As a speech-language pathologist, I have always valued the
importance of talking to your baby as much as possible, even as a newborn. A recent study has found scientific evidence
that supports this idea and the role that it plays in a baby’s speech and language
development.
American researchers at the University of Washington have
now found evidence that talking to your newborn is vital to speech
development. By monitoring brain
activity in infants who were just listening to recorded speech, they found that
activity in Broca’s area and the cerebellum (which are parts of the brain
responsible for the motor movement required for producing speech), as well as
in the superior temporal gyrus (which processes language) were triggered.
The findings, which were published in the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, further suggest
that, “motherese speech, with its exaggerated acoustic and articulatory
features, particularly in one-on-one settings, enhances the activation of motor
brain areas and the generation of internal motor models of speech.” The babies’
brain activity suggests that the part of the brain used to talk is working long
before your little one actually begins to talk.
So what can moms take away from this study????
1.
Talk, talk, talk to your babies! About anything and about everything! Just listening to your voice is helping their
speech and language development.
2.
Use “motherese” when playing with your
baby. Not sure what “motherese” is? It’s what most people would refer to as “baby
talk.” It is usually delivered with
cooing and gooing, high in pitch, elongated vowels, and heavy intonation.
3.
Don’t forget to “mamama” and “bababa,” too! This
study suggests that parent babbling is a key part of the process!
4.
Read to your baby. This will offer even more exposure to spoken
language.
5.
Sing your heart out! Having your baby listen to different rhymes
and patterns will continue to stimulate parts of the brain crucial to speech
and language development.
6.
Know that your baby is listening LONG BEFORE
he/she says that memorable first word!
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