Babbling

Canonical Babbling

Attach meaning to sounds: when child makes any sound that approximates a real word, demonstrate and acknowledge the meaning of the word.   Use sign language and gestures when you demonstrate a word's meaning.

Single Words

Simplify your language, slow down, speak clearly, use one or two words (no more than short phrases) to mark the meaning of a word.  Use sign language and gestures to mark the meaning of nouns, verbs, and prepositions. 

Combination Words

Use short phrases or simple sentences to describe and explain things.  Keep your speech slowed and clear.  Talk to the child constantly during daily routines, explain and demonstrate what they are doing in simple terms.   Emphasize how things are related and demonstrate meanings.   Initiate or finish words that the child has difficulty expressing.  Act confused if a child requests something and offer two possible options for them to clarify. (e.g. child says "want water", you can say "want water to drink or water to wash?")  Use sign language with words.

Phrases

Repeat what the child says and then model the correct grammar. Use signs to mark verb tenses, prepositions, pronouns, and comparisons.   Give the child a simple choice between two items (e.g. A or B) and use visual cues to emphasize what each choice means.  If the child does not respond, model a possible response.

Aphasic Sentences

Repeat what the child says and then model the correct way to express the sentence.  Fill in missing words, model the words if the child can not find them, explain things in great detail emphasizing how things are related, initiate a sentence and let the child finish, or finish a sentence if the child begins but can not finish it.  Draw pictures to explain meaning of events and relationships.

"Tourist" Sentences

Demonstrate other options for words or grammatical constructions (e.g. "you could also say.....") and ask for refined meaning (e.g. "do you mean A or B?").  Explain how grammar is used and what it means. Draw pictures and use photographs to explain meaning of events and relationships.

Fluent Language

Emphasize pronunciation by using signs for consonants, exaggerating the consonants, writing words, and drawing pictures.    Use pictures, drawings, or photographs to explain the meaning of events and relationships.  Introduce reading.