Babies, prior to language acquisition, use strategies to communicate, such as crying, gestures, murmurs, or babbling. This way, they try to communicate their wishes, needs, and emotions to their parents or caretakers. It’s common seeing babies use gestures such as pointing somewhere, to demonstrate that they desire or are interested in something. Gestures such as waving their hand to say hi are also very common, also lifting arms to ask to be picked up, moving head from side to side or up and down to affirm or deny something.
The first five years are the most critical in language development. However, it continues throughout childhood and into adolescence, as well. The brain’s fast growth during the first months and years is directly linked to language development, so during these few years, language stimulation is very important as the brain is developing new cells and creating new connections, which leads to better language reception and expression.
Usually, the first words tend to appear within the first 10 to 14 months of age, giving a start to what we know as linguistic speech. At 12 months old, kids have already acquired the capacity to make connections between words and their meaning. Once they manage to do that, they can begin to build a vocabulary, and at the same time, they imitate more words and sounds they hear in their surroundings. By 18-24 months they’ve already started to form complete sentences.
It’s important to note that even though there are certain milestones expected at pecific ages in a child's development, every kid has their own process and they all learn in different timelines. The role of the parents and caretakers is to stimulate them in order to help their language development carry out effectively.
Language development is an important aspect of a child’s cognitive development since it is a communication system based on words that will allow them to represent objects, actions, and emotions. Using language, kids will be able to reflect on people and places, and they can communicate their needs, feelings, and ideas, allowing them to have better control and autonomy. A kid who still hasn't been able to develop their speech may present behaviors such as hitting, pulling, crying, pushing, or the famous tantrums. This happens because they're not able to communicate their wishes properly so they tend to get frustrated.
What can we do from home to help kids develop their language? There are simple activities we can do every day with little kids that will stimulate the emergence of speech:
Reading books.
Singing.
Having conversations with them, making questions, and asking them about their day.
Speaking slowly, using a high-pitched voice, emphasizing vowels, and using exaggerated intonation.
Using short phrases.
Using a lot of repetition while speaking. Pointing out and naming objects to allow the kid to make connections.
Limiting the use of screens.
Encouraging and participating in sociodramatic play with them.
If you're not sure if your child needs more stimulation in their speech, pay attention to the following:
Do they make poor eye contact?
Do they understand simple verbal indications?
Are they having difficulties with social interactions?
Sometimes a kid might just be having a delay in their language development, but remain within the expected age range. In some cases, however, this delay might be associated with other underlying issues.
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