The baby, from birth to the year, is taking small steps that move towards the language acquisition, in several phases. We will see in detail the characteristics of each of them to end up giving guidelines to detect delays in this area.
First semester
Since birth, as we have seen in previous subjects, the baby is preparing to speak. Begin with the basis of communication, convey messages without words. He does it crying or screaming, to tell us that he is hungry, cold or in need of physical contact, his most important and imperative needs. When parents respond to your call in a positive way they are encouraging communication and providing the basis for the child to keep moving forward.
At the beginning we will be able to interpret what each call means even if there are no pronounced words. It does not matter, from birth to three months, your entire mouth apparatus is being exercised and rehearsing to speak one day. And he is learning, by listening to us, the words and structure of our language.
Four months ago The child begins to know how to refuse. The "no" is a very important discovery, which reveals the ability to decide and know how to recognize your feelings or needs. We can also perceive that the baby already identifies the tone of the speech, distinguishing whether we ask a question or a statement. He attends when he listens to music and turns to see us when we talk. They look at us eagerly, wanting to absorb the words and putting a huge emotional burden on it.
And start to babble. It is a wonderful experience for him and for you. They begin with simple syllables formed by a consonant and a vowel, usually "b", "p" and "m" followed by the "a" or an open "e". They babble alone and babble with us, they don't stop playing with the sounds, indulging in our joy and also enjoying the game without the need for a partner. Dad and mom already have a name.
Second semester
7 months ago and until the year is when we begin to be able to understand his first attempts at words. They begin by showing us that they perfectly recognize the most common words in their world: "water", "diaper" or "grandmother". They speak to us already with long phrases of stammering syllables "gagagaga, guta, matati, upup ..." would be an example of a small children's speech. It seems that they are not yet able to say words, but it is not. Many times, after these disjointed sounds, they hide the intention of pronouncing a word they already know, they have internalized, but they do not know how to modulate correctly. However, if we are attentive, we will soon recognize that certain series of sounds use them to always refer to the same object: they are the words of their language of learning, words that if we keep in memory then become a treasure.
I remember the "guiguis", the "chatchat", the "muumuuunnn", the "uhuh"! “, Our kangaroos, rabbits, cats and dogs. Or the funny “babies” that in addition to the other babies also referred to the “little pigs”.
If your baby always uses the same invented word to refer to something, be it a person, an object or a need, it is important to keep it in mind and remember it to improve your communication and encourage him to keep trying.
At 12 months Children begin to be able to speak with one or two recognizable words. It seems incredible that a small baby, who came into the world a year earlier, is able in such a short period of time to understand the essence of communication with the world. From those first cries to a demonstration of advancement in linguistic knowledge and ability to speak has taken a huge leap. Our baby starts talking and everything will be different thereafter.
How to detect language development delay in babies?
Parents wonder how recognize the signals that can alert us of a delay in development. As we have seen, there are some typical phases in which to frame what children do at each age. Although each child is different, these guidelines are quite general and can serve as guidance.
If a baby does not respond to sounds or be frightened by loud noises, we must be alert in the case of the newborn. By three months it is worrying if the child does not turn towards the source of the sound and especially towards the voice of his mother. About 8 months you should be alerted if the child does not babble, does not imitate sounds or use the voice to get our attention.
When parents have concerns about the development of the phases of language acquisition It is essential for your baby to consult with the pediatrician because identifying potential problems in time helps not only to achieve rapid intervention, but also to prevent social difficulties such as relationships with others and academic skills.
