0-1,5 years

What to Pay Attention to in a Child's "Speech" Up to 1.5 Years?

Speech Therapist Tips 0-1.5
The acquisition of the native language occurs in stages. Early age is significant for successful speech development, as, during this period, the child masters the fundamental patterns of the language. Attention should be paid to pre-speech skills, which form the basis of speech development. The first year of life (preparatory age) is significant for the child's speech development, as there is active maturation of the speech areas of the brain. It can be conditionally divided into the following stages:

  1. First (0-3 months) – development of emotional-expressive reactions;
  2. Second (3-6 months) – time of vocal responses (cooing and babbling);
  3. Third (6-10 months) – beginning of speech comprehension development, active babbling;
  4. Fourth (10 months - 1 year) – the first words' appearance time.
Let's break it down a bit more:
One of the earliest and most primitive ways of acquiring speech is through imitation. It is through imitation that an infant naturally acquires speech at the earliest stages of ontogeny. The baby hears and sees what the mother says, her facial expressions, actions, articulation movements, and smile. Then, the child tries to mimic the adults and tests their speech abilities, which leads to babbling. Babbling indicates that the articulatory apparatus is adjusting to the acoustic image of sound, a voluntary process. If a child stops babbling by six months, the babbling has not developed. Do not confuse babbling with cooing; all children coo, even deaf ones, as it is an involuntary process that appears at 2-3 months, whereas babbling appears at 4-6 months.

There are different types of imitation, including gross motor imitation (crawling, stomping feet, etc.), hand movements imitation (clapping hands, tapping fists or palms on objects imitating adults, etc.), articulatory imitation (opening the mouth wide as for the sounds A or E, breathing exercises, stretching a smile, making a kissing shape with lips, sticking out the tongue, etc.).

Next, we check if the child has the first signs of communication: verbal (words) and non-verbal means (facial expressions and gestures). How does the child perceive adult gestures? Does the child use gestures (e.g., pointing gesture, "come here" gesture)? Does the child have purposeful behavior, or is it just chaotic? If there is no goal, the brain works diffusely, with no reason to engage or interact with someone or something, so the child needs purposeful behavior.

Also, observe how the child reacts to sound and their name. Does the child have oculomotor control and fixation of gaze?
At 7-8 months, babies begin to form babbling chains and words (e.g., ga-ga, tya-tya, bi-bi, top). They try to mimic intonations, tempo, and rhythm. During this period, speech comprehension also starts to develop. By 7-8 months, children respond appropriately to words and phrases accompanied by gestures and facial expressions. A baby will turn their head in response to questions like "Where is dad? Grandma?" They respond to their name and recognize the usual location of household items (e.g., clock, crib) if these were previously shown and named. In other words, the association between the sound of a word and the object it represents begins to develop. A complete lack of understanding of addressed speech is a concerning signal!

From 10 months to 1 year, the first words—word-sentences—appear. The same word can express feelings desires, and designate an object. "Mama" can be a call, a request, or a complaint. By 1 year, a healthy baby knows 8-10 words like "kitty-kitty," "moo," and "yum-yum." From 1 to 3 years, the stage of active speech development begins. As the baby gains mobility, their understanding of the world expands rapidly, and their speech develops intensively.

Recommendations*:

  • Offer the child as many sensory experiences as possible, including objects with different textures, temperatures, etc.
  • Spend time outdoors, narrating exciting things (e.g., an airplane flying "woosh").
  • Play "pat-a-cake" with the child. This game helps develop speech understanding, imitation, and speech and motor rhythm.
  • Giving the child phone games at the age of 3 is highly advisable. Remember, there are no genuinely developmental games on phones and tablets. The primary way toddlers develop is through movement and exploring the world by "feeling" it.
Specialist Contact:
Yulia Machus
Speech Therapist
@julia_machus