BABY TALK: Strengthen Your Child's Ability to Listen, Understand, and Communicate

Originally designed to help children who are lagging in their language and communication development, British speech and language therapist Ward offers her unique program to all parents to enhance their children's inherent language-learning process. The key to the program is 30 minutes daily of one-to-one uninterrupted and quiet playtime, during which parent and child "converse" and share a point of focus determined by the child's interest. Ward breaks down the program by age groupings (e.g., birth to three months, 16 to 20 months) from birth until age four; each section describes communication and interaction, speech and language as part of general development, listening and attention, play, and reading and toy recommendations. Each section ends with suggestions for where, when and how to talk to one's child, and for incorporating the program into daily life. Illustrated with anecdotes from many years of case studies, Ward gives parents plenty of examples and ideas for proactive and natural interaction. The text also outlines significant no-nos, for example, parents should avoid "teaching" language and refrain from telling a child to say certain words. Unfortunately, parents may find the organization of the book confusing; though chapters are determined by the broader age groups, descriptions of specific ages appear under each topic (and then BabyTalk program points are offered at the end of each chapter). However, Ward's approach is easy to implement, and parents will enjoy the happy side effects of gratifying memories, shared experiences, and enhanced trust and intimacy with their child. (May)