Look who’s talking

Professor goes ‘Byond Baby Talk’ in new book for parents

By Julie Rausch

Are there differences in the way firstborn children and later-born children acquire language skills? What should parents look for in choosing a day-care provider when it comes to helping their child with language development? Do boys and girls develop language skills differently?

Kenn Apel, a Wichita State professor, co-authored a book that answers these questions and many more. “Beyond Baby Talk: From Sounds to Sentences—A Parent’s Complete Guide to Language Development,” a parent-friendly book, covers language development from birth through age 5.

The book offers a progression of normal speaking from “goo” to gab, language development expectations, and tips on everyday activities to encourage talking.

The book presents interesting facts, such as, most children can learn two or more languages as easily as they can learn one. Babies say the words “shoes” and “socks” early more often than other clothing items. Toddlers often use a higher pitch with a singsong rhythm when talking to babies or animals. Many babies have a preference for certain types of speech sounds or syllables.

“The best tool to help your child is to know how language develops,” says Apel, the new chair of communicative disorders and sciences at Wichita State.

The book describes babies’ earliest attempts at communication and natural ways to encourage building first sentences. It covers the influence of culture on language, as well as the effects of computer games and television on development. It discusses influences of birth order and gender and the effects of child care on language development.

“One of the things we really emphasize is that language development is important not only to spoken language, but that it also lays the groundwork for written language and literacy,” Apel says.

Apel’s co-author, Julie Masterson, professor of communication sciences and disorders at Southwest Missouri State University, and he became colleagues while earning their doctorates at Memphis State University. Their research interests involve childhood language and literacy development.

“Although the book was written specifically for parents,” Masterson says, “we hope that our style makes it appealing to other audiences. We tried to keep the presentation informative and entertaining. We see the book as helpful to day-care workers, preschool teachers and other professionals who interact with children from birth through age 5. It also would make a great baby shower gift.”

During the course of their careers as speech-language pathologists, teachers and researchers, they have answered thousands of questions from parents about language development. They both have firsthand experience with the various stages of communication development because they each have a son and a daughter. They noted that there wasn’t currently a book for parents on language development spanning the most crucial years, the first six years of life, Apel says. That clinched the decision to write “Beyond Baby Talk,” sponsored by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in which they have both been honored as fellows.

The book also makes recommendations about what to do if parents suspect a communication problem.

“Some parents compare their children to others or to their siblings and worry that they aren’t developing at the same speed,” Apel says. “But there is a range of normal development. If parents understand how language develops, then they will be the best judge of what is going on with their child.”

 “Beyond Baby Talk,” published by Prima Publishing, is available for $15 in the WSU bookstore faculty section. Faculty and staff receive a 10 percent discount. It’s also available on amazon.com and bn.com and eventually will be in local bookstores.