How Lack of Communication Slows an Infant's Development

Responsive Communication

• Your baby looks to you to help him feel safe and secure, and responding to his needs quickly lets him know that you understand what he needs and you will be there to help him. When infants feel cared for and loved, they want to communicate more, according to authors and early childhood experts D.S. Wittmer and S.H. Petersen in their book, "Infant and Toddler Development and Responsive Program Planning, a Relationship-Based Approach," as excerpted on Education.com. If your baby cries to let you know he is hungry, tired or uncomfortable, talk to him and soothe him as you take care of what he needs. Failing to respond to his cries lets him know that it is not an effective way to get your attention, and he may not continue these attempts; he will miss an important step in language development. When you respond lovingly to his cries, your infant will soon be soothed just by the sound of your voice approaching because he has learned to associate it with feelings of comfort, according to KidsHealth.

Interactive Communication

• When you talk to your baby and ask him questions, you don't expect him to answer, but it is still an important step in language development. Parents who think they don't need to talk to their infant because he can't talk back are causing their little ones to miss out on important language development skills. Your infant is learning about conversation and that people take turns exchanging ideas while you talk to him. As you tell him about what you are doing throughout the day, pause for a response. He may coo or babble back to you and then you can respond with enthusiasm, which will encourage him to continue. While it is important for your baby to hear a lot of language throughout the day to begin to mimic sounds he hears, try not to dominate the conversation, but focus on reciprocal interactions, advise Wittmer and Petersen.

Nonverbal Communication

• Besides learning to talk, your baby is learning about various forms of nonverbal communication when you interact with him. Don't forget to make eye contact and get face to face with him while you play with him. Simply hearing you talk all day is not as effective for his learning as being able to watch your face as you communicate. He will learn to recognize different facial expressions and begin to imitate them, offering you a smile in response to your own. Holding him and rocking him is another way to communicate that you care about him, strengthening your bond as well as helping his growth and development, according to HealthyChildren.org. Pay attention to his own nonverbal cues as you play and interact. Rubbing his eyes may mean he is getting tired or turning his head away as you play may mean he is feeling overstimulated. When you respond to these forms of communication, you help him feel understood.

Talk Often

• One of the most important part of stimulating your infant's development is talking to him and doing it as often as possible. The number and quality of conversations that parents have with infants directly affects how they eventually learn to talk, according to Wittmer and Petersen. Research shows that by age 3, children who have more talkative parents are using more language and have a richer vocabulary. Waiting to stimulate your baby with a language-rich environment could have a negative effect on his development in the long run. Instead of simply going through your care-taking routines silently, build language experiences into them. Talk about what you see and what you are doing, such as, "Let's take your arms out of your sleeves, and then we'll pull it over your head," or "Oh, this bath water feels so warm. Are you going to splash in it?" Sing songs as you play together, and read books as a part of your daily routine. This type of communication helps him learn and grow throughout infancy and childhood.