Communication is more than just spoken words. Today we will discuss the early stages of baby communication. It entails skills that are needed before speech begins, often referred to as pre-speech skills. They start developing from the very moment a child is born.

The Early Stages Of Baby Communication

1. Eye Contact

One of the earliest pre-linguistic abilities to appear is eye contact. About 6 to 8 weeks of age is when babies begin to make eye contact. It facilitates facial and voice recognition in infants. It is also an extremely important skill to learn because, as we age, making and keeping eye contact with others during a conversation or communication is crucial.

2. Smiling

Often referred to as a social smile. It is a skill that begins at about 6 weeks of age. It further aids social interaction. As adults interact playfully with the babies, they respond by smiling. Infants enjoy being around people and respond to them with a reciprocal smile.

3. Localization

It involves listening and turning the head to the source from where the sound came. Your infant may not display the same kind of head-turning or orienting activity between the ages of one and four months. But at five months, babies start looking for the source of the sound. Around this age, the newborn’s head turn transitions from a reflexive action to a deliberate reaction.

4. Turn-taking

It is the basis of two-way communication. Babies respond in a fun play back and forth responses. It can be as simple as making sounds, babbling, or blowing raspberries turn by turn. It entails I-go-you-go rules of communication.

To engage in social contact with effectiveness, children must acquire the skill of taking turns. A youngster who is unable to take turns during conversations may interrupt others or show a lack of interest in what is being said. Youngsters who have difficulty taking turns in social settings may also find it difficult to make friends in the classroom.

5. Anticipation

Anticipation involves waiting, watching, and observing very closely other persons’ facial expressions as well as listening to their voices. By 3 months a newborn begins to exhibit excitement when they hear sounds related to various scenarios.

It is the feeling one feels when they know something is going to happen. Infants and kids pick up this ability through games that always have a satisfying ending. When playing peek-a-boo, for instance, a youngster will begin to predict or anticipate that you will say “boo,” and they will frequently exhibit joy before it has happened.

6. Copying/imitation

It involves verbal or nonverbal imitation. By 9 months a child can copy others e.g. clapping hands and playing vocal sounds (saying “oo”, “brr”).

A vital communication skill for young toddlers before they can speak is imitation, which encompasses sounds, actions, and facial expressions. Children learn to imitate verbal language through imitation, which advances their linguistic development.

This skill further contributes to imitating words and sentences in later years of life.

7. Joint attention

It involves a triangulation of a child, a person (usually a caregiver or parent), and an object to which both shift and share attention.

By the age of 12 months, a youngster uses their index finger to point at interesting things. This further motivates adults to interact with youngsters and give the child names for things.

It’s also a vital part of communication as both (child and caregiver) are attending to the same thing at the same time.

8. Command Following/Request Making

It involves the infant following caregivers’ commands with the help of gestural or visual cues. They also start making requests or communicating their needs with the help of these gestural cues and pointing.

9. Understanding/Reception

Reception is an important aspect of language as understanding will come before the expression of language and it serves as a foundation for expressive language.

Throughout the first 12 months understanding is dependent on environmental cues such as the direction of one’s gaze and a person’s facial expression, gestures, and pointing. This slowly progresses into understanding just with the verbal commands. Along with that expression of words occurs.

10. Expression

The infant will use eye gaze, gestures, body language, facial expressions, and vocalizations to communicate non-verbally. The first words will emerge between 12 and 15 months.

Conclusion

so in this article, we explained the early stages of baby communication. It’s important to keep in mind that these skills are the foundation of communication and that it is never too late to start modeling and working on the skills at home.

If there are delays in these skills, a parent should see these as Red flags and talk to a professional or start working on the activities that I’ll discuss in an upcoming article. Stay tuned for the next article in which I’ll be sharing the activities that parents or caregivers can work on at home in a fun play with kids to reinforce all these skills at home that will further aid in the acquisition of language.

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