Huron Regional Medical Center

Are You Raising a Chatterbox?

IN INFANTS' HEALTH

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (www.nidcd.nih.gov), the most intensive period of speech and language development for human beings is during the first three years of life, when the brain is developing and maturing. As your child grows, watch and listen for the following milestones: Birth to 3 months
  • repeats simple sounds
  • cries for different needs
  • smiles when he or she sees mom or dad
According to www.babycenter.com, babies begin to use their tongues, lips, palate, and any emerging teeth to make sounds. You can expect to hear “oohs” and “ahhs” in these first few months. In addition, by 3 months, your baby will recognize your voice and respond to it. 4 to 6 months
  • makes speech-like sounds including consonants p, b, and m
  • communicates with parents via gesture and sounds
  • gurgles when alone or playing
As your baby continues to explore his or her mouth and tongue, you’ll begin hearing some new consonants. In fact, between 4 and 6 months, your baby may bring a tear to your eye with a that long-awaited “mama” or “dada.” 7 months to 1 year
  • babbles in long and short groups of sounds
  • uses speech and non-crying sounds
  • imitates speech sounds and knows one or two words
After working on the foundations of words, babies begin to understand language around 7 months. During this time, your child will begin to respond to requests like “Come here.” In addition, many children celebrate their first birthdays with a few simple words in their vocabularies. How to Help Your Child Gurgling and making sounds comes naturally to children, but true language is a learned skill. Nurture your child’s language skills by spending time with him or her. According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (www.asha.org), the amount and kind of language children hear affect the rate at which they learn to speak. The association offers the following ideas to help foster a learning environment for your child:
  • Read and talk to your child. Research shows that children whose parents spoke to them extensively when they were babies have significantly higher IQs than other children.
  • When your child communicates with you, respond with eye contact, acknowledge the communication (“Uh huh. Tell me more. What else happened?”), and expand on his or her original idea.
  • Use real words and avoid baby talk. Children learn new vocabulary from those around them. If you want your child to speak well, you should too.

How Well Does Your Child Hear?
Speech and hearing are inextricably linked, and according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, there is increasing evidence that during infancy, there are many “critical periods” for speech and language development. Pay close attention to your child’s ability to hear, and closely monitor ear infections, especially if they occur frequently. Watch for the following hearing milestones. If your child doesn’t display one or more of these characteristics, consult your physician. Your child may need a hearing screening. Birth
  • listens to speech
  • startles or awakens at noise
  • ceases activity at a new sound
0 to 3 months
  • looks at you when spoken to
  • recognizes parents’ voices
  • stops to listen to unfamiliar voices
4 to 6 months
  • responds to changes in tone of voice
  • looks for sources of sounds
  • notices toys that make noise
  • pays attention to music
7 months to 1 year
  • enjoys simple games
  • looks when name is called
  • listens when spoken to
  • recognizes words for common terms
  • responds to requests
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