Media text - synthesising skills

Media text- Synthesising Skills

An extract from the middle of a parenting magazine; a guide for parents on helping their toddler to learn to speak...

Every child develops speech at a different rate, some may begin to speak earlier than others, however this is not a cause for concern.  The time it takes for a child to say their first word varies with everyone, however the average age is of one. Before this age, children do not tend to communicate through voice, but through babbling and cooing, as if they are trying to say something, but they have not yet developed the correct speech to so, they can’t talk straight and can’t walk straight. Parent normally respond to their child’s babbling by responding in what is known as ‘baby talk’ which is showing the child that you are acknowledging what they are trying to say. Single words are known as holophrases, and when a baby cries “mama” this could mean a number of different things, such as “I’m hungry” or “I want a toy to play with.”

Caroline Bowden, when interviewed explained more about the language step that children take when they turn 1, she explained that it is this age when children can point at a certain picture in a book when you name it, and can also point to a few body parts when asked to. She went on to say that at this age children can also understand simple questions such as “where’s daddy?” and “Where’s the puppy?” and can follow simple commands such as “Don’t touch that” and “touch the car”
This is also the age where children enjoy listening to stories and songs and rhymes, and seeing as this will also help with their language development, this is always a good and helpful thing to do. Playing certain games with your child will also help, it will allow you to create a strong bond with your child and of course it is a fun task for them and you as well! By making them take part in word related challenges, will force them to use their language skills, and this will lead to an improvement. However do not be worried if their language does not come on really well straight away, it takes time and it cannot be forced on them.