|
Hearing me say "I love you" touches your heart like nothing else. The
development of language is one of the most amazing changes that occurs between the
ages of one and four years. You can foster my language development by understanding
the order in which language skills emerge, talking with me, encouraging my speech,
helping me learn to listen, and reading to me.
One-Year-Olds [ Top]
Receptive
At twelve months of age, I understand a lot more than I can say. For instance,
I get excited and look at my highchair when you say, "It's time to eat,"
but I may not yet be able to say "eat." Between twelve and twenty-four
months of age, I get much better at following directions. At first I can follow one-part
directions that are accompanied by a gesture. For example, I will give you a ball
if you point to it and say, "Give me the ball," while you hold out your
hand. I then learn to follow similar directions without needing a gesture from you.
This is a big help because you can say, "Get your shoes," and I will go
get my shoes, even if they are in another room. As I approache two years of age,
I will start to follow two-step directions with gestures. If you say, "Put the
bucket and the shovel in the basket," while you point to the bucket and then
the shovel, I will put the bucket and the shovel in the basket.
Expressive
Most twelve-month-olds babble very well and say "Dada" for Daddy and
"Mama" for Mommy. By fourteen months of age, most toddlers say their first
word. Many children say 10-15 words by eighteen months, and 50 words by two years.
Girls generally talk sooner than boys, and first-born children talk sooner than other
children. Until I have a good grasp of speech, I will use gestures with my words
to communicate my needs. To get you to look at a picture in my book, I may say, "Book,"
and point to a picture.
My first words are associated with the experiences, things, and people important
to me. I can sometimes identify the meaning of a word by only one or two conditions.
The first time I go to the zoo I may call a tiger and a lion "dog," because
both have a similar shape and way of moving. From my small vocabulary, I choose the
word that best fits the situation. If I call apples, balls, and the moon "ball,"
I could probably pick out the apple in the group if you said, "Get the apple."
To learn the names of objects, animals, and people, I carefully listen to the words
you use and imitate what you say. I also learn names by asking, "Uh?" while
pointing to a car, or "Dada?" while pointing to the mailman. I need a lot
of repetition to learn, so I ask for the same name over and over. While learning
language, I talk to myself as much as to others. I may, however, be shy as I learn
to talk and talk much less in a group setting.
While first learning to talk, I say the one most important word to make my point.
To decipher what I mean, try to read my gestures in addition to listening to my one
word. If I say "Up" while I point to my book on a shelf, I want you to
get my book. As a one-year-old I talk about the present, not the past or future.
I often use words like "uh-oh" and "no-no." I name familiar objects,
and use my own name to refer to myself. When speaking, I usually omit consonants,
saying "tee" for tree. I enjoy imitating the sounds of animals and cars,
and I try to sing the words to songs.
An older toddler (between eighteen and twenty-four months) often mimics what others
say. When mimicking, I don't always understand what I say. I may mimic to practice
a word or a phrase. I may also mimic what you say to get you to rephrase the information
to help me understand it. I begin to use two words together at around eighteen months.
By two years of age, my speech is understandable at least 50 percent of the time.
Two-Year-Olds [ Top]
Receptive
As a two-year-old I am word-hungry and want to learn all the words I can. I listen
carefully to new words. I may ask, "What you say?" if I don't hear you
clearly or don't quite understand. Between two and three years of age, my ability
to point to objects upon request improves. At first I point to objects that you name;
I then point to pictures of objects; by the age of three, I can point to objects
described by their use.
Between twenty-four and thirty months of age, I learn to follow two-part directions
without gestures. If I am told, "Give Grandpa the paper and his glasses,"
I will do so without any additional prompts. I also begin to understand complex sentences.
When you tell me "You may play in the tub when we get home," I will say,
"Home now. Play in tub," the moment we walk into the house. As an older
two-year-old (between two and a half and three years), I respond appropriately to
"where" questions by pointing to or stating the location. I also understand
action verbs, such as sleeping and eating. In addition, I understand simple stories
and can follow more complex one-part directions involving prepositional phrases.
