Putting words in kids' mouths

September 30, 2001|By Joanne Trestrail.

Name: Julie J. Masterson

Background: In "Beyond Baby Talk: From Sounds to Sentences--A Parent's Complete Guide to Language Development" (Prima, $15), Kenn Apel and Julie J. Masterson describe how children acquire language in their first five years, and the authors point out milestones that parents and caretakers can be alert to in the process. Both authors are educators and specialists in child language development. The book is sponsored by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, which runs a consumer site for parents at

Q--You say language is developed rather than taught. What's the difference?

A--The best way to characterize this might be to view something that's taught as something you wouldn't acquire through natural means. You have to be taught how to ride a bicycle. You have to be taught how to tie your shoes. Whereas language is acquired naturally.

Q--Are parents wrong to try to help things along by using flash cards or other tools?

A--I think parents for the most part are conscientious and want to do the right thing. Sometimes out of good intentions they fall prey to ideas that they have to pressure their child or make sure they're teaching their child how to enunciate all of the correct sounds, or use flash cards--"I'm going to teach you these colors, by golly, so that when preschool rolls around, you're ready to go!"

Unfortunately, that's probably not going to do any good. And it might do some harm because you're spending time with your child on artificial, pressure-invoking activities as opposed to natural, communication-based activities.

Q--Ideally, kids pick up language from hearing you use it?

A--They pick up language by hearing you use it at a time when they care. When you engage the child or follow her lead in an activity that she's already doing, you model language that goes with that activity. She's interested in making the link between what she's hearing and what she's doing. A child could sit in front of a television and have language go on constantly, but that wouldn't facilitate her acquiring language unless the program is geared toward her and at the appropriate level for her. The best way to acquire language is to interact. That's what parents are able to do.

Q--How can parents make the best environment for developing language?

A--By providing experiences that are natural and interesting and fun for the child. It doesn't require expensive, fancy toys. Pots and pans are wonderful. Parents don't need to provide educational toys when the best thing might be the cereal box. Language is more than just words or sounds or sentences. There are all these rules of interaction--expectations regarding how you start a conversation, how you participate, establish eye contact, how close you are, all those things.

Q--So parents should talk about what's going on in the room, what they're doing, even if it's just changing a diaper?

A--Absolutely. Talk about the activity of the moment.

Q--Do a lot of parents worry that their kids are late in starting to talk?

A--I hear from some parents that Johnny's not doing what they would hope, but I also see a lot of parents who aren't aware that they should be concerned. Sometimes a well-meaning relative or family physician has said, "Oh, don't worry about that. Kids develop at their own rate. Don't rush things." There is some wisdom in a statement like that, but there does come a time when you need to be concerned.

Q--How can you tell, when children speak a language only their parents understand, if they'll grow out of it or not?

A--I do research in children's speech disorders and intervention, and even I can't look at two 3-year-olds who are making sound errors and tell you, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that this one will grow out of it and this one won't. Maturation might take care of things, but I certainly can't tell you for sure that it will. I always say, "Better safe than sorry." Speech/language pathologists have guidelines about what to expect, and we know what a case would look like if a child is clearly behind.

The bottom line for parents is, first know what to expect, and if in doubt, by all means have your child seen by a certified speech/language pathologist. You might be told that everything's OK and that's great. But if there is cause for concern, the data are clear on the effectiveness of early intervention and not waiting.

Q--What specific things should parents try to notice?

A--Every child is different, but they're not way, way different unless there is a potential problem. In infancy, even before a child has said her first meaningful word, parents can look for her reaction to sounds. Does she startle? Does she react differently to familiar versus unfamiliar voices? Is she establishing eye contact? Has she smiled? Is she babbling? Does she laugh?

If you're not seeing any of those things--if early on, your child isn't responding to noise--that's a red flag. If by 6 to 8 months, your child's not beginning to make some consonant sounds, if you're not beginning to hear some babble, you might be a little concerned. If you're not hearing lots of babbling in clear syllables by the time the child's 11 months old, that's cause for concern. We don't need to wait until she's 3 and not talking in real words to say, "Oh, this is a problem."

Q--What about parents who just don't talk much? Would that affect how a child picks up language?

A--There is a certain threshold, a quantity of information to which a child needs to be exposed, but the quantity of talking matters less than the quality. By quality I mean, How much interaction is there with you?