Speech Development In Children
By Ina Woolcott
Remember: Children are ALWAYS Listening
Long before children are able to talk coherently, they have been listening
to and absorbing EVERYTHING they hear. Often times we, especially the
parents, aren’t even aware that a child is doing so. Once they start talking
however this becomes apparent.
It is strongly advisable NOT to talk with children in baby talk from the
moment they are born. We need to talk to our children with respect and with
clear and precise vocabulary, paying particular attention to the
pronunciation of words, not swallowing or missing out letters. If you want
your child to be well spoken then you must set a good example and talk with
your child exactly as you want to be spoken to and exactly as you would like
them to speak! (The same applies to behaviour as well. Behaviour breeds
behaviour! If you are positive, the child will be. If you are negative,
likewise the child will be!). AND this must be done earlier than perhaps
previously considered necessary. Babies, even before birth, can hear what is
going on in the outside world and this adds to their language skills. This
continues to play an important role in the child's experience in the first
months and years ahead. At this age children show an unearthly ability to
absorb language in all its complexities, and not just one language! A child
is greatly helped in the development of good language skills by being
included in our conversation from the very beginning. We must listen and
speak respectfully with our children from birth on. The way we talk with one
another is also important. We need to set good examples. A child's spoken
language is the foundation for their later ability in reading and writing.
It is no coincidence that some children are good at reading and writing and
others are not, that some find joy in doing so and others don’t. The
pleasure and fun of exploring language begins early, and is the most
intense, in the first three years of life.
Listen
The attention we give a child when he first begins to talk to us is
important. Children may becomes so excited about their ability to talk and
being able to express themselves that they stutter. This is a very natural
stage when learning to talk. It is signal for the adult to stop, listen and
look the child in they eyes. Missing words should NOT be supplied. The
stutter should NOT be commented on. A child that feels listened to in a
respectful manner generally calms down and develops the ability to speak
more clearly..
Your Help
To be successful in language a child needs confidence that what they have to
say is important, a desire to relate to others, real experience on which
language is based, and the physical abilities necessary in reading and
writing.
A child's language development will be aided and enriched by providing a
stimulating environment, with abundant sensorial experiences and in
language, providing a wealth of experience, because language is meaningless
if it is not based on experience.
Experiencing real objects should come before pictures or names of these
objects whenever possible. E.g. if you have a new book with pictures of
fruits and vegetables, let the child handle, smell, cut up, and taste a
piece of fruit. Then go and look at a picture of it, and other fruits, in
the book. The intelligence is then founded on first hand experience.
Children want to learn the name of every object in their environments, and
the meanings of the words that are heard. Children are so eager to be able
to communicate about daily life with their family and others they know! Name
everything in sight, whether in the home or out of the home, to your child,
point, clearly pronounce the word(s) of kitchen objects, toys, food,
vehicles, trees, ants, butterflies, flowers, clouds, airplanes, glasses,
cups, cutlery, crockery, electrical items, cats, horses, cushions, blankets,
pillows, pictures, jewellery items, clothing items, dogs, etc.
