http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/episode/2012/0 ... xtra-2012/Babies Read Lips
Babies first start to make sounds that are early attempts at real words at around 6 months of age. From a previous study, it was known that babies look to the eyes of an adult for non-verbal communication. But in a study by Dr. David Lewkowicz, a Professor of Psychology from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, it was observed that babies begin to shift their attention from the eyes to the mouth at about the same age. By 8 and 10 months, their attention was directed mostly at the mouth when being spoken to, but at 12 months, the babies shift their gaze back to the eyes. It is thought that at the earlier stages, 6, 8 and 10 months of age, babies are looking to the mouth of an adult for clues about how to shape their own lips to make the same sounds. By 12 months, babies have the ability to control their attention and no longer need to automatically look toward the noise. This study provides new insight into speech development and may also help diagnose autism earlier in young children.
Related Links
Paper in PNAS
Florida Atlantic University release
Dr. David Lewkowicz
CBC News story
Listen to this item (pop up player) or use this link to download an mp3.
Babies Read Lips: a new insight into speech dev't in infants
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