Language Development for Kids
Oral language development is a natural child's response to sound. In fact, research shows language to be the primary predictor of school performance, since all formal schooling relies on the student's language comprehension and proficiency. Most children develop language through mimicry and interaction with the primary caregiver--usually the parent.
Other People Are Reading
-
Birth to Two Years
-
A 2009 international study suggests that newborns begin learning language in the womb. Cries by babies of differing nationalities were distinguishable according to mother tongue. The study confirmed that cries are a child's first proper attempt at communication specifically with its mother.
By six months, he vocalizes with specific intonation, responds to his name and reacts to voices without visual cues. He differentiates between friendly or angry tones.
By 12 months, she uses simple syllables or a word connected to meaning (mama), understands clear instructions, practices her own inflections and is aware that speech connects to social interaction.
At 18 months, his vocabulary is five to 20 words---primarily nouns---and some phrases. He follows simple commands and instructions.
When she reaches 24 months she names common objects, uses simple prepositions--in, on or under--and combines words into simple comprehensible sentences. Her vocabulary is 150 to 300 words. She uses the pronouns I, me and you, but may confuse I with me, expresses ownership with my and mine and understands simple commands such as "point to your ear."
Three to Four Years
-
By age three, he correctly uses pronouns, understands some plurals and past tenses, knows body parts, constructs three-word sentences, understands simple questions and reasons simple concepts (asks for water when thirsty). His vocabulary approaches 1000 words.
At age four she understands most prepositions, names objects by picture, clearly speaks vowels, diphthongs (consonant blends) and many consonants. She talks as she plays, understands contrasts (big vs. small) and constantly repeats syllables, sounds, words and phrases.
-
Five to Six Years
-
By kindergarten language development includes descriptive words like colors. By kindergarten to first grade, he uses descriptive adjectives and adverbs, knows common opposites, can count to 10 knows all vowels, consonants and diphthongs. Compound and complex sentences become common and he uses basic grammatical constructions.
Seven to Eight Years
-
By seven and eight she masters most remaining consonants, understands opposites, basic time, reads and writes simple sentences and progresses to writing basic compositions and grammatical constructs. She controls her pitch, rate and volume, and converses at a near-adult level.
Nurture
-
Language develops naturally, so parents should not focus on minor pronunciation problems--most children outgrow these things. Speak to children in full sentences, using adult conversational inflections and promote peer and mixed-age verbal exchanges: He learns the full spectrum of language from social interaction.
Hearing Impaired Language Development
-
Children with communication impairments do not develop language through the natural process. They must learn language by sight and feel which requires repetition and encouragement.
Autism and Language Development
-
A distinct feature of autism is failure to develop communication skills to create social bonds and gain understanding. For that reason, autism at its core is a language disorder. The language deficiency is diverse among autistic children, however, and requires targeted therapy.
-
References
- Photo Credit baby image by Wendy Hotalling from Fotolia.com boy with girls in kindergarten image by Pavel Losevsky from Fotolia.com
