English practice 25

Early Communication

Most new parents find that their biggest problem is determining what their mean. Sometimes the cries seem to sound alike, and other times they are as different as night and day. Yet, what do they mean? Recent studies have shown that babies do have unique cries to identify their interpreting a baby's vocalizations is not as difficult as it may seem.

Perhaps the biggest hurdle in making sense of an infant's sounds is the parents' own anxiety and With a little study and patience, parents can fine-tune their listening skills and sidestep their frustrations.

Movement is another way that infants communicate. For many years, scientists have been able to interpret various messages by filming a sequence of movements and then playing back in slow motion. Three-month-olds who appear to be flailing their arms around randomly are often reaching for something specific, perhaps a toy or a familiar face. Even the youngest infants will move their heads toward a familiar voice, often producing the first glimmer of a smile, clearly communicating

As the baby grows, new utterances emerge that often random and nonsensical.

More than likely, however, these noises actually mean something to the baby. An acute observer can often quickly interpret the child's utterances and reinforce the development of a parent who does not pay attention could miss an attempt at communication from her baby. It is easy to imagine how much faster language development will come when a one-year-old feels success and positive reinforcement in his attempts to communicate. not being understood can easily create frustration and reactive responses, perhaps partially explaining the onset of the "terrible twos."

Many parents find that sign language can be a valuable tool for the emerging orator . A nine-month-old seems to have an easier time mimicking less precise hand movements that she observes than vocalizing the complexities of consonants and vowel sounds. A small repertoire of such hand movements can greatly diminish the anxiety-producing challenge of communicating Often, as parents demonstrate a sign to their baby, they will vocalize the word for that sign over and over. Eventually, as the child uses the sign successfully, she will begin to mimic the word that seems to go with it, and eventually drop the use of her hands. 71

Long before a young child is able to speak words, his ability to understand the speech of others is developing. Before a child can say "mama" or "dada," he may easily be able a command such as "Give me the ball" or "Get your blanket." As the toddler learns the names of objects, people, and actions, a vocabulary explosion begins to occur. 74 Most people believe communication begins when the child is able to use language to express an idea or feeling. communication has been going on for much longer. Language development will come sooner and easier if parents respond more consistently to their infant's communication efforts from day one.