Talk to Me Baby...and Understand Me Too! By Stacey L. Owens, MA, CCC-SLP Let's face it, most parents can't wait for their child to speak his or her first word. It's one of those developmental milestones that everyone looks forward to. After all, that's when true communication starts, right? Well in reality, communication starts long before the first word and develops far beyond the child's ability to say a few words. Communication is a two-way process that requires the giving and receiving of information between two people. Giving information (expressive language) is done not just through talking, but also through body language, gesturing, making sounds, and facial expressions. Receiving information (receptive language) is comprised of hearing, seeing, and processing what is being expressed. As parents and caregivers, you can help your child develop both aspects of interaction in order to be successful communicators. Let's look at the first three years of life. Newborns and Younger Infants You love to look into the eyes of your newborn or infant. You are curious about what they can see, if they recognize your face and voice, and if they can hear what's around them. You may be surprised to know that children this young are already beginning to develop communication readiness. By looking at them and talking, you are encouraging the development of basic communication including eye contact, sound localization, primary imitation skills, and attention to sounds and voices. Until approximately three months old, your baby is beginning to show interest in interaction with both people and objects (rattles, mobiles, etc.) in their environment. They may move or blink when they hear sounds, look at your mouth and smile when you talk, begin to coo and gurgle, and of course, cry for hunger. By six months old, your child is actively pursuing interaction. He or she can tell the difference between friendly and angry voices, and responds accordingly. Smiling at familiar faces is expected and crying stops when their name is called. Around this time, your child may play games with his own voice, laugh and begin babbling (using consonant and vowel sounds), and have different cries for different reasons. They are beginning to understand the patterns of communication and may stop making sounds when others talk or may make sounds in order to get attention. At this stage, ask yourself: 1. Does my child make eye contact? 2. Is my child beginning to show interest in toys or other objects? 3. Does my child turn his eyes or head toward a sound or voice that is out of sight? 4. Is my child making sounds (coo) and starting to babble as he gets older? 5. Is my child expressing pleasure through smiling? 6. Does my child stop occasionally when told "no"? Older Infants and Early One-Year-Olds Now the real fun begins. Your baby is actively participating in more activities with more people. From about six to nine months, he begins to interact and show pleasure by clapping, yelling, laughing, and more complex babbling. He recognizes familiar people's names and stop when his name is called. Your baby will enjoy simple games like "patty cake" and will begin to wave when someone says "bye bye." Imitative skills are more developed and your baby will start to make the same sounds you do during interactive games and while talking. Your baby is beginning to understand that expressing himself can occur through different means. Between the ages of nine and twelve months, your baby may start to point and gesture to get what he wants. Or maybe he will combine sounds and gestures for more effective communication. He is learning more from the environment, using the context to understand what is happening. For instance, he will get his bottle when told to do so during the bedtime routine, or he may eat his food when told to after being placed in his high chair. Your soon-to-be year-old child likes to play simple games like "peek a boo" and expresses himself using a combination of babbling and one or two real words. This is when he says "mama" or "dada" and really means it. What joy! At this stage, ask yourself: 1. Is my child seeking and enjoying interaction? 2. Does my child imitate or try to imitate what I say and do? 3. Is my child following routine directions? 4. Does my child pay attention to someone who is speaking and look at common objects and people when they are named? Toddlers Your child will burst with communication over the next two years. One day your child will understand and say just a few words and within months, he will use three-word phrases and follow multistep directions. Between the age of one and three, your child will follow directions, first with a cue and within context (pointing, holding your hand out) and eventually without any help at all. He will begin to identify common objects and body parts, pointing to them when you name them. He will first express himself with a mixture of true words and jargon (their own language) and eventually speak solely through real words and begin to describe what he sees. You will notice your child's ability to answer questions of increasing difficulty (who, what, where, doing, yes/no) and to ask for help and information. By three years old, he is communicating in an adult-like pattern, showing an increase in a knowledge of grammar (plurals, location concepts, negatives, pronouns), valuing interaction and pleased with his own ability to get information from his environment. At this stage, ask yourself: 1. Does my child seek to get needs met through speaking and gesturing? 2. Is my child continuously learning new words? 3. Does my child use longer phrases as he gets older? 4. Can my child understand actions when they look at pictures? 5. Does my child identify objects by how they are used? 6. Does my child understand and use some descriptions (big, hot, etc.) What difference does it make? While most children develop at their own pace within a typical range, there are some children who develop differently and may need help in developing functional communication. You may notice that your child is not doing things that other children his age are doing, and have been doing for a while. The first thing to remember is not to panic. See your pediatrician and have a lengthy discussion about what your concerns are. Your doctor can refer you to the local early intervention program, which will provide you with an evaluation of your child's overall development, including speech and language. It is important to have a full evaluation to rule out any underlying causes of communication delays. If your doctor tells you to wait but you remain uneasy, remember that you are not just your child's parent, but his advocate as well. Check your local directory for early childhood services. Each state is required by federal law to provide the necessary services to children with delays in all developmental areas. Time and time again, it has proven to be an effective way of addressing developmental concerns while incorporating what you, the parent, would like to see your child doing. It is a team approach that requires discussion about where your child is functioning and where your child can be, given the appropriate services. In some cases, it may be appropriate for your child to receive direct intervention while in other cases, consultation with a speech-language professional may be what you or another professional needs in order to facilitate communication. There is no magic formula and many times, it is a combination of the two. Seeing the Future Whether your child is communicating as expected or whether he needs intervention, you can always help him develop functional communication. Determining what you would like your child to understand and express will give you direction for how to communicate with him. What's most important is that communication occurs naturally and within your child's daily routine. Meet your child where he is and begin to lay the foundation for effective communication. Bio: Stacey L. Owens is a certified Speech-language Pathologist, who works with special needs children from birth to five years old in the Philadelphia, PA area. In addition to direct client contact, Stacey currently serves as the coordinator of speech and language services for an early intervention service provider agency in the city of Philadelphia. She received her BBA from Temple University in 1988 and her MA from Temple University in 1997. Sunshine Therapy Club, Inc. 3300 Township Line Rd. Suite 102 Drexel Hill, PA 19026-1925 Phone: 866-810-9919 Fax: 610-853-9921 All content © 2008 by Sunshine Therapy Club, Inc. ® All Rights reserved