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Facebook Let's Get Chatting Week 12 message 5

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Facebook Let's Get Chatting Week 12 message 4

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Facebook Let's Get Chatting Week 11 message 2

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Facebook Let's Get Chatting Week 11 message 3

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"The way caregivers talk when reacting to an infant's babbling has immediate consequences for vocal learning".
Goldstein & Schwade, 2008
Early babbling

Around six to seven months of age, babies begin to babble. They are now able to produce vowels and combine them with a consonant, generating syllables (e.g., [da]). This is an important milestone in speech development, and one that marks a departure from the imprecise vocalisations of the first months of life. Now, with better articulatory control, babies can produce syllables combining a vowel with a nasal consonant ([m, n]) or a stop ([p , t, k , b, d, g ]). They can produce single syllables with precise timing, but often produce reduplicated babble, making forms like [dada] , [guhguh] or [baba] and even longer chains, like [dadadadada] .

Babies across the world produce very similar first syllables.

This type of early, syllablic babble that combines a consonant and a vowel is called " canonical babbling" and is characteristic of the period between 7 and 10 months. When it first appears in this period, it usually has no communicative function. That is, infants do not appear to use it to refer to events or objects in the environment. However, at the same time as these vocal developments are taking place, parallel developments can be seen in babies arm movements, which they also now start to make repeatedly and rhythmically. So two types of rhythmic movements (of arms and oral articulators) are developing simultaneousy, and it is possible both phenomena are connected.

The emergence of babble has been studied in babies all over the world and findings suggest that, at first, they produce similar sounds regardless of which language(s) they have been hearing. This picture changes within a few months, however, and, around 10 months, babies' babble audibly reflects the language they have been exposed to.

Hearing adult speech is fundamental to the development of babbling.

Although babies' early babble does not reflect the characteristics of the specific language they have been raised with, the point at which babies begin to babble is the same point at which, when listening to speech sounds, they begin to distinguish the sounds and words of their native language.

This synchrony in developments suggests that the onset of babbling is closely related to speech perception. Scientific studies indicate that when children can produce a canonical syllable, e.g., [da], they also prefer to hear words that contain that same syllable, e.g., [daddy].

In any case, as a prerequisite to start babbling, babies need, from the first weeks of life, to hear adults talking around them and directly to them. This way, they learn to associate the sounds they hear with the movements of the articulators.

The age at which babies start to produce syllabic babble is a good predictor of when they will start to produce their first words. This suggests that an active stage of babbling is essential as a first step in learning to talk.

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"The way caregivers talk when reacting to an infant's babbling has immediate consequences for vocal learning". Goldstein & Schwade, 2008 Early babbling Around six to seven months of age, babies begin to babble. They are now able to produce vowels and combine them with a consonant, generating syllables (e.g., [da]).

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Children develop language at different rates. However, understanding what is typical can help you identify speech and language problems early.  You can also find out how to help your child learn to talk and develop their communication skills.

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Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Our guide to the typical stages of speech and language development in babies, children and young people.

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The Ages and Stages of children's communication development from birth to 5 years

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The Local Offer explains the support and services that are available for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) aged 0 to 25 years.

Find out more about the Local Offer (including what the term SEND and Local Offer mean) and give us feedback about the Local Offer.

For independent support and advice please contact Plymouth Information, Advice and Support for SEND (PIAS).
COVID-19 updates and information relating to SEND

Help to find the right information

We have split the Local Offer into four age brackets - Early Years, Primary, Secondary and Preparing for Adulthood.

Choose a category to view the relevant information.

Difficulties using the internet? View our guide.
View the Local Offer directory of local services and organisations that can help people with special needs or disabilities

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SEND Local Offer - Plymouth Online Directory

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The Local Offer explains the support and services that are available for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) aged 0 to 25 years. Find out more about the Local Offer (including what the term SEND and Local Offer mean) and give us feedback about the Local Offer.

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Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the opportunity to thrive. Some just need a little extra help or special support to achieve their potential.

Devon's Local Offer, on this page brings, together useful advice and guidance about education, health and social care support for children with SEND. It also provides information about the range of local services that can support the children and young people and their families. For support with the Local Offer you can also email sendlocaloffer@devon.gov.uk.

Devon Information Advice and Support (DiAS) also offer information about coronavirus, school, education and SEND.

Devon's SEND strategy has been produced in collaboration with children and young people with SEND and their families, and it sets out how we will help improve their outcomes.

We are currently working to improve our SEND service. You can read more about the SEND transformation programme here.

For parents, professionals and settings invited to use Devon's EHC Hub it can be accessed here.

Subscribe to our SEND newsletter.

Our Local Offer

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Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Local Offer - Education and Families

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Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the opportunity to thrive. Some just need a little extra help or special support to achieve their potential. Devon's Local Offer, on this page brings, together useful advice and guidance about education, health and social care support for children with SEND.

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These pages contain information about services for children and young people with a Special Education Need (To view the Local Area SEND Strategy visit SEN) or Disability. If you would like further information about SEN, including how to make a request for statutory assessment, please contact the SEN Team on 01803 208274 or visit http://www.torbay.gov.uk/senassessments.

