Talking with your Baby

This is from a handout I was given by a speech pathologist.  I’ve been doing fairly similar things, based on the Baby Talk book by Dr Sally Ward.   So far so good!!

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Talking with your Baby (12-20 months or with very few words)

Make Listening Fun!!
- Spend some quiet play time together -with the TV and radio off
- Show where sounds are coming from
- Use sound making toys
- Speak more loudly and slowly
- Use rhymes and songs

Keep sentences very short (1-2 key words)
Not: “Let’s have a bath before dinner”
But: “Bath time! Hot water. Love bath! Splash!”
Repeat words to help them learn
E.g. “Here’s your drink. Big drink. Mummy drink?”

Match -
your words with what your child is looking at/playing with.
This is the way your child learns that words go together:
- Point to and name the objects played with
- Talk about what they are doing moment by moment
- Follow what they are doing. Comment on what happens

Respond to what your child does
- Repeat what they say
Baby: “ball” (pointing)
You: “Oh! Yes. Ball. Want ball” (give ball)
- Add another word: “Push ball”
- Avoid questions and directions as it interferes with their learning. Don’t try to prolong their attention span. Join in with what they want to do.

Two year eye check

Talia and I were at PMH this week for a check with the opthalmologist.

Our last visit was a year ago, and I was a bit concerned about how she would react this time as a year ago she was a lot more placid! Fortunately it all went pretty smoothly.

Firstly a doctor held up some cards for her to look at, checking that she looked in the direction of the picture on each card (some with picture at the top, some at the bottom), using both eyes equally. The pictures were line drawings on a grey background, and at first they were thick lines and easy to see, but at the end they were very fine lines that were difficult to distinguish from the background. There was also a very groovy plastic card with 3-D pictures on a speckly grey background that you can only see using both eyes (I tried it myself, the pictures completely vanish if you cover one eye).

Next she had eyedrops put in - and you would be impressed with the strength of Talia’s eyelid muscles! She really tried very hard to keep her eyes shut. So that was a bit traumatic but I had been expecting it.

Last, after her eyes dilated, the opthalmologist did the checks using a little torch and looking through lenses held just in front of her eyes. I was expecting this part to be a total nightmare, but the doctor was a man with lots of toddler experience - he turned it into a game of peek-a-boo. So after a few initial squawks, she decided the whole thing was great fun and happily co-operated.

So… after all that, the verdict is: her eyes are currently exhibiting normal vision. This sounds great, but actually at Talia’s age they expect children to be slightly long-sighted, as she was at her one year check. So it looks like she has already started her journey to short-sightedness. (I knew it would happen, both my husband and I and all our parents are short-sighted, but I had kind of hoped it might take a little longer to become evident.)

Talia’s next eye appointment will be in 9 months time.

Audiology and speech pathology appointments

Earlier this year we had a 2 appointment day at the Child Development Centre.

Audiologist This was a follow up from the appointment last June, to be sure that the “sluggishness” in her ears at that time was only due to a cold and nothing worse.  (She’d been referred for the first appointment because at 4 months corrected she wasn’t making any consonant sounds.)

Talia was upset to return to the clinic but calmed down and turned to hear all the sounds played, which was a relief.  They asked if I wanted them to do a physical examination of her ears but knowing how much she hates anyone touching her ears (major screaming session), I decided not to worry about it. No need to see them again, hooray!

Speech pathologist This was a first appointment after a referral made in (drumroll) May 2008! Can you tell they don’t have enough SPs in the public system here? I would have gone private if I was really worried, but figured Talia would catch up in her own time.

I had a lovely surprise before we went. They had sent a form asking how many words she said spontaneously (ie not just copying you) and I had filled it out in December but now went over it again in mid January and was able to circle a heap more words. I thought it was going to be about 60 words, but including animal noises, names of characters etc, it was more like 90. In perspective: 15 months - no clear words. 18 months - less than 10 words. 21 months - 90 words. So proud of my little cherub.

At the appointment Talia was brilliant, played with all the toys, even came out with a new word while we were there. The SP said she was well on the way to the 2 year average which is basically (a) 50 words and (b) two word sentences. We didn’t have 2 word sentences at that stage, but apparently they usually consist of object + describing word or doing word, and Talia knew lots of objects but said very few describing/doing words. So that’s what I have been trying to concentrate on while I’m playing with her . The SP also said Talia was great at commenting and understands what’s being said, but wasn’t so good at using language for “social purposes” - for example she didn’t call for attention or make requests much using words. So that’s something else I said I would be trying to work on.

We agreed to have a follow up appoinment in 3-4 months time, and that is now scheduled for 14 April - next week.  Since the January appointment Talia has more than doubled her vocabulary.  In fact I’ve stopped trying to keep a record because she is learning words faster than I’m remembering to write them down.  She knows a lot more verbs and adjectives, and uses words to make requests.  (So much nicer than saying “eeeeuurghh” when she wants something!)  She can make sentences of up to 4 words and constantly amazes me with what comes out of her mouth (in the vocab department!)  It’s a great joy to me to see her improve so rapidly after a slow start, especially as it was the area of development where she was most delayed at her 12 month corrected assessment.

