Infant and child speech development is something that begins from day one with all new babies. As soon as your little one enters his or her new world, they're absorbing their parents interactions and their world around them. I wanted to dig deeper into child speech development and what we as parents can do to encourage it, so I turned to Katherine Stipe, MA, CCC-SLP and mother to Owen, age 2. Please read below for our Q & A on Infant and Child Speech and tips on what you can do to help encourage speech development.
1) Katherine's Bio:
Katherine Stipe, MA, CCC-SLP, and mommy to Owen, a sweet, cuddly, goofy 2.5-year-old. I currently work in a Children’s Hospital Rehabilitation Center. My passion as an SLP (Speech Language Pathologist) lies in the areas of Speech Sound Disorders and Childhood Apraxia of Speech, as well as Voice and Swallowing Disorders. I feel lucky to work with my clients and their families every day.
2) When should parents start working on their little one’s speech development?
Parents can work on speech and language development from day one. Simply talking to your little one about how much you love them, what you are doing (I am washing my hands! I am brushing my teeth! Etc.) Exposing a child to language can start from the very beginning.
3) What can parents do for the following stages?:
Newborn
Newborns are drawn to caregivers faces and voices more than anything. A gentle voice will draw a baby in. The high-pitched voice we all use with babies, also known as Motherese, is soothing and attention-getting. By using our voice and our face close to theirs, a baby watches our facial expressions and eventually responds to our expressions (sticking out tongue, smiling). It also serves as the perfect ‘mommy (or daddy) and me time’.
I focused on ‘mommy and me time’ during tummy time, mainly because my son Owen really disliked tummy time, but also because I knew that was the time I would be sitting down during the day! I showed Owen plush toys with black and white designs, toys that made crinkle sounds (demonstrating vowel sounds ‘oooooo!!’), while making facial expressions in close proximity, to keep Owen engaged, and to also expose him to speech sounds. As a parent or caregiver, this may feel awkward at first, but it does feel more normal with time.
Infant 0-12 Months:
6-8 Weeks
At six to eight weeks, your kiddo will begin to brighten your world even more with a smile. There may be a certain routine, phrase or facial expression that you make that will bring it out every time! At this point, a baby is watching a parent’s face for longer periods of time. So, cuddle up, smile away at them, and tell them how much they mean to you! They are taking every moment in with you. They may even respond with a smile and a coo! When they coo, imitate their sound! They will probably stop all movement and look back to you with surprise!
3-4 Months
At three to four months, a baby will typically begin babbling. Motherese becomes helpful at this time, again, as the child is aware, by the high-pitched voice, that the caregiver is zoned in on them, and the child can put other noise and conversation in the background.
5 Months
At five months, a baby begins to realize the effects of their cry. “When I cry, I get someone’s attention, and then something predictable happens.” At this time, respond with what you think they may need: Are they tired? Do they have teeth coming in and need something to chew on for relief? Do they have a dirty diaper? Respond accordingly. If they continue to cry, it is possible that baby realizes their cry gets your attention, so give them a moment with a toy or preferred object and try to let them self-soothe. (This is easier said than done, but it is helpful to allow a baby to learn to self-soothe! Sorry, mom and dad!)
6 Months
At six months, a baby is typically vocalizing “da”, “ma” and repeating these consonant-vowel combinations over and over. Respond to them at this time; it may make them laugh and also encourage them to imitate! They will also love looking at themselves in the mirror!
7-8 Months
At about seven to eight months, a baby is combining “da” “ma” maybe “buh” as well. They have not assigned the word with the person at this stage quite yet, though. They may sound like they are singing these sounds as well! This is just their way of experimenting with their voice.
9 Months
Around nine months of age, babies will begin to gain anticipation during games. Using exaggerated hand movements toward their belly may cause them to tense up and laugh.
Play peekaboo and “ahhh-boom” by putting your forehead to theirs – this will cause them to close their eyes in anticipation of the “boom” of foreheads.
Age 1:
At the age of 1, a child will begin to show their receptive language (what they understand others have said) more clearly. They will show common objects when asked. Examples include: “Show me your baby,” ‘show me the ball’ and ‘show me the cup.’ At this stage, one-step requests are most successful and more easily understood.
At age one, kiddos are babbling with inflection like that of their caregiver, producing various common words that are used in their environment: dada, mama, ball, baby, baba, for example. At 1, it is nice to see 5-10 words that are common in their environment, produced on a daily basis.
Age 2:
Age-appropriate sound productions at age two include: p, b, m, h, w, b
At 2, a child typically puts words together: ‘car go’, ‘baby eat’, ‘doggie run.’ It is important to reinforce their utterances by building on them: ‘the car goes fast!’ ‘yes, the baby IS eating!’ ‘I see the dog running.’ At this stage, kiddos are going to imitate your utterances non-stop!
