Language Learning in Early Childhood-The Basics
Learning language is one of the most exciting and difficult tasks that young children achieve. When I teach Child Development coursework and when I’m working with young children and families, I find that when a child will speak and grammar and pronunciation mistakes are some of the most common concerns of adults who care for young children.
I will outline some of the basic mechanisms that children must develop in order to use language effectively, how you can support your child’s language development, and what to do if you are concerned about your child’s language.
Language development has three basic components: speech, cognitive, and social. These components are often discussed separately, but they must all be used in tandem to communicate effectively. Language development is nonlinear, that is, it is not like your child’s physical growth, getting taller every year. Language develops in fits and starts and at times any one of these components might jump ahead or lag behind the others. This nonlinear development is the reason that your child makes beautiful mistakes, like “Mommy goeded away,” and it is also the reason that it can be difficult to know whether your child’s language development is on track or whether you should be concerned.
Speech is just one part of an entire system your child must build and operate effectively in order to communicate with others. Speech refers to the vocal output or the sounds that people make to communicate. In order to speak, you must be able to make the physical movements necessary to re-create the sounds you have heard. When children make speech sound mistakes, they are called articulation errors. It is not uncommon for children to make articulation errors up until eight years of age. Below is a chart of English speech sounds and the age at which we would usually expect children to have mastered them.
Language development also requires cognitive skills such as attention, imitation, and memory. In order to learn new words, your child must attend to the word when they hear it spoken and then associate it with item it refers to. In most children, this process is fairly automatic around the first year. Your child then retrieves the new word from their memory the next time they see the item. Children practice language skills by imitating what they hear. They are even more likely to imitate words that hold strong meaning. You’ll hear this when you hear your child incessantly repeats your words exactly after you’ve chastised them or used a bad word.
Language development also includes a social component. Words come alive and have meaning because of how others use them. Children are born primed to listen to what we say and try to make meaning of it. The social part of language includes joint attention, this is when a child follows your point to look at and name something with you. Much of the meaning in what we say comes from social cues; tone of voice, eye gaze, and body language.
Language development is such a complex process; it can even seem magical at times, your child will wake up one day seeming having learned dozens of words overnight. They may also go several months without seeming to make major gains, and it is difficult to know when to wait and when to be concerned. Because children’s brains are primed to learn language from interacting with the world around them, it is difficult and often unnecessary to teach new language skills through memorization activities such as flash cards.
The Child Development Institute has resources including a chart of language skills and the ages at which we would expect a child to begin using them and other great articles on language development.
The most important things that you can do for your child’s language development are to talk to your child and listen to them when they talk. Talk to them as you are doing activities together even if it is something as simple as folding laundry or preparing a snack. Give your child lots of opportunities to talk to you and show that you are really listening. Don’t worry about correcting mistakes directly, just use the correct word or phrase when speaking to them. Children learn from doing, not repeating, and correcting their speech or having them repeat may discourage them from using language on their own.
What do I do if I am concerned about my child’s language?
If you do believe that your child may need support with language development, be sure to let your child’s teacher or child care provider know. They have a lot of experience listening to children speak and will be able to let you know how your child’s language is developing throughout the year and can refer you to speech services as necessary. It is also important to speak with your pediatrician and have your child’s hearing tested. Hearing tests should always be the first course of action if you are concerned about your child’s language.
I have to make an important point here. These tips and concerns are related to acquiring language in general. Children who are learning more than one language may have a developmental trajectory that looks much different than this and that does not mean that their language is delayed or that there is reason for concern.
Children who need support with language development are typically served by a licensed Speech Language Pathologist (SLP). SLPs are trained to assess and treat speech difficulties, or difficulties producing sounds, language disorders, or problems with cognitive processing of language and social communication disorders. Different SLPs specialize in different areas, so once your child has been assessed, it is important to find a therapist who specializes in the area in which your child needs assistance and whose philosophy is a good fit for your family. Learn more about SLP services from the American Speech Language Hearing Association.
