early childhood development, Dr. Darcy-Mahoney’s work focuses on improving long-term developmental outcomes for high-risk and preterm infants and advancing pediatric health equity. Her program of research examines early brain development and the role of caregiver engagement in shaping cognitive and language trajectories. A nationally recognized expert in neonatology and early childhood development, Dr. Darcy-Mahoney’s work focuses on improving long-term developmental outcomes for high-risk and preterm infants and advancing pediatric health equity. In 2020, Dr. Darcy-Mahoney served as the National Academy of Medicine Distinguished Nurse Scholar-in-Residence, contributing to the landmark report The Future of Nursing 2020–2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. She has received funding from HRSA, NIH, and private foundations and has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed publications. A Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, she is widely recognized for her leadership at the intersection of neonatal science, policy, and health equity.

Sigma Membership

Phi Epsilon

Lead Author Affiliation

The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA

Type

Presentation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Expert Opinion (nationally/internationally recognized)

Research Approach

Other

Keywords:

Child Development, Neural Development, Language Acquisition, Second Language Acquisition, Executive Function, Cognitive Flexibility, Response Inhibition, Premature Infants

Conference Name

37th International Nursing Research Congress

Conference Host

Sigma Theta Tau International

Conference Location

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Conference Year

2026

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

Invited Presentation

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Date of Issue

2026-10-05

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From Neural Pathways to Parent Partnership: Nursing Science Supporting Early Language Development

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

This session highlights a translational program of science spanning neuroimaging and implementation research to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes for infants. Drawing from fNIRS studies in preterm-born children demonstrating differences in executive function and neural efficiency, alongside family-centered interventions including Háblame Bebé, participants will explore how nurses can translate developmental neuroscience into scalable strategies that strengthen early language environments.