TORONTO — Amna’s first language was Urdu. Her friend Talyah’s was Arabic. But the other day in the corner of a classroom, they spoke English in between giggles, while spilling marbles into a funnel.

Professor Stephen Lye Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the Fraser Mustard Institute for Human Development, University of Toronto. Dr. Lye is a world-expert in women’s and infant’s health and ...