Customer Reviews

How to Talk to Your Baby

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This is an excerpt from syndicated columunist, Judy Lyden, Working Parents, December 16, 1999

There's an excellent new parenting book coming out just in time for Christmas, perfect for parents and grandparents alike. It's called, "How to Talk to Your Baby: A Guide to Maximizing Language and Learning Skills. This book is written by a speech pathologist, Dorothy Dougherty, who lays out the whole language game from the beginning of life and shares insights about the importance of language development and how it affects a child's understanding of the world. Dougherty says children's language learning begins in the womb as they listen to their mother's voice. All children listen to learn. The more they hear, the greater their vocabulary and the greater their IQ. In fact, research indicates that by age 2 children of talkative mothers said twice as many words as children of mothers who silently cared for their babies. The book includes a good look at language development by age and offers lots of tips for increasing a child's development, as well as red flags for help in detecting children who may be having problems learning. "How to Talk to Your Baby" is a gift that gives a gift of child development.

Dorothy Dougherty is a Speech/Language Specialist who works with adults and children. She is the co-founder of the Atlantic Behavioral Care - a center developed to aid people with speech difficulties. Dorothy believes that ". . . during the first three years of life, parents help "shape" their baby's brain and set the foundation for their life's learning." Now, that is both an exciting and terrifying realization for me, personally. My daughter is now 2 ½, and I sure hope that I haven't already blown it. Dorothy's book explains that communication is made up of three basic parts. The first is Receptive Language; this is when we attach meaning to a particular word. The next part is called Expressive Language which includes word choice, vocal tone, any gestures, and rate of speech. The final part is the actual Speech, the sounds that you create with your mouth to form words. The book is divided up into sections dealing with creating "a language-rich environment," a list of language milestones, ideas and toys to help increase vocabulary, a sample case story, a glossary, and an extensive list of resources. The book is easy to read, written in simple terms, and in a conversational style. When I read it, I found myself making many notes about activities to try with my daughter and I can't wait to pass the book along to my sister, who has a one-year-old. So many of the suggestions are easy and natural: talk to your baby, follow their cues, don't push, be a good model, no baby talk (okay, I'm not so good at this one) and use the proper pronouns, play song and word games, read to your child, and "praise, praise, praise", among many others. Most importantly, I have learned that it is important to talk to your child and that the television does not work as well as your "live" interaction. I guess that means it's time to cut back on the Blue's Clues and Teletubbie videos.

This review appeared in PARENTS EXPRESS, April 2000 If baby talk makes you feel silly, maybe you're taking the wrong approach. Your baby needs to listen to talkers to learn to talk (and it appears that "live" talk is more effective than listening to the latest from Barney and Elmo on the TV) HOW TO TALK TO YOUR BABY, by Dorothy P. Dougherty, takes a practical approach to this vital part of development. Dougherty's guide suggests that your daily activities provide plenty of discussion material for your toddler. Maybe you feel that your errand list, cooking, and cleaning wil keep you from stimulating your child to learn. Instead, you can use those activities as conversation points. Talk about what your're doing, whether it is sorting the laundry or choosing the best apples from the produce aisle. The combination of talk and activity will help your baby to associate sounds with the related action. Allow you child time to respond in some way; being a good listener yourself is part of the baby's learning process. Development, practical advice and knowing what to expect at different ages are also included.

I have been a speech-language pathologist for many years and am always seeking ways to emphasize to parents how very important it is to talk and read with their children, no matter how young or how old. This book goes beyond that,offering specific suggestions to parents as to how to create a language rich environment, yet allowing for creativity on the part of the caregiver.It is easy to read and well organized. I will certainly be recommending it to parents as well as others working with early childhood populations. Judy Almy

Thank you for this wonderful book! As a Speech and Language Pathologist, I feel that I have a resource for the parents and care givers of my younger clients. This book provides parents with practical, valuable advice to help their children develop communication skills. This Book also makes a wonderful baby shower gift!

Any parent that would like to increase the language skills of their babies/children should implement the easy to follow recommendations made in this pleasant to read book.

I am surprised how many people rave about this book. Most of what it said seemed, at least to me, extemely obvious. Things like talking to your baby from birth, paying attention to them when they try to speak, encouraging them seemed rather obvious. Others are impressed that you cannot learn to speak from watching TV.

Baby Minds was a far more interesting book that gives more incite into communicating with baby and his or her development. Consider reading that instead.

A terrific book for parents who are teaching their deaf and hard of hearing children to talk. Particularly noteworthy chapters include, "Creating a Language-Rich Environment," "The Five Methods of Language Learning" and "The Stages of Language Development." Ms. Dougherty's book also offers many easy language lessons parents can incorporate during everyday activities at home, at the supermarket, at the playground and in the car. Check it out!

I am an Educational Specialist with a Doctorate Degree in Early and Middle Childhood Education. This book should be required reading for speech and language specialists, special education teachers, parents, and all those interested in helping children reach their language potential.

I am a learning disabilities consultant and author of BEYOND THE BUS STOP: 180 WAYS TO HELP YOUR CHILD SUCCEED IN SCHOOL. Ms. Dougherty has given parents tools for helping their child succeed in life. The ability to communicate not only separates humans from all other species, but also separates children who will succeed in school from those who will not. Most children with learning disabilities also have language disabilities. Parents who help their child develop good language skills are laying the groundwork for their child's future success. Ms. Dougherty shows parents exactly what to do and she does it in simple, concise text that busy parents will really appreciate.