Is it ever too early to foster language in your child? According to linguistics theory, the answer is a resounding, "no!" Language acquisition actually begins, according to experts, before birth. According to Kathleen Wermke of the University of Wurzburg in Germany, human neonates produce cry melodies of varying types, but begin to prefer to produce those that are typical for the language heard during their fetal life, specifically, during the last 3 months of gestation. This is essentially, the earliest beginning of communication and sound recognition.
It has long been known that newborns prefer their mother's voice over other voices, and it is melody that accounts for their seeming ability to distinguish different pitches, moods, and intonations, particularly in their mother's speech. Even more interesting, new data shows that the sounds of one's early native language encourage the sounds of the vowels in that particular language. Moreover, infants as early as 3 months old are capable of matching those sounds.
The early stages of expressive language begin to become evident as infants start to make sounds. Cooing, which appears at about 6 months or so, include phonemes, or individual sounds, that exist in all languages. Significantly, even children that are congenitally deaf, coo. Babbling appears at about 9 months of age, and at this time, the phonemes of the infant's native tongue become those that are selectively uttered- the individual sounds that are absent in their native language phase out.
By the time a child is 12 months of age, words enter the scene, and by the age of 2, telegraphic speech, multi-word utterances are typical. Normal speech, including function words and all the other components of mature language, is usually achieved by the time a child enters kindergarten or first grade.
So, given the fact that language does begin from the very start, what might parents do to encourage language in their children, and when should parents be concerned that perhaps something is amiss in their child's language development? Let's look at the first question first- How can parents encourage language development their children?
1. Given the fact that research shows that babies in-utero respond to sounds, including music and familiar voices, it is probably never too soon to begin to stimulate your baby's language development. Talking to your unborn baby is thought to help foster the early bond and recognition of your voice; playing music to your unborn baby has is believed to foster the development of voice recognition and bonding between parent and baby. And playing music to a fetus has been popular for years. One popular site for buying a device specially designed to do this is at www.bellybuds.com.
2. When you are sitting and holding your newborn, talk and sing to them- this usually comes naturally, as science has shown again and again that mothers everywhere are hard-wired to communicate in melodic, soft tones to their babies. Do not feel foolish "speaking to" your infant! They are passively taking in your words, tones, and voice all the time.
3. When they are a little older, begin to recite nursery rhymes to them, and read little books even when you might think they are far too young to understand. The melody of rhymes is particularly useful in phonemic awareness, which is the pre-cursor to early reading skills as well. In addition, reading time together in a comfortable little space creates the perfect setting for close bonding, in addition to the opportunity for language development.
4. Increase the communication with your baby, as you incorporate body language into your songs and words. They will eventually make the connection between the words and the corresponding physical behavior, which reinforces, again the meaning of your language.
5. As you encounter objects through the day, name them, as you go through activities, talk about what you are doing. Don't underestimate the value of your monologue- you are actually bringing your baby into your linguistic world, and encouraging his receptive, and eventually his own expressive language.
6. As your child begins to express language, engage in conversations with him. Do not worry about correcting his grammar, but model correct language for him.
7. Don't miss the opportunity to take him to children's shows and events, such as library story hour, which are language rich opportunities that will foster his own language development.
8. Keep reading, and telling stories to your child. Encourage his comments and engagement.
9. Encourage active participation in language as you ask your child questions about all sorts of topics- his feelings, his activities, his thoughts, opinions, etc...
10. Despite the negative connotation to television, good children's programming provides for language-rich opportunity to listen and even participate. There is a reason why some shows, like Sesame Street, have been around for decades- they use familiar language, engaging visuals, and encourage your child?s own language development.
11. When you buy toys for your child, seek out ones that encourage verbal expression and participation. This includes, but is not limited to computer software; simple board-games also encourage language- pay attention to the type of game, and the objective- many games require active verbal participation, and those are the ones you want to consider.
Sometimes, parents may begin to worry if their child's language does not seem to be developing as think it should be. Peers may seem more advanced, and if this is uniformly so, it may pose a red flag. So what do the experts have to say about when a parent ought to be concerned about language development that seems to be delayed?
Here is a general guideline for language acquisition in children (remember this is only a guideline, and any instinctive feeling that something might be amiss should tell a parent that a consult with your pediatrician is appropriate):
1. The rule of thumb is usually that the number of words expressed correlates with the age of the child: so, 1 word at age 1, 2-word combination at age 2, 3 at age 3, and so on.
2. While it is normal for toddlers to have articulation difficulties, if your child is 3 or older, and is struggling to communicate, and leaving out a lot of consonants in simple words (like "ca" for "cat") this may be a sign of an early problem with expressive language.
3. If you observe that your child over the age of 2 finds it difficult to communicate, and routinely uses body language (or seems frustrated) in expressing himself, this could be a red flag in terms of appropriate expressive language development.
4. A rule of thumb is that your child should respond to his own name by 9 months of age; he should be babbling by the age of 1 year; he should be following a simple command at 15 months of age; finally, he should know his body parts by 18 months of age.
5. As your child grows, he should be making grammatically appropriate sentences. If his sentences are routinely missing words, or correct versions of words such as plurals, or pronouns (saying for example "This is Daddy shoe," instead of "Those are Daddy's shoes...") this could indicate a problem.
6. Children should be able, at approximately age 4, to use negatives such as "can't," and "don't." Can your child do this accurately?
7. Does it seem like your child has difficulty with word retrieval, frequently looking for the correct word, but talking and talking, and not ever finding the exact word that he is looking for? This could suggest an expressive language problem.
8. It is significant that your child understand your age-appropriate conversation with him. He should respond accurately to your questions, and answer appropriately. If he has difficulty with this, his receptive language may be a problem.
9. Children should have a vocabulary of about 50 words before they reach their second birthday.
10. Unintelligible speech after the age of 2, or so, could be an indication of a speech problem. This does not include "pet words," that your child uses for some objects, that only you know. This refers to speech that is completely not understandable, even by you.
A visit with your child's pediatrician would be your first step. Referral to an audiologist would be appropriate to rule out the possibility of hearing loss as a cause of language delay. Finally, a consultation with a speech-language pathologist would help to identify and remediate expressive or receptive language difficulties.
Here in New York City, a good resource for questions and consultations is The New York Audiology Center, Inc., located at 444 East 82nd Street (accessible by the 86th Street Subway). The phone number is 212-499-0691.
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