warning signs
- shows no reaction to sound?
Don't let speech delay hold back your
child's development. Detection of speech delay at any age can make learning to talk
easier. If your child shows any of the warning signs listed for their age
group, please contact the Speech-Language Pathologist at your Local Health Unit
for more information.
activities
- While your baby is lying down call her name from the side. Continue saying her name
until she turns her head towards the sound. Smile and congratulate her on a job well done. Repeat from
the other side.
- Take one of your baby's
rattles or musical toys and place it on either side of him and see if he
will turn to the sound. This helps them to learn to localize sound.
- Speak in 'parentese' to your
baby. This is the high pitched voice you use almost automatically when
talking to your baby. Using 'parentese'
communicates with him and encourages vocalizations from him. Also hold your
baby near your face when you talk to him. He needs to be 8 to 10 inches from
your face to be able to focus on you.
- Talk to your baby about what
you are doing while you do it. Use your 'parentese' voice and talk about the
parts of her body while you bath her. e.g.. "This is baby's hand...baby
likes to grab things with her hand", etc.
Activity suggestions are courtesy of Laura Renfroe Christiensen, a
Speech Pathologist working with children from birth to 18 months of age.