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They might be a while off talking, but even at 3-6 months your baby is starting to learn the back and forth patterns of conversations.

The best way to encourage them is to give them time to respond to you, listen out for the noises they make during play and react to them.

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Tools for Talking 3-6 months: Starting mini-conversations with babies

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How responding to your baby’s sounds and waiting for responses back can teach them all about how conversations work at a young age.

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Joint attention is a term often used by speech and language therapists, which simply means paying attention to the same things as your child.

When your baby takes an interest in something, try and take notice of what things they're concentrating on.

Make lots of eye contact with your baby . If you look at and point out the same things they're already looking at and talk to them about those things as you go, they're more likely to pick up on the words you're using and make connections between the words and those things.

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Brilliant Brains - paying attention to the same things

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A speech and language therapist explains how baby's learning is accelerated when you show an interest in the things they're interested in and talk to them about those things.

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Sharing a book with your child can be a magical experience. By building story time into your bedtime routine you and your child will be:

Entering a shared world to explore and learn together

Letting your child's imagination run free

Introducing your little one to new words and meanings

Giving them the chance to ask questions

Helping them to relax and soothe sleep

Having fun together!

The Department for Education's Hungry Little Minds campaign, delivered in partnership with the National Literacy Trust, has lots of ideas to make your story time special:

Repeat, repeat, repeat

Reading the same book again and again will help your child to get to know the story. Once they know it well, ask them about what's happening in book and praise them when they respond.

Look at the pictures

The beauty of children's books is that it doesn't matter if you don't read all the words - you can tell a story from the pictures! If your child knows the book well, or even if they don't, let them have a go at becoming the storyteller just from looking at the pictures on the page. It will help them to improve their speaking skills and grow more confident.

Let them choose

Your child will enjoy choosing books for themselves from a bookshelf they can reach or book box at home, or even ebooks on a phone or tablet. This will help you both to discover the kind of stories they enjoy the most.

Listen up

Your child might prefer to listen to audiobooks. Why not listen together for a completely immersive and relaxing experience?

Take a trip to the library

Visit your local library with your child to find loads of new stories and activities together!

Words for Life has lots of activity suggestions to help make the most of reading with your child.
Find out more.

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Sharing a book with your child can be a magical experience. By building story time into your bedtime routine you and your child will be: Entering a shared world to explore and learn together Letting your child's imagination run free Introducing your little one to new words and meanings Giving them the chance to ask questions Helping them to relax and soothe sleep Having fun together!

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Even as adults, playing is important for our wellbeing and can be a great way to relax. For children, play helps them to make sense of the world around them and gives them time to choose, decide and explore.

Did you know?

Playing can help your child get better at:

Moving around

Talking about how they feel

Making friends

Taking turns

Fixing problems

Learning about numbers

Reading, speaking and listening.

Can you imagine any other activity that covers so many things?!

The Department for Education's Hungry Little Minds campaign, delivered in partnership with the National Literacy Trust, has lots of ideas to help you make the most of playtime:

Anything can be a toy

You don't need to buy the latest fashionable toy to make your child happy. Your little one will be naturally curious about the world around them and can go on an adventure with something as an ordinary as cardboard box!

Join in the fun

Your child will love it when you get involved with their games.

Words for Life is filled with lots of fun and playful activities. Why not try:

Peek-a-boo

Freeze dancing game

Pulling faces game

Find out more.

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Even as adults, playing is important for our wellbeing and can be a great way to relax. For children, play helps them to make sense of the world around them and gives them time to choose, decide and explore.

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Tips and advice on having conversations with your baby

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You’ll find some short videos and simple, fun activities that you and your children can do together.

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Chat, play, read!

Here are some tips and activities to help your child develop their speech skills:

use things your child is interested in for play, follow their lead and make sure you're physically at their level while playing

if you notice your child looking or pointing at something, talk to them about it before they lose interest in it

picture books introduce your child to new things they haven't seen yet in real life - ask them to tell you the story, or talk about what the characters might be thinking and feeling

make reading, singing and playing even more fun by using lots of actions and different voices

take turns to make noises or speak - your child will be able to hold longer conversations, so slow down your speech, give them plenty of time to respond and listen carefully to what they have to say

talk to your child in short, simple sentences, as it's easier for them to understand you and have a go at copying when they are ready

try to use the same book or sing the same song, as young children learn a lot from repetition

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Find out how you can help your child with their speech & language development. If you have any concerns, talk to your doctor or health visitor.

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Fun activities and things to do with your child to help with their communication skills. Almost any daily activity is a chance to talk, bond and have fun with your child.

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Almost any daily activity is a chance to talk, bond and have fun with your child. They're also proven to help your child's development, from newborn to 5 years.

Just select an age range below for loads of inspiration of things to do with your child today.

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Fun activities and things to do with your child to help with their communication skills.

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Through The Eyes of a Child   6-12 months

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Through The Eyes of a Child   6-12 months

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Through the eyes of a child - 6-12 months

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Through the eyes of a child - 0-6 months