Language Development with Learn with Chatterboxes

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Language acquisition has probably been my favorite development to watch in Yitzchak. I have always felt he understands more than we assume but watching him begin to respond to requests and then to say words has been magical. I have had some surprises too, such as the fact that I found it really hard to identify his first word. I didn’t count “Ima” or “Abba” (our words for mom and dad) since he has been babbling those for months. But was the “da-” sound purposefully saying “dog” when he saw a dog?

One thing that is clear though is we have had an explosion in communication leading up to his first birthday. He has a handful of words, understands far more, and has started signing some too. We have been doing both more formal language introduction here with the Montessori three period lesson (the first two parts: labeling and identifying) and informal language of just narrating as we go. After his first birthday I introduced Schleich animals for some language work, for example.

For this segment of Ask the Expert I speak with Caley of Learn with Chatterboxes about how to encourage communication from birth as well as at the stage Yitzchak is now.

Caley is a speech-language pathologist. She has a Bachelors in Early Childhood Education and a Masters in speech-language pathology. She provides early intervention visits to children and their families from birth to age 3 who are exhibiting language delays. She also works at an outpatient children’s hospital working with children with communication disorders including articulation impairments, children needing assistive technology, language delays secondary to Autism, and genetic differences.

One thing I loved about my conversation with Caley was hearing how much little changes in how we communicate can encourage their communication. In particular her recommendation for using choices to encourage communication was a favorite of mine. Offering choices is a big part of Montessori and freedom within limits. I loved seeing how it can also encourage speech as well.

In our interview Caley shares tips for encouraging communication, some guidance on milestones, and activities.

What can parents do from birth to promote language development?

Talking to your baby, singing to your baby, reading to your baby, involving them in your daily life and most importantly, connecting with your baby! Babies are sponges and need to hear words a lot before they will understand them, and understand them before they will use them!

Do you have advice for someone who struggles with narrating and talking to their baby when alone? I hear from a lot of people that it’s a hard habit to get into. Any suggestions on how they could start?

Great question! Many parents who describe themselves as introverts tell me that this can be difficult for them. Find a balance that works for you and your little one that you enjoy doing together and the language is more likely to occur naturally- is it going outside together, finding a music class once a week, cooking together, playdates with friends, etc. I also like to tell parents to start by using language during daily routines (etc. during a bath you can label body parts, action words wash, pour, etc. functional words turn on/off) 

I find it incredible how much babies communicate before their first words. Can you talk a bit about what sort of communication people can look for in their babies and how early that develops?

Communication starts from birth as babies cry! Before first words in that first year they will also learn to babble using consonants (as early as 6 months), use gestures (reaching, pointing, taking a caregiver’s hand and leading them to what they want, clapping, pushing things away to refuse/protest) and use purposeful noises that will later change into word approximations before they are clear words. It’s important to remember that there is such a wide range of normal but yes these pre-linguistic skills give them the building blocks for later learning to use words. 

I know a lot of my followers have young toddlers around Yitzchak’s age (he just turned a year). He is starting to say some words and I have also noticed a huge increase in communication in other ways. For example, I use a hakkaa on the other side when nursing and he now brings it to me when he wants to nurse. Do you have recommendations for encouraging words and communications at this stage?  

This is such a fun stage of development. Motor imitation often comes before verbal imitation so often I will encourage introducing a few signs. In this case, you could model the sign plus word MILK or EAT as these are highly functional and will teach a little one to request when they want it. Multi-sensory learning is awesome to help little ones absorb words and sign language adds an extra visual and tactile component to help words stick. I also recommend giving children choices to help them increase their communication independence. For example, instead of telling them “say BAR” during snack time, I’d say “Do you want a BAR or an APPLE?” and modeling the word as I give them what they want. Giving them only a little bit at a time can also create more space for them to communicate and use a word like MORE, or say BAR or APPLE again. Another tip is to read books they love but pause and see if they will “fill in the blank” with a familiar story they love. You may be surprised how you can pull words out this way. We do this a lot in speech-language therapy with verbal routines too (ex: “Ready, set”…… and see if a child will say “GO!” After hearing it several times)

What needs to happen for something to “count” as a first word? (frequency, not mimicking, etc?)

It needs to be purposeful (like to request, label, protest, etc.), independent so yes not mimicking/imitating, and consistent (not just a one time thing!)  We count animal sounds as words as long as they have speech sounds consisting of consonants and vowels (so a snort for pig wouldn’t count though it is a step in the right direction!) If a child is bilingual (ex: says MORE and MAS in Spanish, that would count as 2 words!) We also count signs as words if they are consistent, independent and purposeful as American Sign Language is a real language. 

Do you recommend focusing on teaching certain words? (If so, which types of words?)

Yes! Functional words that will help them get their wants and needs met such as MORE, GO, ON, OFF, Words for their interests i.e. DOG, BALL, CAR, BABY, MAMA, DADA (because they love us so much and want to learn to call out for us!) are usually so much more functional than anything academic (colors, shapes, letters) unless they have a special interest in colors, shapes, letters (many neurodivergent children do!)

What are some good language activities for young toddlers? We often do the first and second part of the Montessori three period lesson with a variety of objects (naming the object and then asking him to identify the object back). He loves doing that but I am always looking for other fun ways to introduce language! 

The cool thing about teaching language is that you can do whatever you want. It can be as simple as going on a walk (talking about what you see, letting them feel different textures- this leaf is crunchy, prickly, BIG, small, there’s a dog, oh do you see the animal over there that says meow? Model waving to a neighbor), using their toys (i.e. a ball drop or ramp you can work on IN, OUT, HELP, MORE, BALL, MY TURN/ YOUR TURN), songs/ a simple Simon Says game to work on action words and following simple directions, or setting up a fun sensory activity (ex: water play and washing cars or animals to label, target action words wash, swim, descriptors dirty, clean etc.) 

When would you recommend someone seek an evaluation or services? I receive a lot of messages from people who feel worried and confused about what is expected given the CDC changes and so many different lists.  

The recent CDC changes were very disappointing to SLPs  as they made the new milestones for communication development without including reliable research/sources and without consulting an SLP. There is such a wide range of normal though and typically, most early intervention programs won’t recommend services until after 18 months. So with that information, I tell parents if at 18 months they aren’t using at least 10 words and it seems like they aren’t picking up new words all the time, it’s probably best to get an evaluation. But language is so much more than just word count- we look at language understanding, gestures, how they are communicating otherwise and more. One milestone that did stay with the new CDC changes is using 2 words together by 24 months so I’d like to think pediatricians will always refer if that isn’t happening by a child’s second birthday! The majority of brain development happens before age 3 so if a parent ever has any doubts, checking and seeing is better than waiting and seeing. And in the US, early intervention evaluations are free and parents can self-refer. 

Can you tell me a bit about Learn with Chatterboxes? What products and services do you offer?

I offer 1:1 consultations for parents who may not have access to an SLP based on where they live, if their child did not qualify for formal services, or if they want tips/strategies to implement at home. I also have an activity deck which is a pdf of strategies and activities parents can do at home using what they have while targeting language. 

Thank you for speaking with me, Caley. You can find Caley on her website and on Instagram at @learnwithchatterboxes.