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This is the main part of the report we received after our January appointment.

Your child has strengths in:

• pretend play - imitating
• comprehension - following instructions, understanding questions and concepts

We found your child needs help with:

• Developing language for social purposes eg calling, requesting
• Increasing action and describing words

Pretend play activity ideas for 1.5 - 2 year olds

This is from a handout from the Occupational Therapy Department at the WA State Child Development Centre.  I found it useful to get some ideas, as Talia was fairly slow to show any interest in pretend play.  She has never copied housework, for example - but then again I don’t spend a lot of my day sweeping the floor either!  However she does enjoy playing “farms” or with a trainset.

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One and a half to two year olds are able to play and explore in more complex ways and enjoy a range of toys that can be used in early pretend/imaginative play.
They are also very active and enjoy practicing new skills over and over again.

They are developing a sense of independence and like to feel in control. Although their ability for self-control is beginning to develop, they cannot stop themselves from doing things that are unacceptable even after reminders. This often leads to frustrations and tantrums.

Pretend Play
Pretend play can be done indoors or outdoors. Children begin to do simple single actions in imitation that they see adults doing from about 12-15 months old. They like to do activities repeatedly - practising and learning through watching and imitating you. They are very curious about everything around them and enjoy playing with everyday objects, though they have not yet developed a sense of safety - so need supervision (eg. pushing, pulling, carrying objects, hammering, tearing, etc). Mouthing of objects has usually reduced by 18 months. Their attention span is still fleeting.

You can begin by showing your child how to pretend. For example kiss and cuddle a teddy bear, feed a doll, talk on a pretend phone, push a car and make car noises, play with toy animals and make animal sounds, pretend to read a book to a doll, pretend to drive a car, put dolly in a high chair or pram, play inside a large box (as a car or cubby), have a tea party, play with toys in sand, water and with playdough as props.

At around 18 months pretend play themes relate mainly to the child’s everyday experiences, such as sleeping, feeding, bathing, combing a doll. Their play then progresses to familiar everyday household routines such as cooking, cleaning, reading, etc.

At around 2 years old, pretend play has progressed to activities the child is familiar with outside home, such as shopping, riding on a bus or train, after going on an outing they have experienced in real life.

Remember to follow your child’s lead and join in with play that interests them, saying what is happening in the play, adding in a new play action that they might imitate, and making up a simple story as you play (such as “dolly falls over, and a kiss makes it better”). Have fun playing together and follow their lead - be part of their game.

At this age children play in parallel - that is they play alongside others in similar play activities, but do not yet play together co-operatively. If they do not want you to be part of their play yet, just play close by - letting them decide what and how to play, rather than pushing your ideas for play onto them.

Fine motor activity ideas for 1 to 2 year olds

I was given this list by an occupational therapist, to help me think of activities for Talia, and thought others might find it helpful.

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The skills listed below gradually develop somewhere between 1 year and 2 years of age. However, if there are concerns, a child’s development of fine motor skills can be further assessed by an Occupational Therapist with individual suggestions made.
12- 18 MONTHS
Drawing
•    Holds a crayon like a dagger.
•    Scribbles - at first copies, then spontaneously.
•    Draws a line then scribbles over it.
Toys
•    Pushes a small car.
•    Turns pages of a cardboard book.
•    Puts rings a onto peg in no order of size.
•    Puts large pegs (then small pegs) into a pegboard.
•    Puts a circle into a formboard.
•    Builds a tower of two to four blocks.
Matching skills
•    Matches four common objects eg. cup, spoon.
Grasp-release skills
•    Picks up and accurately places very small objects eg. currants
•    Unwraps a toy in paper.
•    Tips objects out of a bottle.
•    Can hold two blocks in one hand
•    Opens a small box to get a toy.
•    Puts disc (eg coin) into a slot (or money box/posting box)
•    Uses a stick to reach a distant object.

18 MONTHS- 2 YEARS
Drawing
•    Copies a vertical line ( | )
Toys
•    Puts circle, square, triangle into a formboard
•    Puts nesting cups together.
•    Tries to open and shut scissors using two hands.
•    Squeezes, rolls and pounds playdoh.
•    Turns pages of a book one at a time.
Blocks
•    Copies pushing a block train.
•    Builds a tower of six to seven blocks.
Beads
•    Puts 2.5cm beads onto plastic tubing or shoelace.
Matching Skills
•    Matches a picture to an object eg. cup, spoon, bed, dress, car etc
•    Points to five body parts on self or a doll.
•    Points to parts of objects or picture eg. nose on girl, wheel on car etc.
Grasp-Release Skills
•    Tries to fold paper
•    Stirs around edge of a .cup with a spoon
•    Pulls lid back on a box or container
•    Unscrews a 7.5cm lid or barrel
•    Finds a toy seen hidden under one of three cups.