Do You Talk to Yourself? Why SLPs Recommend “Self Talk” to Promote Early Language Development

Do You Talk to Yourself? Why SLPs Recommend “Self Talk” to Promote Early Language Development

As a speech therapist one of the first recommendations I give to parents during early intervention sessions is to talk about what you are doing. It sounds so simple, but parents don’t often realize how little they are talking at home. This strategy is called self-talk. Self-talk involves the parent narrating their actions, thoughts, and the environment around them, modeling language to their child. Self-Talk enhances a child's vocabulary, comprehension, and overall language skills.

What is Self-Talk?

Self-talk refers to the process in which an individual verbalizes their thoughts, actions, or surroundings out loud. For parents, this might involve describing what they are doing ("I'm cutting the apple, cut cut cut") or commenting on things in the environment ("Look, it’s raining outside"). The child is exposed to new words, phrases, and structures as the parent talks.

Research Supporting Self-Talk for Language Development

Numerous studies highlight the importance of adult language input in language development. A study by Hart and Risley (1995) found that the quantity and quality of words children are exposed to by their caregivers have a significant impact on their language skills. Rowe (2012) emphasized that the amount of talk in a child’s environment is predictive of their language outcomes, with parents who use richer language (like self-talk) promote greater vocabulary growth in their children.

The work of Kempe and colleagues (2018) further supports this, indicating that children whose parents engaged in more frequent verbal interactions, including self-talk, had improved language outcomes compared to children with less verbal interaction. These findings underline the importance of constant verbal interaction, even in the absence of direct child responses.

Why Self-Talk Works

The research supports self-talk for stronger language outcomes, but why does it work? Children understand language before they apply language. Self-talk provides a model for your child showing them how you can use language when completing every day tasks, playing with their toys or interacting with your environment. The use of self-talk is particularly beneficial because it:

  1. Increases Exposure to Vocabulary: Self-talk provides children with an ongoing stream of words and concepts. More exposure to a word provides more opportunity to understand the word. They are absorbing the language around them, which is crucial for vocabulary development.

  2. Enhances Comprehension: As parents describe actions or events in real-time, children learn the relationship between words and their meanings leading to greater comprehension. 

  3. Promotes Narrative Skills: Narrating events, actions, and emotions encourages children to understand the structure of language and stories. The adult is modeling how to tell a story so the children can follow the direct model. 

  4. Models Expressive Language: Talking about your daily activities, feelings or actions provides an example of how the child can use language throughout their day. 

How Parents Can Implement Self-Talk

  1. Describe Everyday Activities: Parents can integrate self-talk into daily routines, describing what they are doing and what is happening around them. For example, while washing dishes: “Wash the plate, wash, wash, wash. All Clean”. The child is exposed to vocabulary associated with a daily routine.

  2. Narrate Playtime: Play is an essential part of language development. Parents can describe the play objects and the actions they are doing: adding language to play. For instance, say "I’m making a tower, up, up, up! It’s a big tower!” The child is often motivated by your use of language and might imitate you.

  3. Model Emotions: Parents can use self-talk to express emotions like "I feel so happy because we’re playing together!" or "I’m sad because I hurt my foot". Modeling emotions helps children understand these feelings so they can later express them to you, improving their functional communication and safety within their environment.

Conclusion

Incorporating self-talk into daily routines is a simple yet effective strategy to enhance a child’s language development. By narrating your actions, surroundings, and emotions, parents can provide their children with rich linguistic input that supports vocabulary acquisition, comprehension, and narrative skills. The benefits of self-talk are evident in the research, and it’s clear that language-rich environments foster stronger language development in children.

References

  • Hart, B., & Risley, T. R. (1995). Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experiences of Young American Children. Paul H. Brookes Publishing.

  • Rowe, M. L. (2012). A Longitudinal Investigation of the Role of Parent Language in the Development of Children’s Vocabulary. Child Development, 83(3), 898-913.

  • Kempe, V., et al. (2018). Parental Speech and Child Language Development: Insights from Longitudinal Studies. Developmental Science, 21(2), e12521.

Written By: Kerry O'Connor, M.S., CCC-SLP

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