First words

I love helping children talk. It is one of the most rewarding things about my job.  As a parent hearing my children speak their first words has filled my heart and soul with more joy and pride than anything else I have experienced. Don't get me wrong, there are MANY things that my children do that give me delight and pride. But hearing those words... Those first sweet words. It is amazing... And discovering that your child is beginning to understand the world around them and learn that they can control their environment with their words. Oh my... THAT is amazing too! Communication is such a gift and blessing. 


It's funny that I am so excited about this now. I think I had forgotten what hearing those first sweet words feels like. 


I bet you can see where I am going with this... My daughter, who is 11 months, is beginning to talk. Just this past week she has not only learned to express the words all done, she has learned the concept of all done. She is so cute! She signs with her little hands all done and verbalizes her own little version of the adult word ("ah daw") at the table when she is finished eating and when you are holding her and she wants down. It is absolutely precious. 


Every child's first words are different. However, all first words are words that a child hears frequently in his/her environment. They are words that have become part of their routine. They're familiar. My daughters first words are words that she hears over and over on a daily basis: all done, dada, bubu, mama, ot-o, and fish (we have a picture of fish in our stairway and we have developed a routine of stopping and touching the fish ("dis") when we go up and down the stairs). 


SpeechPathology.com has a good article on first words that reviews research on typically developing children, children who are late talkers, and children with developmental delays and it compares the lexical diversity among the three groups. 


First Words: From Theory to Intervention Susan Hendler Lederer, Ph.D., Adelphi University, Garden City, NY


I hope you enjoy the article.