Speech and Language Development in Babies
Important Milestones and Tips to Encourage Growth
Oct 28, 2008
Language allows children to interact with people and with their environment. It teaches them to communicate ideas and to express emotions and desires. Receptive language means a child understands what is said, written, or signed. Expressive language means a child understands how to speak, write, or sign. Every language has its own rules of phonetics, syntax, word formation and speech rhythm.
Speech is the development of phonetics as a child attempts to imitate his adult counterparts. According to Caroline Bowen, by 18 months a child’s speech is normally 25% intelligible; by 24 months it is 50-75% intelligible, and by 36 months it is 75-100% intelligible. Speech and language make their most rapid developments in the first three years of life while the brain is maturing at an unprecedented rate.
Speech and Language Milestones in the First Five Years
While children vary considerably in their language development, there are certain milestones that pediatricians use to determine if a child is improving.
Birth: Newborns startle at unexpected noise, and loud noises can waken them. New sounds can capture their attention. They are learning how vocalize in a way that lets parents know they are hungry or uncomfortable.
0-3 months: Babies may turn to their parent’s voice. They may recognize vocal patterns and grow calm when soothed. They may learn to smile and to make different cries for different needs.
4-6 months: Babies may learn to babble consonants and may enjoy things that make noise. They may make sounds of distress if their needs are not being met.
7-12 months: Babies may now listen when spoken to, may know their name, and may enjoy hand play and singing games. They may learn their first words and learn how to make noises to capture their parent’s attention. At this stage, they are learning what "no" means.
1-2 years: Children may point to pictures in a book, enjoy being read to, and may be able to point to body parts when questioned. They may follow simple commands such as "Drink your cup." They may enjoy the same story or song repeated often. Children at this stage may also begin to ask two-word questions like "where ball?" and may say up to 20 words by 18 months.
2-3 years: Children may understand two stage commands, such as "Go get your shoes and put them away." They may understand concepts such as hot and cold, over and under, in and out, and off and on. Children may notice sounds like the phone and the doorbell and know their meaning. They may ask for things by name, such as certain food items, and they may know how to use the word "mine." Children may know anywhere from 50-100 words by age 2.
3-4 years: Children can understand who-what-when-where-why questions, and they will continue to enjoy stories, language play, songs, rhymes and rhythms. They may make whole sentences and love to talk about their day and experiences.
4-5 years: Children may understand stories and be capable of answering questions about the story line, and they can understand most things said to them. They may also communicate wonderfully with adults, tell stories and speak large sentences.
Tips for Parents to Encourage Speech and Language Development
Parents can do a number of things to increase their child’s development:
- Get regular check-ups at the pediatrician to evaluate hearing and developmental delays. Bring any concerns about speech or language delays to the doctor.
- Talk to baby regularly, and give the baby time to answer. Tell him each thing that is happening as he is getting dressed, bathing, or going for a drive.
- Read books daily with baby. Point to the pictures and give the baby the proper words. Ask baby where things are and wait to see if he responds.
- Spend one-on-one time with baby rather than placing him in front of the television.
- In the car, listen to children’s stories or songs on tape or CD.
- Attend the local library’s story-time hour for infants, babies or children.
It can be magical to watch a child begin to rapidly learn new words, sounds, and tones. It is amazing how similar babies are to sponges, absorbing the world around them. Babies’ understanding of their environment and their thoughts and ideas are expressed through speech and language. It is through this developmental skill that they can begin to communicate with the larger world and begin the process of "growing up."
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