For example, I am able to put a book on, under, or beside the shelf.
Expressive
Speech continues to develop at an amazing rate for the two-year-old. I will probably
have 50 words by the time I am twenty-four months of age and 300 words by the time
I am three years old. As a younger two-year-old (between twenty-four and thirty months)
I use speech in a variety of ways: to express my needs, indicate possession, describe
action, and request recurrence. I also use speech to specify objects, describe, greet
familiar people, and to ask simple questions. I have the vocabulary and knowledge
to name objects I see, hear, or touch. I can also label simple pictures of familiar
objects in books. I tend to say the same things over and over and my articulation
is imperfect. As I mature physically and as I practice saying more words, my articulation
improves. At two and a half years of age, I pronounce p, b, m, k, g, w, h, n, d,
and t correctly.
As an older two-year-old (between thirty and thirty-six months), I use words more
than gestures to communicate my needs, and I like to engage in conversations. I ask
many questions; "Why?" and "How come?" are my favorites. I even
ask questions when I know the answer. Frequently, I do this to test my own knowledge
and memory. Other times, I ask the question because I want to tell you something,
but I also want you to ask me the question. In addition to asking questions, I use
speech to request help and to request permission. I use size words and opposites,
but frequently mix them up. I want to know more about colors and numbers, and begin
to use time-related words, such as night and later. I can tell you my first and last
name, recite a few nursery rhymes, and sing parts of songs. I answer simple questions,
such as, "Where are your shoes?" Although my articulation is improving,
I may still have difficulty pronouncing several sounds.
Between two and three years of age, I will develop clear sentence structure. I begin
to incorporate rules of grammar into my speech; use three-word sentences with nouns,
verbs, and adjectives, for example, "Big dog runned." When I start to use
word endings, I use "s" to form plurals, "ing" on verbs, and
"ed" to show past tense. I will over-generalize many grammatical rules
as I learn them. Over-generalization will continue until school age, when most children
have mastered adult language. When learning pronouns, I will probably use me, you,
my, and mine before using I. When using prepositions, I use prepositional phrases
as sentences--"In your box." Later, at around three and a half years of
age, I will use prepositional phrases within sentences--"Put it in your box."
Three-Year-Olds [ Top]
Receptive
The three-year-old understands and responds to a wide variety of questions. I
understand "What do you do?" and "Why do we do" questions. Between
three and four years of age, I begin to respond correctly to "yes" and
"no" questions. I also correctly respond to "who" and "whose"
questions. As I approach four, I begin to understand that questions involving "how
many" require me to answer with a number and "which" questions require
me to point to or to name a person or an object. At this age, I will respond with
the right type of answer, but my answers won't always be correct. For example, I
may answer "three" when there are really five cars.
Between three and a half and four years of age I learn to follow two-step directions
involving sequence. If you say, "Put the drum in the toy box, and then bring
me the box," I will do so. In the beginning, I may need you to point at the
object or emphasize the words "and then." As I get better at following
directions involving sequence, I become more responsive to verbal guidance. Verbal
guidance works well when I want to do something for myself but don't know how and
don't want you to help.
Expressive
The three-year-old likes to sing and loves to talk. I talk to almost anyone who
will listen, and enjoy talking on the telephone. I can usually speak in fluent sentences
containing four or more words and participate in conversations for several turns.
I speak clearly; about 80 percent of what I say is easily understood by all listeners.
I may, however, still have difficulty pronouncing r, l, s and th. Between three and
four years of age, my language becomes more complex as I learn to use well-formed
sentences that follow grammar rules.
Between three and three and a half years of age, I begin to talk about the future
and use words to describe shape, size, color, texture, spatial relationships, and
the functions of objects. I also use words to describe what I see or what is happening,
for example, "The big jet is flying high." In addition, I describe parts
of pictures, and can tell a simple story by looking at a picture.
