Can Literacy exist without Speech & Language?

I often hear parents say, "My baby is already 18months old/ 2 years old, but he can only say 'mama' and 'papa', should I worry?" Some worry that their children are not speaking early enough, not having enough words and their speech sounds are not clear. As a mother to a 17mo toddler, I do empathize with them. It is important to acknowledge that every child is unique and therefore the time they acquire a new skill / sound / word will differ slightly. While I am not qualified to diagnose or say if a limited vocabulary at the age range is a cause for concern, I hope this post can help shed some light on how babies acquire language and how we parents can help stimulate speech production and language acquisition. I would like to first highlight my personal experience: Parents should speak to their babies like how they want to be understood. That is, no 'babyish talk' or 'baby blabber'. For a start, speak in short and simple language that is easy for baby to pick up. Give instructions in precise that babies can understand and act on. For instance, "pass the phone to mama" instead of "could you please pass the phone to mummy who is waiting in the kitchen".

Background on Language and Literacy development

Can Literacy exist without Speech & Language?

Language development refers to children’s emerging abilities to understand and use language (ECLKC, 2021). There are 2 types of language skills - receptive (ability to listen and comprehend language) and expressive (ability to communicate one's ideas, thoughts and feelings through the use of language).

Emerging literacy refers to the knowledge and skills that lay the foundation for reading and writing. Without speech and language acquisition, children will find it impossible to understand the written script, let alone write. Hence, stimulating speech and language production is especially important for infants and toddlers because their emerging speech and language abilities are strongly correlated to emerging literacy skills (and development in general). Infant and toddler stage development lay the foundation for oral language, which will last well into adolescence and adulthood. As they grow older, they will pick up more vocabulary words and their abilities to use language in different contexts will be enhanced. This process is shaped by the amount of exposure they have growing up (e.g. from school, parents, environmental influence).

As a literacy therapist, I often find myself correcting the children's expressive language and working on their receptive understanding concurrently. This is because dyslexia is often defined as language-based reading disability. Children with dyslexia therefore struggle with comprehension, vocabulary and grammar (on top of their initial difficulties of reading and spelling).

How do babies acquire speech and language?

Remember the unforgettable moment when you hear your baby's first cries? Speech production happens the moment a baby is born.

Babies acquire speech and language by hearing (through daily interactions, exposures and repetitions). It will start in the form of babbling and progresses to single word (e.g. car) or two syllable word (e.g. mama), followed by short phrases and then sentences. By 18 months old, toddlers should be able to follow simple 1-2 steps instructions (e.g. "pick the ball and bring to mama") and respond to simple "where" questions (e.g. "Where is your shoe?" should send your baby scampering to the shoe cabinet). Between 1-2 years old, majority of the toddlers can produce consonant sounds like /p/, /m/, /h/, /w/, therefore one will usually find their baby calling /m/ama and /p/apa as their first words.

Below is a chart on Speech and Development milestones, which serves as a rough guide to track your baby's milestones.

https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/sites/default/files/Documents/health/voice/NIDCD-Speech-Language-Dev-Milestones.pdf

Below is a chart on the various speech sounds a child can make as he/she progresses and grows older. The following are norms according to Smit (1990), Shriberg (1993), and Grunwell (1997).

How to stimulate speech production and provide sufficient language exposure to toddlers?

#1 : Self-talk

A house should not be too quiet. If you find that your baby has yet to start talking, parents can start engaging themselves in self-talk. NO, YOU ARE NOT CRAZY when you talk to yourself (although outsiders might think you are!). Start by describing your actions, the taste, the smell, the colour, the sound (basically anything that comes to your mind or is in the locality, which has the added benefit of helping children to link words to objects). The idea here is to start with short utterances before progressing to longer ones- speak in the same or slightly more utterances than your child. You can start with single word / short phrases, like "Mama eat. Eat bread. Bread". Start the phrases with 'who', if the child is learning how to identify different people in the household or has yet to call out a person accurately.

Similarly, a stroll in the park can be more meaningful when parents start describing what they see and hear (e.g. call out child's name "________, listen (point to your ears), what do you hear? Birds chirping. / Look ______ (child's name), monkey!")

Do repeat those words many times throughout the day/ weeks. Children at this age learn best through repetitions and constant exposures to the words!

#2: Hand signs or gestures

Pair strategy #1 with hand signs / gestures. Studies have shown that sign language is a powerful tool to get children to start talking. For example, if you sign to your child to say "more food", encourage him/ her to repeat after you. Make exaggerated mouth movement to emphasize the beginning sound /m/ in the word 'more'. You will be taken by surprise your child will be saying the word 'more' in no time!

#3: Parallel talk

Parallel talk is another effective method to introduce your child to more new words (vocabularies, nouns and adjectives)! Very closely related to self-talk, here parents describe what the child is doing (actions, feelings) / playing (objects). E.g. if your child is playing with colourful blocks, point to him/her and say, "Blocks. Blue block." Stack the blocks, hit it down and say, "Oh no, blocks fall! Mama knock."

Remember, the same rule applies: speak in short utterances / phrases / at the same or slightly higher level than the utterances your child is at.

#4: Word / phrase/ sentence expansions

Once your child has mastered speaking in single word, it's time to challenge them by expanding their words and sentences! Allow your child to say whatever they want, and expand from there (with more descriptive words/ verbs/ feelings). E.g. Child says, "Ball." Mama says, "Red ball. Round ball. Ball rolls," and pair it with the action of rolling.

For more advanced children who are already speaking in 2-word utterances and able to comprehend simple instructions, parents can start expanding their speech with questions and guide the children on how to answer them. For example, child goes to the shoe cabinet signalling to open the cabinet and says, "Shoes". Mama goes to child and asks, "Where do you want to go? Playground? Yes? Or No?" Wait for child to respond either by saying or gesturing. Then guides child to say, "yes" or "playground". Mama then passes the shoes to child and asks, "What must you do if we are going to wear shoes?" Child says, "Sit down." Mama then prompt child to say, "Help me please." Language acquisition also aids in the development of routines or lifestyle habits.

#5: Repetitive vocabulary building, providing opportunities for following / carrying out of instructions

Children must first understand the meaning of words before they can use them. Parents can repeatedly introduce new words to their children daily by asking them to point to the objects / people / pictures. Parents can go a step further by adding instructions to the new word to "test" their understanding of the new word.

For beginners, parents can model to their child how it can be done. For example, the parent can ask, "Where is papa?" and get the child to point to papa or any other objects to test their understanding.

To build on this skill, parents can introduce more verbs to the child by pairing it with actions. For example, "________(child's name), take the ball. Give papa". If the child is unable to carry this instruction, parents can model to him/her on how it can be done. Practice this frequently and make it part of the daily routine (One of the basic habits in the Montessori approach is to get the child to keep all the toys and books before going to bed).

Parents do not need to purchase anything special for these strategies to be successful. Use of daily household objects, environmental prints/ objects are more cost-efficient and friendly! So what's the key to success? Parents must have constant communication and interactions with their children. Every second is a great learning opportunity. Do not be discouraged. Consistency is key. Start now!

References

Head Start, ECKLC. (2021). Communicating and Speaking: Know. Retrieved from https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/school-readiness/effective-practice-guides/communicating-speaking-know

International Dyslexia Association. (2021). Oral Language Impairments and Dyslexia. Retrieved from https://dyslexiaida.org/oral-language-impairments-and-dyslexia-2/

The SLP Solution. (2021). How to Help a Late Talker. Retrieved from https://www.speechandlanguagekids.com/speech-delay-help/