At what age does baby speak?

Childhood language development can be a source of concern for parents. But at what age does a baby start to communicate? When can we expect to hear him say his first words? When is a child considered to be behind in language acquisition? The answers with Florence Hyvert, speech therapist in Lyon.

Language at 6 months

What we observe: When parents think of the onset of language, they usually focus on the appearance of the first words. " In fact, the first bases of communication are built from birth and up to 6 months and beyond », Explains Florence Hyvert. They are predictive predictors of subsequent language introduction. Concretely, these foundations are built when baby turns to the sound source of a noise, or when he smiles in response to his interlocutor. Then around the age of 3 or 4 months the first babbling appears.

Tips to help your child: Position yourself in front of him so he can see your face, especially your mouth. You can respond to his babbling by imitating him but also by speaking in a calm and constructed manner. " It's great to laugh at baby's productions, sing little songs to her, explain noises he hears like "Hey, it's the doorbell." The most important thing is to speak softly so that the baby can see the joint in your mouth. », Advises the specialist.

What should alert you: Your baby does not react to sounds. Maybe he hears badly or he is in his bubble. Also make sure your baby is looking for you and showing interest in those around him. If there is no reaction to the noises or there is a visual impairment, it is important to consult and seek advice from the pediatrician.

Language at 12 months

What we observe: Baby understands simple commands, and says mom and dad. He responds to his first name and speaks in his jargon with intonations. But overall, 80% baby communicates with gestures: bravo, bye bye, hush… Some babies start to point fingers to show what they want.

Tips to help your child: Modulate your voice and your intonation well to allow them to better understand language. " It is also important to promote the pleasure of communicating via the verbal extraverbalthat is, laughs, looks and smiles. It gives them clues », Advises the specialist. Take advantage of each situation to name things and actions in a simple and calm manner: "I wash your hand, daddy feed you with the spoon" … This is the best way for him to learn. When baby communicates with gestures, always accompany them with language. Note that sign language is very effective in speeding up speech acquisition.

What should alert you: Baby seems in his bubble, little or little babbling, and does not try to communicate through gestures. He does not reproduce social gestures, his gaze is elusive, and he does not respond to his first name.

Language at 18 months

What we observe: The 18 month old can understand short, simple sentences. He says other words than mom and dad like bread, cake, car, ball. Little by little his vocabulary is enriched. The word may be altered like "tuture", but you get it.

Tips to help your child: Do not maintain the "baby talk", and instead give your child the right model, without asking him to repeat it so as not to hamper his desire to communicate. Even though it is recommended to introduce books from a young age, now is the time to keep giving them, whether they are cardboard books, cloth books or old magazines. " You can start talking to her about shapes, colors, details like "oh, look at the pink buttons on that dress. », Explains Florence Hyvert.

What should alert you: If your child stagnates in language or even regresses, this advice is also valid for up to 4 years. The pointing gesture must be present. " If your child doesn't talk a lot but points a finger and looks at you, that's not very alarming. On the other hand, you may wonder if he can hear well. Some babies react to loud noises but may have a severe ear infection which prevents them from understanding short sentences », Says the specialist.

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Language at 2 years old

What we observe: Your child understands complex commands, such as "take your coat off the chair". He is estimated to have mastered 300 words in receptive, and to speak about 50. He says his first name, and is able to make short sentences with 2 or 3 words. Some children will already be able to form a sentence with subject-verb-complement, while others will use verbs in the infinitive. The 2-year-old asks questions and makes explicit requests such as "Léonie wants bread". Often he masters the no. It is at this age that we witness the explosion of language. At 2.5 years old, your child can begin to play the role of another person and imagine situations (pretend games and activities). He speaks when he is playing alone and forms 3 or 4 word sentences with verb and adjective that describe what is happening here and now. Little by little, the order of the words follows that of those around him. This is also the age when he begins to use polite phrases.

Tips to help your child: Continue to build his vocabulary by explaining words he does not understand. If it twists a word, return it to the correct form. " For example, if he says "voitu", repeat with emphasis where he mispronounces "oh yes, the car blue…. ", In a humorous way, while maintaining the exchange and remaining his interlocutor. The idea is to stretch the floor so that the child can hear well what he pronounces badly. Do not ask him to repeat because he risks reproducing the wrong model, and memorizing it distorted », Advises Florence Hyvert.

What should alert you: His vocabulary stagnates and is confined to mum or dad. He only understands a few words.

Language at 3

What we observe : Your child understands stories, expresses himself in sentences, asks questions, uses the plural and prepositions.

Tips to help your child: " Make him give up the bottle and pacifier so that his mouth becomes toned. Ditto for compote gourds: prefer pieces of apple to chew Advises the speech-language pathologist. Anything that will stimulate the sphere of the mouth will allow it to achieve more precise articulation. Do not hesitate to give it the right model when the sentence is poorly constructed or a word poorly pronounced. Keep reading stories that you transform to suit your child's attention span. You can also go back to her favorite book and add details to it.

What should alert you: Seek advice if your child's language is difficult for strangers to understand. You don't need to be concerned if your child says "I" in "ze". On the other hand, if he is having difficulty with previous sounds like "ppp" or "bbb", if he only says vowels, a consultation with the speech therapist is advised. Likewise, if he uses very few verbs, no articles, no adjectives, no prepositions and if he does not construct sentences.

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Language at 4

What we observe : Your child speaks without serious grammatical or syntactic errors. It can alter some words, but this does not interfere with its intelligibility for you and those less close to it.

Tips to help your child: " Telling stories over and over to help him get into the written word. It is also important that your child can see what is happening in your mouth and in your facial expressions. », Says Florence Hyvert.

What should alert you: Your child has difficulty starting sentences, he repeats syllables or words, his language is not understandable to an adult who does not live with him on a daily basis, and he has difficulty recounting a simple and recent event. If at 4 years old, your child still distorts the words, nothing dramatic. But it is important to correct these distortions before entering first grade so as not to hinder your learning to read and spell.

To note : each child evolves at their own pace, and these are major key stages. Shifts can be observed without causing any concern. On the other hand, a baby who seems in his world, who shuns the gaze, who has not gone through the babbling phase and does not communicate either verbally or through gestures, must alert so as not to miss out. disorders requiring early management. Also watch out for hearing defects. Finally, any child who is stagnant or regressing must question his parents.