Between three and a half and four years of age, I begin to use words to get others
to get me what I need. For example, I may say "Give me the crayon." During
this time I discover the power of questions; I continue to ask questions to which
I already know the answer. Often I ask the question to test my knowledge and memory
of the answer. I use action verbs, adjectives, pronouns, and prepositional phrases
correctly. I correctly add 's' to the ends of words to show possession. I also use
many irregular past tense verb forms correctly. In play, I use different voices for
different people.
Talking with Me [ Top]
Talk with me throughout the day. As you dress me in the morning, talk about the
picture on my shirt or the color of my pants. In the car, sing a song about where
we are going, imitate car horns and sirens as we hear them, or have me look for a
big truck and then a small car. Before I go to bed each night, spend a few minutes
talking about how my day went and what my day will be like tomorrow. Use simple and
clear speech as you talk with me. Talk about things that interest me. If I am watching
a ladybug crawl across the sidewalk, talk about the ladybug instead of the birthday
party I am attending the following week. Also describe the things I do: say, for
example, "Wow! You're sliding down!"
Encouraging Speech [ Top]
Encourage me to make sounds or use words in addition to pointing. If you meet
my needs right away, I don't need to speak. Anticipating my needs too quickly and
too often can slow my speech development. However, it is important to find a balance
between responding too quickly and not quickly enough. Your goal is to encourage
me to speak, but not to frustrate me. When I start using words, you need to pronounce
words correctly, as opposed to using baby talk. I learn which words to use and how
to pronounce these words by listening to you speak. Do not, on the other hand, require
me to say the word correctly before you respond. Penalties and threats take the fun
out of talking and do very little to foster my speech development. Instead, simply
respond to my request in a manner that incorporates the correct word--"Here
is your blanket."
Show enthusiasm for my efforts, and make me feel proud of my successes and attempts.
Statements such as, "Thank you for telling me you want more juice!" foster
my positive feelings about talking. Help me use gestures with my words when you don't
understand me. Occasionally, you may help me by casually talking for me when I can't
make myself understood. If I tell a neighbor, "My Daddy gone workin puter,"
you might say, "That's right; Daddy has gone to work, and he's working on a
computer." As I grow older, I may have trouble expressing my thoughts because
my mind is racing. If this happens, help me slow down by saying, "Stop a moment,
and think about what you want to say with your brain. Then tell me with your words."
Helping Me Listen [ Top]
You can foster my listening skills in three ways. The first way is to bring everyday
sounds to my attention. If we are outside playing and an airplane flies by, say something
like, "I hear an airplane. The airplane makes a loud noise." The second
way is to use words as a form of play. You might do finger plays while singing a
song like "The Wheels on the Bus." The third way is to play listening games.
You might play "Bring me a _____," changing the name of the object each
time. Or you can play hide-and-seek, describing verbally where you are--"Daddy
is hiding in the kitchen. Daddy is under the table."
Reading to Me [ Top]
Reading to me is very important to my development and fosters my receptive and
expressive language skills. Read to me every day. Hard-paged books, with a couple
objects on each page, are best in the beginning. Then choose books that capture my
imagination and interest. When reading to me don't feel as if you have to read exactly
what the book says. Instead, you should adapt it to meet my level of interest. While
I am a one-year-old, you might initially only name the pictures on each page, as
you point to them. Later, you might tell me an abbreviated version of the story.
While reading, occasionally ask me questions, such as, "Where is the dog?"
or "What do you think will happen next?" As I get older, encourage me to
"read" the book to you by talking about the pictures. Keep story time enjoyable.
If I get tired of listening to a story, don't force me to stay for the rest of the
book. Five minutes of enjoyable reading with my full attention is better than 20
minutes of squirming.
The development of language is one of the most amazing changes that occur between
the ages of one and four years. Enjoy me (and always encourage me) as I learn to
say more words and get better at understanding what you say.
[ Top]
|
|
|
