Before the First Word Stage: Advice for Parents

Parents of infants, you are undoubtedly anxious to hear your child’s first words; however, there are many small steps that need to occur prior to that milestone. Once you realize what these small steps are, you can see the triumphs as each speech and language step is mastered. As we know, individuals with Down syndrome typically reach milestones at a different rate than their same-aged peers, but nonetheless, teaching these skills is of the utmost importance!  Some of these early communication skills include: communication intent turn-taking, engaging and social communication. Let’s first talk about communication intent…

Communication intent is the knowledge and understanding that you can influence your environment and get results by communicating, For example, if you cry, someone will come to relieve your distress. The best way to help your child develop communicative intent is to be responsive. Begin to interpret his sounds and even his movements as communication. If your child kicks his feet, assume that he is asking you to play with his feet. Respond by playing a game with his toes or put a balloon near his feet so that he can kick it. Put bells on his socks so that when he kicks his feet, he will hear them tinkle. Comment on what is happening and the fact that he is making those bells ring!