The Stages Before Speech Production
All Sounds Matter!
Children start producing sounds from a very young age!
Each 'stage' is important, even the ones where no words are being produced.
Each milestone is a part of the language acquisition process!
Stages
Reflexive Crying/Vegetative Sounds
What is it?
These are naturally occurring sounds that newborn babies make like crying or burping.
When does it happen?
At the newborn stage!
Cooing
What is it?
Cooing refers to single vowel sounds such as "ooh" and "aah." A cooing baby is making their first attempt at expressive language.
When does it happen?
Between 6-8 weeks of age!
Babbling
What is it?
It is an early stage of language development where babies make consonant-vowel or vowel-consonant sounds.
When does it happen?
Between 6-8 months of age!
The Creation of Protowords
What is it?
During the transitional period from babbling to their first word, children produce 'protowords.' Protowords are invented words that are used to express specific meanings.
Example: A child may consistently refer to their pacifier as 'pi-pi'
When does it happen?
Before the production of words!
