Introduction

Early language Intervention helps children to learn and understand

new words, speak in longer sentences and to learn language usages in
different situations. Language stimulation means it’s an activity usually
performs by parents, care takers or educator to foster a child’s language
comprehension.

Stages of communication development

Infants and toddlers generally develop communication skills in a

reasonably predictable way:

Cooing and gurgling around 4 months

Babbling with the same sound around 6-7 months (e.g.

bababa, dadada)

Babbling with varied sounds around 9 months (e.g.

bagagada)

First words emerging around 12 months

Simple word combinations around 24 months (e.g.

Daddy go, no ball, more milk Mummy).

It is very important to identify very early when kids are behindother

children of their age. As children develop at different rates, the concept may
be widely varied. If there is any concern in the early period on language and
communication development, “Early Language Intervention”(ELI) can be
helpful.Early Language Stimulation refers to a range of techniques that
parents/carers can use to encourage their child to use language. The
parents should introduce and practice these tips many times before they
come naturally to children.

Indirect language stimulation does not place any pressure on the

youngster to respond. Instead, when dealing with the youngster, the adult
employs simple, brief terms to describe each action or thing. This aids the

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child in learning the vocabulary that she or he will require later in the same
or comparable game.

Indirect language stimulation does not pressure the child to provide a

response. Instead, the adult uses simple, short phrases to describe each
action or object while interacting with the child. This helps the child learn
the language she/ he will need later to participate in the same or similar
game.

The benefits of language stimulation

Learning occurs in many different contexts and social environments

when children watch others, talk with others and participate in routines and
everyday experiences. Children also learn on their own and this learning can
be stimulated and extended by the involvement of responsive adults. (Ref -
VEYLDF, 2016, Practice Principle: Integrated Teaching and Learning
Approaches). The adults should create supportive language learning
environments for the children. Their communication attempts should be
expanded in a meaningful and productive way with more and more new
words.

Children are encouraged to continue growing on the language they

can use and understand when they are immersed in responsive, language-
rich activities. When interacting with children, it is critical to maintain the
idea of the child as a capable learner from birth.As a result, language
stimulation aims to use language that is appropriate for the child's present
level of language learning and falls within his or her 'zone of proximal
growth' (Vygotsky, 1967). This enables instructors to provide an
intellectually challenging atmosphere that promotes optimal growth on a
child’s development. Early language stimulation is important for the
communicative development of infants and toddlers. Before the age of three,
a child develops 70-80% of his or her speech and language. This is a vital
time in a child's development because 70 percent of brain maturation occurs

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during this time. The more language stimulation we provide, the better the
youngster will be able to speak in the future.

Communication development – stages & ages

1. Respond to the mother’s voice by 1 month.

2. Recognise all the family members’ voices by 2-3 months.

3. Start making cooing sounds by 3-4 months.

4. Reciprocate to others by smiling by 5-6 months.

5. Start recognising familiar objects and respond to simple commands by 6

months.

6. Start babbling by 6-7 months.

7. Use jargon words by 10 months.

8. Use approximately 20-25 receptive vocabulary and around 3-5 expressive

vocabulary.

It is a series of engagement tactics meant to help an infant

communicate more effectively. Communication can be verbal, nonverbal, or
a combination of the two. In any form, Early Language Stimulation tells the
youngster to TALK! TALK! TALK! It also includes storytelling, reading with
children and performing arts/fine arts experiences.

The basic things involved in ELI are-

1. Eye contact and Attention of the Child

The infant begins to glance at the mother around the age of 1-2
months. When parents converse to the infant or toddler, make
sure they look at them. This allows the child to deduce the
language from facial expressions and the manner in which adult

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 speak. This encourages the child to respond with a smile. When
baby makes noises, pay attention to him or her. Reply to the
infant by saying what he says. Assume both are having a
conversation. When infant laughs or makes faces, respond.
Singing and dancing with the infant is a great way to bond.

2. Imitation

One of the early language stimulation tactics is use with the baby is
imitation. The more we connect with a child, the more they will
emulate us. Simple motions and cooing/babbling sounds will develop
in your infant. Teach your child to applaud, play peek-a-boo, wave,
and point, among other things. "The dog says woof-woof," for example,
is a good example of animal sounds. "Car – pippi, bus – boom boom,"
for example, is a vehicle sound.

3. Touch

Touch allows a youngster to recognise and learn about an object.

Allow the baby to handle and feel actual objects. The more time a
new-born spends in nature, the better he or she will learn.

4. Self-Talk & Parallel Talk

Continue to chat to the baby or toddler about what you're doing, what
the child is doing, and what other people are doing. Allow them to
explore the world and discover new words. Use basic language that
the youngster will understand.

5. Baby Talk

Baby converses with the child. This should include altering the voice's
pitch, tone, and pace to make it easier for the child to understand.
Slow speaking rates, frequent pauses, pronounced pitch changes, and
clear stressed pronunciations are some of the qualities that can aid a
child's comprehension of an adult's speech.

6. Don’t talk too quickly

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7. Make your voice ANIMATED!
8. Comment on your child’s actions and interests
9. Labelling

When your child first starts using single words, you'll hear a lot of
labels (nouns) like kitty, puppy, milk, and ball. These are the most
useful terms for your child right now because these are the things he
can see and feel. It is critical that you support your child's vocabulary
development at this point by labelling various items in your
environment. Your toddler may not yet understand all of the phrases
and is merely pointing to various objects and looking at you
inquisitively. Give your youngster the word if this happens.

