A question we often get asked at Bambini Health is ‘when will my child start talking?’. Starting to use words is a key milestone for children and we see the joy in so many parents' faces when their child begins to use words. We have been lucky enough to share that moment in some of our therapy sessions and it is hard to hold back the tears!
This moment unlocks the child's communication power and allows them verbally tell others their needs and wants, socialise and engage in everyday activities.
Communication Milestones
At 12 months, children will typically start saying a few words. However, before this, there are many skills that children younger than 12 months will demonstrate that lay the foundation for learning to talk.
Some of these earlier skills include:
Babbling (e.g. making noises ‘ma-ma’, ‘da-da’)
Coping different sounds and noises
Coping actions (e.g. wave, clap)
Demonstrating shared attention
Understanding approximately 10 words
Responding to their name
Recognising greetings and gestures such as ‘hi’ and ‘byebye’
Recognising familiar people and objects
What can you do to help your child use words?
Some of our favourite strategies to help your child talk are summarised below. However, if you have concerns about your little one it is best to seek the advice of a speech pathologist as research has shown it is best not to take the ‘wait and see’ approach. Evidence has shown the importance of early intervention to best support your child’s communication development.
Modelling and Narrating - talk about what you are doing, while you do it. For example you could say ‘let’s go in the car, we are putting on your seatbelt, where are we going?’. This will help your child learn vocabulary.
Follow your child’s lead - watch what your little one is doing and is interested in and then engage with them. Children learn from what they are most interested in, this is why often their first words are the names of their closest family members, pets and favourite toys!
Copying - imitate the sounds, facial expressions and actions your child does. This will encourage back and forth interaction as well as help them develop the skill of imitation.
Reading books - reading books is a great way to model words from a young age. As you are reading the book, you can focus on looking at the pictures and naming what you can see e.g. colours, objects.
As mentioned above, if you have concerns, it is best to chat to a speech pathologist. You can contact your local community health centre, speak to your GP or look up on www.speechpathologyaustralia.com.au to find your local therapist. Feel free to give us a call at Bambini Health and we can also help guide you and gaining support for your child.
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