Growth and Development Q 12
A clinic nurse assesses the communication patterns of a five (5)-month-old infant. The nurse determines that the infant is demonstrating the highest level of developmental achievement expected if the infant:
A. Uses simple words such as “mama”
B. Uses monosyllabic babbling
C. Links syllables together
D. Coos when comforted
Correct Answer: B. Uses monosyllabic babbling.
Monosyllabic babbling occurs between 3 and 6 months of age. The infant starts to produce vowels and combines them with consonants, producing syllables (e.g., ba, da, la, ga). An infant should be babbling away by now, and those babbles might even be starting to sound like real words. Five-month-olds can begin to put consonant and vowel sounds together.
Option A: Using simple words such as “mama” occurs between 9 and 12 months. While it can happen as early as 10 months, by 12 months, most babies will use “mama” and “dada” correctly (she may say “mama” as early as eight months, but she won’t be actually referring to her mother), plus one other word. That third word can be what’s called a “word approximation.”
Option C: Linking syllables together when communicating occurs between 6 and 9 months. At 18 months, most toddlers use two-word combinations. Some toddlers may combine words as early as 15 months. Factors that affect when toddlers begin combining words include when they produce their first word when they understand 50 words, and the responsiveness of caregivers at 12 months.
Option D: Cooing is the production of a single syllable, vowel-like sound like “aah”. It begins at birth and continues until 2 months. It is considered the first vocal milestone of a baby.