| When your child is 7 weeks old he starts to show | | | | uttered twice in succession. |
| his awareness of the sounds he makes. What's | | | | This doesn't mean that your child's sounds aren't |
| important, he really likes making them. (If your | | | | interesting at this age. The sounds he makes |
| child starts making sounds at this time then | | | | aren't the same the adults make though. You'll |
| speech therapy for children isn't required here.) | | | | notice that he creates more sounds in his |
| And such variety of these sounds! With a little | | | | non-crying vocalizations than in crying. (I'm sure |
| imagination you can hear Greek, Chinese, and | | | | you'll enjoy that.) |
| Arabic in his babbling. Whatever the nationality of | | | | That's because he makes more nasal sounds in |
| the child, he will make the same sounds as his | | | | his crying. The consonant sounds (almost all of |
| peer anywhere in the world. Such sounds are | | | | them) are made with the use of the lips. These |
| created because of totally random activities of his | | | | are the p, b and m sounds. |
| muscles and nerves. | | | | This babbling or vocal play is important to the |
| Air passes from the lungs over the vocal folds, | | | | child's development of speech. It makes your child |
| producing the laryngeal tone; this basic sound is | | | | practice sounds and make a use of his lips, tongue |
| shaped into every voiced sound in the English | | | | or jaw to create speech. Later some of these |
| language - or any other language - by the activity | | | | sounds will be used in true communication. Babbling |
| of the jaw, lips, tongue, and palate. The sounds | | | | is something very positive at this age and no |
| are made by random movements of these | | | | speech therapy for children is needed at this |
| articulators, and seldom is the same sound | | | | stage. |