Re: Five month old has stopped "cooing" and "blabbering"



Some children have temporary hearing problems due to
ear infections. This can affect language development.

Children vary in the age at which they learn to talk.

It's good to talk to the child a lot, especially in
a friendly way. It's good to use language that's a couple
of steps more advanced than what the child uses.
They can usually understand a lot more than they
can say -- the same applies to adults; an adult will
understand a lot of rare words that the adult wouldn't
normally think of using. The child needs to hear
language a bit more advanced than what they can understand
already, in order to learn the next level of complexity.

Even a child who doesn't use actual words can have
a sort of conversation with an adult: taking turns
babbling. If the child can point at things, whine,
cry or otherwise make his/her needs and wishes known,
the adult can help with language development by
demonstrating understanding of whatever signs the
child makes and responding (even if the response
is sometimes a gentle "no, I'm sorry.")

Some children just start talking later than others,
just as some have their teeth grow in later.
The amount they're talked to can make some difference.
If there is a (temporary) hearing problem or
other specific reason for the language delay,
it's a good idea to get help from a specialist.
--
Cathy Woodgold
http://www.ncf.ca/~an588/par_home.html
We are all Iraqis now.
.

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