Normal Development of Language Precursors

by Jill Heerboth, M.S., CCC

Language precursors are the skills that babies usually acquire before they speak. Language precursors develop from birth to between 18 and 24 months of age. They are divided into three skills: cognition, social/communicative development, and sound production.

Cognition

Cognition refers to thinking skills. For children at a "pre-language" level, thinking skills develop by using and playing with toys and other objects. Here are some important cognitive skills.

Object permanence: This is knowing that something exists even though it's out of sight. When your baby looks down to find a dropped rattle, the baby is beginning to develop object permanence. Soon the baby uncovers a toy that has been hidden under a blanket. In a more advanced stage of object permanence, the baby will look in different places for a desired object.

Means and ends: With this skill, babies are able to use their bodies or other objects to get what they want. When your baby reaches and grasps for your hair, the baby is showing early means/end behaviors. Several months later, the baby may crawl across the room to get a toy. Toddlers climbing on a chair to obtain cookies that are out of reach are showing sophisticated means/ends behaviors.

Cause and effect: By using this skill, babies use objects to create interesting sights and sounds. Babies show early cause/effect behaviors by shaking rattles or squeezing squeeze toys. Other cause/effect behaviors include pushing down on a knob to make a toy operate, dialing a toy telephone to make noise, or pushing away someone's hand to avoid a spoonful of peas. Advanced cause/effect behaviors include winding the handle of a jack-in-the-box to make it work, or turning the knob of a toy radio to produce music.

Object use: This skill involves children's ability to manipulate objects. Babies initially mouth objects as a way to explore them. They then use objects by looking at them, banging them together, dropping them, or throwing them (as in the popular game "Go Fetch"). Eventually, babies will use objects in socially appropriate ways. They will comb their hair with a comb, put on hats, try to put shoes on, or throw a ball back and forth.

Babies have learned a lot about the world once they have some progress in these areas. At that point, they are likely to talk about what they've learned.

Social/communicative development

Children communicate to satisfy wants or needs, to control someone, to establish or maintain social contacts, to express feelings, and to respond to their surroundings. Before they can talk, they communicate with sounds, facial expressions, and gestures. Here are some of the skills - which are present or start to develop at birth - they use to communicate.

Sound: Crying is a newbom's most powerful way to communicate. The early communicative effort of crying is reinforced as babies are fed, picked up, or changed. Infants soon learn to make sounds when someone talks to them, when they see a familiar adult, or when they merely want attention.

As they continue to develop, babies may make sounds when someone takes something away from them, and then eventually to ask for something that is out of reach.

Facial expressions: Eye contact between babies and their caregivers is a very early way to communicate. Smiling, which occurs a few months later, is an important response for developing interaction. Eventually, babies develop facial expressions to indicate when they are happy, sad, angry, hurt, and excited.

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