Parents, determinants in language development

• April 19, 2024

The development of language is fundamental for the acquisition of new knowledge, it reflects the relationships and connections that take place as part of thought.

The influence of parents on daily dynamics are crucial for the acquisition of language in children, because the speech and the interaction style used can stimulate or intimidate the child to speak, explained Natalia Arias Trejo, a researcher at the Faculty of Psychology of the UNAM.

However, he clarified, each child is different. "Some are skilled at learning the language, others for motor or manual issues. Not all do it at the same time. "

In general, a child should babble a year; in the second he articulates single words, and in the third he combines words; but it is not a rule. This is mainly due to external factors such as "the attention that parents give them, if they go to daycare or if they have younger or older siblings". But if they notice a severe delay, they should go to the pediatrician or a language specialist in children, he advised.

The School of Psychology of the UNAM has an Infants Laboratory that is oriented to the study of language acquisition in early stages.

In the last 13 years of work, experimental linguists and psychologists conduct observational studies on children ranging from 12 to 36 months of age, said Arias Trejo, one of the founders of the project.

The dynamic is simple. The children go with their parents to the previously agreed sessions, they carry out activities, which are similar to those at home. The specialists observe the speeches of the participants, their interaction and the roles they play during the games.

Arias Trejo divided the dynamics in two: parents who are very directive, take turns, take the reins of the game and correct; and the "responsive" ones, who are attentive to the child's initiatives and let him take the dynamics.

The doctor explained that these last ones are the ones that work more for the development of the language, because this way the child says a greater number of words and feels more confidence in expressing himself.

"Parents must understand that language must be practiced, that mistakes are part of the process and that positive correction has better results. The balance between intervening to correct and letting them learn is the best for them, "said the specialist in psycholinguistics.

The Infants Laboratory was created in 2000 at the initiative of the academic Elda Alicia Alva Canto and her team, with the purpose of improving the technique of observation and evaluation to understand the acquisition of language in children. For more information and to contact an appointment please call the following telephone number: 56 22 22 87 or to the website: www.laboratoriodeinfantes.psicol.unam.mx