Baby’s babbling can help predict future communication skills
Mumbai: Recent research states that reacting to babies when they made eye contact, and seek to interact, had a powerful impact on their language development. How often babies babble while making eye contact with caretaker can help foresee their future language and vocabulary skills, according to a new study.
The research by the University of Sheffield in the UK found that the prevalence with which 11-12-month-old infants vocalized while looking at the face of their caretaker was valuable information to determine their later vocabulary, and recommended that they were intended trying to communicate.
The study, published in the journal Developmental Science, also looked at how caregivers responded to early infant vocalizations, gestures, and gazes.
In previous research, they have tested which combination of actions best predicted a child’s vocal development.
Researchers have found that reacting to babies when they made eye contact, and attempted to communicate, had a significant impact on their language development.
The author of the study saw many videos of children playing in their homes with their care-givers, to understand how the children communicated before learning words, and how they made the transition to speaking.
The research advice that care-givers can take simple steps to help improve their child’s language and vocabulary without needing expensive toys by simply responding to their vocalizations.
“Most children at their at 11-12 months are starting to communicate and simply talking to babies about what it is that they are interested in can help them learn to talk,” said Ed Donnellan, lead author of the research.
The researchers added that the findings could be applied to help children at risk of language delay.
He added, “Babies can get you to talk to them too, they can communicate long before they say their first words, and by responding to these attempts to communicate, caregivers can really help get language learning off the ground.”