10. Once your child is using lots of single words, progress to the
next technique.
11. If your child mispronounces a word, it is critical that you repeat
the word correctly. If your youngster says 'kikky' instead of 'kitty,' it's
critical that you show him how to speak the word correctly, such as
"Yes, it's a kitty." Children learn language from their parents, and
repeating his mistake ('kikky') teaches him that this is the correct way
to speak the word.
12. Build on your child’s words

It's time for you to start speaking in 2-3 word phrases once your child
has mastered a large number of single words (50+ words, about 18-24
months of age).

13. Not Anticipating:

Don't assume you know what your child wants or needs before he or
she expresses it. If your child gets what he or she wants without
having to ask, he or she will not bother to point, gesture, or even
speak.

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14. Delaying Responses:

When your youngster wants something, wait to respond to his or her

pointing, gestures, or babble. Your child is still striving to communicate
when he or she points or gestures without speaking, and you must
eventually respond to the nonverbal communication. However, for 15-20
seconds, pretend you don't understand what he/she wants and then
react accordingly.

15. Parent’s Speech:

Parents speech must be slow, clear and simple so that child can
understand all the naming words(nouns), action words (verbs) from
real life situations . Baby talk by the parents must be reduced after
one year of age. Encourage every step of child’s effort to speak.

16. Read books: Choose colorful books with large, simple pictures.
17. Self-Talk:
When your child is around or within hearing range, speak aloud about
what you are seeing, hearing, doing, or feeling. He or she does not
need to be close to you or pay attention; all he or she needs to do is be
within hearing distance. Make careful to speak slowly, clearly, and in
short terms.
18. Parallel Talk:

Tell your child what's going on in front of him or her. When your child is
nearby or within hearing range, use words to explain what he or she is
doing, seeing, hearing, or feeling.

19. Reinforcement (praise): Respond quickly to your child’s speech

attempts and verbal requests by your actions and/or verbal
responses.
20. Echo-Expansion Modeling:When you answer to your child, add
one or two words to what he or she says as a general rule. A toddler
enjoys hearing his own words repeated back to him! When you repeat,

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 if your child's word order was incorrect, correct it. (For example,
replace "up" with "come up," and "my" with "this is mine.")
21. Expectations: You must always let your child know your
expectations concerning his speech. Other Suggestions: a. Ask
questions: Ask your child “What’s that?” or “What am I doing?” with
objects, actions, or pictures.
22. Expansion

This method involves adding to what the youngster is already saying

to make it sound more like what you would say.

Example:

Child: "Baby cry."

Adult: "The baby is crying."Expansion is an excellent tool for babies

who are learning to combine words.

23. Expansion plus

The child's utterance is extended to sound like the adult model, similar to
the indirect language stimulation technique discussed previously. What
makes this unique is that we also include additional information.

Example:

Child: “Baby cry"

Adult: “The baby is crying. He looks tired.”

24. Description

The concentration is on the objects with which the youngster is interacting.

Take a few moments to look around and listen. What does she/he appear to
be interested in right now? To convey what the youngster is seeing, use brief
sentences.

Example:

Adult: “Cookies are delicious.”

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"This is a big ball."

"This car is fast."

25. Recast

Recasting helps correct grammatical mistakes in a noninvasive way. Instead

of pointing out what the child is doing wrong, we provide a model of what
he/ she should be saying.

Example:

Child: “The dog barking.”

Adult: “The dog is barking.”

26. SIT FACE-TO-FACE

Sit with the child on the floor, so that your faces are at the same level as
theirs. This puts you on same footing with them, allowing them to view your
face, including how your mouth works to make words, facial expressions,
and gestures. Sitting a child in your lap to read is typical, but try facing
each other! You have the option of reading a book, playing with toys, or
playing a game. To narrate what you're doing, describe what you're looking
at, or make up a narrative together, use an energetic, excited voice.

27. SING!

Singing is something that children like doing. To engage and elicit language
from your toddler, use nursery rhymes and familiar childhood tunes. They'll
learn new words, improve their verbal communication skills, and develop
active listening and remembering. Song repetition, eventually understanding
the melodies, and anticipating the lyrics are all beneficial to language
development. Rhyming can be taught to children as young as three years
old, and it helps to develop phonemic awareness.

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28. NARRATE YOUR DAY

Self-talk or narration is similar to parallel talk, but instead of

describing what you're doing, you're narrating what you're doing. As you
offer them the phrases, you model the language for them. It may seem
foolish, especially to a baby, to talk out loud all day without receiving a
response. However, your youngster will be exposed to many more words
every day as a result of this. Even if you don't think they're listening, the
brain is absorbing and memorising a lot of information, including sound
patterns, even at a young age. This is a fantastic approach to introduce
youngsters to new and useful language. Keep in mind that the more
languages they are exposed to, the more they will learn. "I'm peeling the
potato," for example, is an example of this. "I'm sweeping the floor," for
example.

29. LIMIT QUESTIONS

Because asking questions is a good approach to prompt youngsters, a

lot of speech and language exercise involves asking questions. However, kids
may become stressed if they are constantly assaulted with questions and
feel as if they are being examined. By incorporating assertions into your
questions, you may keep them to a minimum.

CONCLUSION

It is critical, above all things, that you simply spend time with your
child. This may appear to be a no-brainer, but it is something that must be
emphasised. You don't have to spend hours upon hours with your child
engaging in structured play; in fact, it's just as vital to include your child in
everyday chores like cleaning, doing laundry, gardening, and cooking. If you
can start incorporating any of the above approaches into your regular
routines, the work will seem less intimidating and time-consuming. These
techniques are appropriate for all children, regardless of language abilities.

References

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1. Reynolds, Mary E, et al. “Effect of Instruction on the Development of
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COMMUNICATION SCIENCE AND DISORDERS, vol. 30, spring 2003,
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 (VEYLDF) (pdf - 1.14mb) Retrieved 3 March 2018,Victorian
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