Building communication

Getting the desired reaction

In the Let’s Listen and Talk Baby Programme, you have learned about how babies may be trying to say something in their own way. For example, they demand to have their needs met. They may cry or yell to let us know when they are hungry. They may fuss with a complaining cry to let us know their nappy needs to be changed or they are in some way uncomfortable.

Your baby will also protest when things do not go their way! They might get red in the face and express their anger by crying loud and long! If their bottle is delayed, if they get tangled up in their blankets, if they cannot reach what they want – your baby will protest.

Perhaps your baby uses a consistent word, babble or gesture for a specific need, demand or protest. Your baby might say, “Ba” for bottle; “mum, mum, mum” for milk; or reach for her cup when thirsty. These are all examples of your child’s growing understanding that when they communicate with you in a certain way, they will get the desired result.

Providing relevant language

How do you respond to her demands or protests? Perhaps your baby utters that familiar “feed me” vocalisation or word, and you respond by giving your baby food. It is important that you also provide your baby with the  relevant language as you go about meeting their needs.

For example you might say, “Sarah, you are hungry.  Here’s your bottle.”  If there’s a delay, you may smile and say, “You really are hungry.  Just a minute!”  Your baby might just giggle in response to your smile.  If you are frowning or hurried when you offer your baby food, they might ‘growl’ or frown back.  Your baby may watch you intently, apparently tracking you with their eyes as you move around her.

Parents soon learn to “read” their baby’s vocalisations. One kind of cry can mean “I’m hungry”, a  slightly different cry might mean, “I’m lonely”  and another might mean “I’m tired.” As you learn your baby’s different vocalisations you can respond appropriately with actions AND with words.

Give your baby the words for what she is trying to say. As you look at your baby to get her attention, say things like the following:

• “You’re hungry.”
• “Here’s Mummy.
• “Up you go.”
• “Your bottle?”
• “A biscuit?”
• “Ooh, you are wet. Time for a change.”
• “What’s the matter, you need a change?”
• “Let’s find Daddy”
• “Your blanket is a mess. Let’s make it smooth.”
• “You want ________. Here it is!”
• “I know you don’t like it. Take a tiny taste.”
• “You don’t want to go to bed. It’s time to go to sleep.”

Technology matters!

Have you checked your child’s hearing aids / cochlear implants this morning? Don’t forget to check they are working when you put them on your baby each morning.

Helping your baby build their attention skills

In order to build communication, we must build attention as well. For good communication to take place, you and your baby need to “attend to” each other – you both need to pay attention to each other.

Develop social eye contact with your baby at the same time you are developing their listening skills. Remember, call your child’s name, wait for them to respond and then continue with your informative conversation. Pause after you speak, giving your child a chance to respond in their own way. The following tips will help you and your baby get and maintain social eye contact:

• Be at your child’s level – this could mean you getting down on their level, or raising your baby up to your level.
• Maintain your child’s social eye contact by showing your interest with an animated voice, face and smile.
• Look at the object you are talking about and then back at your baby.
• Use attention-getting expressions like ‘Uh-oh’, ‘Guess what’, or ‘Oh, look!’.

Every time you speak to your child, you are giving them valuable practice at listening to the sound of your voice. Therefore, it is crucial that you always speak with your natural voice. No shouting, screaming or over exaggeration. Your words and phrases should be presented in the same manner you would want your child to use them. Talking with your child one-on-one will also make it easier for them to understand what you are saying.

Emerging speech sounds

Talking about all of the things you and your baby are doing, all day, everyday, will help them to hear new speech sounds and associate these sounds with what they see and do. By doing this, you will help your baby’s emerging speech sounds.

Helping your baby learn to listen and talk

In some cases, your child may be using their voice to communicate with you. Depending on your child’s “hearing age” (the time since they were fitted with effective hearing technology), their level of communication can range from random vocalisations to meaningful babble to simple word utterances.

Your job is to encourage this development. When your baby uses their voice to communicate with you, let them know you heard them, and repeat your baby’s vocalisations or words back.

This list of terms might help you get a better understanding of your child’s present level of communication skill, and the different aspects of their speech sounds you might like to listen out for:

• Vocalisations: Very early step in speech and language development. Production of any sound – usually begins with unspecific open-mouthed sounds. Not only is the child learning that their voice is there and can be manipulated, they are also learning that when using it appropriately, their voice will bring results.
• Duration: Using sustained voice for a brief period of time (long and short sounds).
• Intensity: The measure of how loud or quiet/soft your child’s voice is.
• Pitch: The high and low tones of your child’s vocalisations.
• Babble: Repetitive utterances of consonant and vowel combinations (such as “ba-ba-ba-ba”)

By imitating your baby’s babble, you will encourage them to do more and more of it, and they may even start imitating you! If you say “Boo-boo” or “Baa-baa,” your baby may come back with something that sounds like “Boo-boo” or “Baa-baa.”

Sometimes speak to your baby face-to-face and other times speak close to the microphone of her hearing aids or processors. Begin to make associations between your baby’s vocalisations and their wishes. Make this as fun and interactive as possible!

“Mama” or “Dada” are special words in a baby’s life and in their mother’s and father’s, too! Your baby might say something that sounds like “Mama” without really knowing that “Mama” means you. When your baby says “Mama,” and notices how much attention you then give, they will say it whenever they want your attention. Your baby is learning that communication brings rewards! And, after a while, your baby will definitely begin to connect the sounds “Mama” and “Dada” with you, their parents.

Communication is a two-way street

Talking to your baby about what you do and what you see, all day and every day, will help your baby learn to listen and speak.

First thing in the morning, you need to begin talking to your baby about what you are doing. What is one of the first things you do? (After putting on and checking their hearing aids/processor(s) of course!) If, for example, the first thing you do is to brush your hair, while you brush, you might say, “Here’s the brush. It’s a big brush” or, ”Mummy/Daddy is brushing her/his hair.” Remember, speak directly to your child.

If your child shows an interest in something you have not mentioned, follow their lead and talk to them about it. Notice what your baby is looking at or interested in. Communication is a two-way street. Your child has things to tell you!

Talk about everything you are doing

Think of what to say to your child during household routines. When you put away the washing-up, name them (“Look here’s a plate/bowl/knife/fork/spoon/cup/pan. Let’s put it away in the drawer/cupboard”). When you put away the washing, name each item of clothing. After grocery shopping, identify each food as you put it away.

Here is a comment a parent shared with us after deliberately talking during the day’s routines: “When you are doing it, it seems like nothing. But think of all the words a baby is learning to understand!”

Of course your baby needs to be fed when they are hungry and given a drink when they are thirsty. They must be bathed, dressed, changed and put to bed. And, your baby needs to be talked to! They need your social interaction so they can learn to communicate.

Talking to your deaf baby by ‘feeding’ them words or ‘bathing’ them in words is just as important as feeding and bathing in the real sense of those words. So when you are caring for your baby or playing with them, talk to them about what you are doing and what they are doing.

Things to think about when talking to your baby:

• Are you using an interesting voice to keep your child interested in your communication?
• Are you using varied pitch (high and low sounds) when you talk to your baby?
• Are you using music in different ways to explore differences in sound like loud and quiet; high and low sounds?
• Are you remembering to use the same phrase with the same routine so that it becomes more familiar to your baby?

Key Ideas

• Help your baby learn how to express themselves by giving them the words for what they are trying to say.
• Respond to all of your baby’s vocalisations.
• As you reinforce the sounds they are making, you may notice that the sounds are happening more frequently, or their vocalisations are becoming more clear.
• Your baby learns by watching, listening and socialising with other people. Interact with them – and enjoy it!