1) What motivated you to write Look Who's Talking?
2) Why should parents think about communication skills before a baby is using first words?
3) Why is early intervention so important? Don't most children grow out of speech and language problems on their own?
4) How does a parent learn to be a good language model?
5) What do you see as the parent's role in literacy?
6) What should a parent do if they suspect their child has a speech and/or language delay?
7) Why do you feel signing with normal hearing children is beneficial?
8) What is the optimum time to introduce a second language?
9) You believe that Music can promote good language skills and have produced musical CD's for parents to use with their children. Why do you feel music is so important?
Here is an interview by Irene Helen Zundel:
IHZ: Laura, congratulations on your upcoming book! Some of my readers may be unfamiliar with you and your work. Could you give us a brief personal and professional profile, please?
LD: Thank you. I'd be glad to Irene. I have a Master's in Communication Disorders and attended Florida State University and Auburn University. I worked for nine years with both children and adults before beginning my own family of two little ones. I began to develop educational books to educate parents and music to use with their children during my lengthened maternity leave.
IHZ: Look Who's Talking is actually your second venture as an author. Could you tell us a little about your first book, and its companion music CD?
LD: My first book was called Little Language for Little Ones and I produced an accompanying 40-minute CD of Little Language Songs. I have a very musical background as well. My husband and I wrote the lyrics and I put them to song. I performed and played on the CD with the help of young voices and many talented musicians. Each song was developed with a specific speech and/or language goal in
mind. The book and music received national reviews and won an award last year.
IHZ: Is your new book an expanded version of the first, or are you breaking new ground with this one?
LD: Look Who's Talking is an expanded version of my previous book. It adds 200 pages of practical information to the existing topics plus a wide array of new topics. Look Who's Talking will actually replace Little Language for Little Ones. It will also be a companion to the music CD because it contains the lyrics to the songs in the appendix.
IHZ: One chapter of your book that I found very interesting was devoted to the use of sign language with babies--even if they aren't hearing impaired. Could you tell my readers why you feel signing is beneficial in teaching young children to communicate?
LD: There are numerous benefits to using sign language with a typically developing infant. Sign language helps reduce frustration during the toddler years by helping the child be able to express his needs with signs before he might be able to verbalize a word. It also helps hearing children learn language concepts, letter awareness, and pre-literacy skills. Signing builds vocabulary and cognition and absolutely does not hinder or delay use of verbal communication in any way.
IHZ: In your book, you also talk about bilingual children, and teaching English to children adopted from foreign countries. Isn't it confusing for children to master another language at an early age? If not, when is the optimum time to introduce a second language?
LD: Actually, the earlier the better. Children are born with the ability to learn more than one language. Introducing two languages at the same time is often the easiest way to promote bilingualism in a child. Like any skill, it must be nourished to continue to maintain bilingualism in the years to come. I encourage families to find out as much about bilingualism and language development as they can. This chapter is a good start and answers many common questions parents have. It helps to have
a real plan on how you intend to carry out a goal of bilingualism.
IHZ: What are the benefits of early bilinguilism?
LD: Early bilingualism promotes a more native-like pronunciation of the language. Also, multi-lingual children have good abstract and logical reasoning skills and seem to have a jump-start on many pre-literacy concepts. Bilingualism challenges our brains and builds cognition. Children who start early and continue with both languages can master complex language skills like the ability to translate effortlessly.
IHZ: I am glad you addressed the issue of nurturing pre-literacy skills in young children. Being a good reader is so important to later success in school and life in general. When should a parent or caregiver focus on the sounds and skills necessary to facilitate beginning reading?
LD: Irene, of all of the chapters in this book. This has got to be my favorite. I truly believe it gives parents the answers to all of those unknown questions about when to work with their child on letters and letter sounds. It also explains what to expect when the child starts to read in school and how to support his learning. I believe the focus on these skills should be fun and natural but begin during the preschool years.
There are many practical suggestions in this chapter for parents to help their children increase their awareness of the meaning of print all around them. By age three, many children already know the ABC's song and begin to learn the names of the letters. They go on to learn the order of the letters and by age four, they are ready to begin concentrating more on the shapes and sounds that correspond with each letter. The parent's role in understanding the importance of selecting age-appropriate books and reading them in the best way possible cannot be underestimated.
IHZ: Music, play and imagination are all important to the healthy development of a child. They really jump start early learning. Can you tell us what role they play in developing language skills?
LD: Music and imaginary play are such enjoyable activities that help children develop creativity, coordination, good social, and conversational skills. When a parent is a playful participant as an excellent language model, it promotes development of language through fun and natural activities. Music is especially linked to development of perception and memory. We all know those difficult to learn facts that seem to be recalled so simply through a song - such as the order of the planets in the solar system. This chapter gives many suggestions for using music starting at birth with passive activities and moving on to action rhymes and activities. A parent does not have to sing or play an instrument well to help promote a love of music in their children's lives.
IHZ: Could you give some examples of activities a parent could try with their child?
LD: Irene, this book emphasizes being a good language model. It teaches parents to have an awareness of the level the child is on developmentally and to fulfill the child's language needs by modeling one-step ahead. It shows parents how to simplify their speech and talk about the objects a child is focusing on instead of changing the topic. I try to emphasize doing activities within the things we do on a daily basis. We all have our routines we do with our children and when we change our routines in a small way, it almost always evokes a comment from a child. I also always stress that we should not over-anticipate a child's needs. The book is full of very practical suggestions for parent-child activities at home, in the car, and even while
waiting in line on a busy day!
IHZ: Thanks for your time, Laura, and best wishes on the success of your book!
LD: Thank you Irene, for your interest in my previous educational materials
and in Look Who's Talking.
You can view this and other articles by Irene Helen Zundel, Freelance Writer at:
http://www.greenepa.net/~artwhiz/newsletter_special.htm
