When your child says his first word, you celebrate him reaching such a huge developmental milestone. However, speech development begins long before the first official word passes his lips. Understanding speech development in infants will help you encourage your child's development from the very beginning of his life and ensure his future success.
Significance
Speech and communication skills impact your child's learning and development, according to Southwark Health & Social Care. Speech and communication ensures your child's ability to take part in the family, community and school. Children who face developmental challenges in the area of speech also face difficulties paying attention, understanding information and interacting with others.
Time Frame
The first three years of life mark the most intensive period of speech and language development in humans, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. During this period of development, the brain best absorbs language, and missing this critical period results in inefficient and ineffective language learning.
Your child shows signs of communication a few days after birth when she learns that crying will bring her food or comfort. She also begins recognizing familiar sounds such as your voice, and as she grows she will begin to recognize the speech sounds that make up language.
In the first three months of life, your child absorbs speech information from his environment by listening and interacting, according to the Mayo Clinic. She may startle at a loud sound, quiet when spoken to and recognize your voice. Her verbal communication at this stage consists of cooing and different tones of crying to communicate different needs.
During the next three months of life, according to the Mayo Clinic, your child becomes more interactive with her environment and continues to develop verbal speech skills. She moves her eyes toward sounds and responds to changes in your voice. Verbally, your child makes gurgling noises, babbles and can use her voice to show happiness or displeasure.
At a year old, your child will say a few words and try to imitate others. By the end of the first year of life, your child will say a few words even if she does not know the meaning of the words. She will also understand simple instructions and the word "no," though understanding the word and adhering to the rules may not go hand-in-hand.
Variations
According to the Kid Source website, variations in language development exist between girls and boys. According to Anita Sethi, Ph.D., in an article for Parenting.com, girls usually speak one to two months earlier than boys and use communicative gestures such as waving goodbye and pointing sooner. Girls continue to be ahead of male peers until about 18 months of age.
The Kid Source website also points out that language development can happen smoothly in a gradual pattern, or may happen in spurts and jumps. Due to this variation in language development, do not compare your child's language development to the development of others. A child whose language develops in spurts will appear behind a peer whose language develops gradually, only to catch up once a spurt occurs.
Encouragement
The Kid Source website outlines some easy activities you can do to encourage speech development in your children. Encourage speech development by reading and singing to your child daily. This should begin during infancy and sets the stage for a love of learning, while providing an avenue for language familiarity. Talking with your child also encourages speech development. Make sure you give your child plenty of time to respond during conversations and do not finish sentences for her.
Considerations
Children develop at different rates, so a failure to meet typical developmental milestones does not necessarily indicate a problem. However, you should pay close attention to whether or not your child uses his voice to relate to the world. If your child never coos, babbles or says simple words such as "mama" and "dada," you may need to seek the advice of your pediatrician. Also, your child's attentiveness offers a clue into possible problems with speech development. If your child does not startle by loud noises or show some sort of response to your speech, your child may suffer from hearing loss, and you need to consult your pediatrician.
References
- Southwark Health & Social Care: Importance of Speech and Language Development
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders: Speech and Language
- Mayo Clinic: Infant Development: Speech Milestones From Birth to 24 Months
- Kid Source: Speech Development in the Infant and Toddler
- Kids Health: Delayed Speech or Language Development
