If I were to generalize the complaints of families who apply to a speech and language therapist, I would say that one of the most common statements we hear is 'my child does not speak'. Speech really has a very important place in our lives, so it is normal for you to be worried about this issue, but could there be things that are overlooked? For example, non-speech communication elements? Because we don't just use words to agree on something with someone, sometimes a wink, sometimes a raise of an eyebrow or even a cough! From this perspective, we can see that speech does not actually constitute that big slice of the cake.
I evaluate the non-speech communication skills of each child who comes for evaluation, based on both observation and the information I receive from the family. So what are these? When should families pay attention to these skills?
What we call communication is actually understanding each other. Imagine a newborn baby, how is the communication between him and his mother? Is there really any communication between them?
The sound of the baby crying is heard, there may be different reasons for this, of course, while you are making assumptions about it, the mother suddenly says 'he soiled his diaper' and ta-da! The baby really soiled his diaper. How did the mother know that she had soiled her diaper? Do they have magical powers? Of course, the mother is an ordinary person like us, but she is a person with strong communication skills who has listened to her baby very well and noticed the change in tone of her baby's crying according to her needs!
What we call communication starts from that tiny infancy. To be a little clearer, I will list some critical non-speech communication skills in items:
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Babies begin to hear and even react to sounds from the womb. Their reactions to sounds change in the first month they spend on Earth, and they may react to sudden sounds such as being startled, freezing, or crying. In the first month, babies use hearing more than vision and begin to become familiar with the voices of familiar people.
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By the second month, it seems like it is listening to you. His crying now begins to vary according to his needs. Maybe they may even start to smile.
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In the third month, their relationship with you will become stronger. It's a job, not only does he not cry anymore, he also starts making sounds. You start to understand the baby's mood from the tone of voice, of course, and in the meantime, he or she has started to follow you from a little while.
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It is possible to maximize your baby's communication skills with the peek-a-boo game played starting from the seventh and eighth months! Curious looks, screams of joy! How well you get along without words.
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From the tenth month onwards, you may notice that children are familiar with object names. Has it ever happened to you that he didn't respond to your simple commands/orders with "I'm doing it right away, sir!", but then he waddled around and did it sometimes hastily and sometimes cautiously? He can take a look. It seemed like a very sweet way of communication.
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At the age of one, he begins to use social gestures. He waves his hand and smiles at you while saying bye-bye. Sometimes you don't hear the expression "bye bye", but waving his hand and smiling is enough.
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After your child turns one year old, he notices the changes in your tone of voice better and begins to recognize and distinguish emotions. Appropriate responses also evolve over time. For example, responding appropriately to No is one of the questions we frequently ask. He/she responds to your 'no' statement against a behavior that he/she should not do by stopping, shaking his/her head, coming to your side, etc. We wait for an answer. He doesn't have to say okay, I'm not doing it.
Babies, who communicate extensively with their parents in a non-verbal manner until the age of one, begin to express their problems more strongly by including words in this communication method after the age of one. starts. In other words, communication begins to develop and transform with birth and is with us at every point of our lives.
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