Final reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Final reflection - Essay Example The paper will rely on knowledge gained throughout the semester on child-language development to appropriately advice these parents. How Children Develop Speech and Language Skills Human communication is an acquired skill gained over time. Human communication can be compared to technology in that both have a basic structure of function, but change over time as the needs of a society change. While human communication development is procedural, the amount of time it takes should not result in a child taking too long to understand comprehensively their first language. Children start developing their language skills immediately they get born. However, at the very early stage of their life, these developments can hardly be noticed (Bochner & Jane 122). As a child grows, their parents should keenly observe how their development in language is fairing. Parents must be in a position to realize any cases of abnormality in their children’s language development. This should help them add ress the problem as early as possible. At the age of six months, a child should have started showing signs that indicate that they are indeed learning how to communicate. They should be able to turn to sources of sound upon hearing them. They should further respond in shock to sudden, loud noises. Children in this age start making cries for different needs watches people's face as they walk and start to imitate coughs and other sounds (Bochner & Jane 123). These are the first signs that a child is learning their communication skills. Although the skills can hardly be noticed by most parents as signs of language development, they help a child to start having a memory on how to respond to different situations. This includes when they are in shock, hungry or in pain. At the age of nine months, a child should manage to respond to their name and anything else that rings around them, for example, a telephone. At this age, a child understands when they get told ‘no’. They can also get what they want through gestures and starts playing social games with those around them. A child gets to enjoy when people are around her and starts to babble or repeat sounds. Communication skills at this age can be identified. It is, however, worth noting that some children may take a slightly longer period than this. The period should not extend one year since they were born. At the age of one year, a child can follow simple one-step instructions like ‘sit down’. When someone near them points to something, a child gets to look for it. A child at this age uses three or more than three words in their communication but will mostly use gestures. A child also combines many sounds as though talking (Pressley & Christine