Also, personally, Owen and I have experienced a lot of developmental milestones that have come up which we have had to talk about. He will ask for a pacifier, his ‘binky’, which he hasn’t had for quite some time, when he is really tired, or has gotten a ‘boo-boo’. When he asks for the binky, I say ‘I hear you and I know you want it, but _____’. This verbiage depends on how you want to explain the situation to your kiddo. It is important to let them know that you hear them and you understand, but to also explain WHY they aren’t getting what they asked for, since they have finally learned how to verbalize wants and needs! (This has GREATLY minimized tantrums for us!)
Age 3:
By the age of three, a child is typically putting 3-5 words together in one utterance: ‘The car goes fast!’ ‘I see the doggie running!’ and producing the following sounds: p, b, m, h, w, b; With emerging sounds: k, g, d (which are produced by age 4, on average)
Speech/Talking games
Research shows that parents who read five books a day with their children expose their children to at least one million more words, when compared to those who do not read to their children. Reading is SO important. It also goes beyond just the content of the book. Reading together allows a child to understand what the book is called and where to find the title, how to hold the book, how to turn the pages.
Another activity that is important is singing nursery rhymes and common songs together. Singing allows a child to master prosody, which is the stress, rhythm and intonation of speech. Putting emphasis on words in songs, using character voices in songs, all allows for a child to understand and develop appropriate prosody in his or her utterances.
4) Games/Books/Play:
My kiddos at work enjoy: “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” “Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star” and “The Wheels on the Bus.”
I also enjoy using hand motions or objects pertaining to the song, while I model motions for the child to imitate. Allowing a child to use their whole body, rather than sitting still, engages more of the child’s brain, which is more beneficial for language development.
Play:
Another large part of language development is PLAY! It is so important to allow break time for children, as it is essential for integration of new skills. I give scripts for kiddos to imitate, I make animal sounds, car noises, anything that is motivating for the kiddo to imitate. If the child has trouble understanding, I model it first, with verbiage for the kiddo to then imitate. Repetition is key, especially if the kiddo is having difficulty with a new concept or activity. I also limit the amount of toys available so that they are played with appropriately. At home, I typically have 80 percent of Owen’s toys in a Rubbermaid container hidden away. At work, I offer one themed toy at a time.
Books I enjoy:
I personally enjoy Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See?, Five Little Monkeys, and any Usborne book! Usborne has a lot of books with flaps, which make reading more interactive and fun! Books with repetition like Brown Bear and Five Little Monkeys are great to use, because the child learns the script, and eventually will fill in your blanks: ‘Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see? I see a ________looking at me!’ Owen’s favorite book was Five Little Monkeys. At first, he imitated all of the hand motions, then he babbled the script with similar inflection to ours, then he imitated the script independently!
5) What is your opinion on screen time?
In my opinion, screen time is okay, but should be limited and educational. In addition, research shows that prolonged exposure to the light of a tv, computer or tablet affects REM sleep, and also has the potential to cause nightmares in children. I, as a mom, have to be realistic and say that at times, a show on tv is the last resort when my daily tasks, work projects, or other life occurrences come up. I recommend “Super Simple Songs” on YouTube or Amazon Prime, when exposing a child to the internet, as it includes a number of nursery rhymes and common songs for children. I also love PBS shows like Sesame Street and Daniel Tiger, if these shows are accessible. If screen time can be avoided, I offer Owen Melissa and Doug “magic” watercolor pages, or construction paper with water and a paintbrush!
6) When can parents start teaching their child the alphabet?
I think a parent can start just by singing the song with them! It is important to enunciate the letters and change the rate of how you sing the song each time, just so that the child can hear and understand the letters and how you are producing them. I also have foam letters and numbers that I play with at bath time with Owen. I just focus on a few a night and tell him the letter, and the sound it makes. I would say that phonics/letter awareness isn’t too important until age 3 or 31/2, but it doesn’t hurt to expose them to the alphabet early on!
7) What are your thoughts on teaching babies and toddlers languages in addition to their native language?
I could write a novel about this! I speak Spanish, and work with a lot of Spanish-speaking families at work. Research has shown that exposing a child to another language engages other portions of the brain and increases a child’s concentration and attention skills. A bilingual brain is able to think in two languages, so when they use one language, the other language is working simultaneously. I wish I was exposed to Spanish earlier in life, with how often I use it now!
8) When should parents look into professional assistance with their child’s speech development?
What I always tell clients, friends and family is, the earlier the better. I always tell families to trust their intuition. If you feel concerned about your child’s speech or language development or feeding skills, talk to your pediatrician. Sometimes, it will be recommended to wait. It doesn’t hurt to ask your pediatrician for a referral to a Speech Pathologist to do an evaluation. The best-case scenario would be a Speech Pathologist saying your child is showing age appropriate skills!
References:
1) Brazelton, T. Berry, MD. “Touchpoints; Second Edition, Fully Revised: Birth to Three”.
2) http://bilingualkidsspot.com
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xx Lauren
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