INFANT LANGUAGE
DEVELOPMENT
PowerPoint Outline**
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I. Introduction and Background
II. The First 6 Months
III. 7-12 Months
IV. Maternal Communication Behaviors
V. Practical Activities for Stimulating
Language Development
I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND**
Research: human brains begin
development very early
Early months and years of life are
critical and can be predictive of
eventual lifetime achievement
Youtube…
• 3 month old baby clearly says I love you
(MaXi)
• Amazing!
But be careful….
• Baby’s first words very funny
Sheehan (Stanford Child Neurology);
child’s brain is:
II. THE FIRST 6 MONTHS**
A. Introduction
• In the U.S., the mother is usually the
primary caregiver
• In other cultures, extended families
are more common— siblings
especially
Babies prefer….
Between 6-8 weeks of age…**
• Babies exhibit their first social smile
• **This disagrees with the book, which
says 3 weeks
Cooing occurs….
In terms of motor milestones…
III. 7-12 MONTHS
At 9-12 months of age…
By 12 months of age…
First words**
• Verbalization/1st word at 12 mos.
• Vocalization within pointing
• Pointing
By 12 months of age…
IV. MATERNAL COMMUNICATION
BEHAVIORS**
• A. Cultural and Socioeconomic
Influences
• Again, in many cultures, siblings and
other family members care for infants
There are often cultural differences in
interactions
Low-SES mothers…
When parents are stressed…
B. Maternal Communication
Behaviors**
• Infant-directed speech (IDS), also called
motherese, is speech adapted to infants
• There are several characteristics of IDS
Infant-directed speech:
Listen to the mom in this youtube
video
• cute baby playing pattycake 8 months old
Londyn
Interestingly…
Joint reference is important:
Joint action:
Dialogues are important:
NO SCREENS!!!!!!!!
The research of Fowler and
colleagues:**
2 groups of babies
Group A: began language stimulation at 4
months
Group B: began language stimulation at 12
months
Justice, L. & Redle (2014). Communication sciences
and disorders: A clinical evidence-based approach
(3rd ed.)
Key indicators of caregiver responsiveness:
Research of Tamis-LeMonda and
colleagues:
One study showed that:
The most powerful mechanism…
Youtube
• Still face experiment
• Shows how important caregiver
responsiveness is!
In contrast….
V. PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES FOR STIIMULATING
INFANT LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
1. Start talking to the baby at birth**
Face to face contact
is ideal
2. Begin reading to the baby very early
When reading to the baby,**
 Use simple books with colorful
pictures
 Label common objects and
actions for the baby (“Look—
bear. The bear is eating.”)
One of my personal favorites:
My children’s book program…
3. Introduce music**
Sing to the baby
Play music
The baby can play!
4. Ask questions
5. Introduce 2 languages from birth
6. Introduce the baby
7. Play turntaking games**
Peek-a-boo
Patty cake
8. Remember that most newborns
9. Put a safe-glass mirror**
In the baby’s crib
Point out and label her body parts
10. Imitate sounds the baby makes
11. Use greetings and expressions
12. When cleaning the house or going
on errands…
13. Provide many opportunities
14. Make sure
Even paper can work!
• Youtube
• Baby laughing at
ripping paper
• Micah is 8 months
old
Youtube Hysterical over Bubbles
So can bubbles
What are some common house hold items that the
baby can play with? What are some cheap/free
activities to do?
15. Let the baby
16. Label
17. Use the same words
18. Start a scrapbook**
 Soft cotton cloth book
 Cut favorite animals and favorite objects out of
fuzzy cloth; glue them into the book
 Go through the scrapbook with the baby; have him
feel the pictures as you name them
 You can also let the baby touch other pictures and
objects
III. LABELING PLAY: THE RESEARCH OF WILLIAM
FOWLER**
Labeling play: naming common
objects that babies encounter in
their daily experiences
There are ways to specifically do
this that make words easier to
learn
The keys:
For example:**
There’s the cat.
Here’s your bottle!
I see Grandpa.
Advantages of Word Labeling over
Ordinary Speech:
Word labeling: engages baby’s attention
directly
The bottom line is…..
PowerPoint Outline**
•
•
•
•
•
I. Introduction and Background
II. The First 6 Months
III. 7-12 Months
IV. Maternal Communication Behaviors
V. Practical Activities for Stimulating
Language Development