Impact of the auditory environment on early vocal development

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This research program is concerned with the development of speech production abilities in infants and young children. Developmental scientists have established that infants are born with an impressive ability to discriminate one speech sound from another. The infant's developing speech perception abilities are shaped by the language(s) spoken in the infant's home environment. During the first year of life babies develop a special sensitivity to speech sound categories that are critical for understanding the native language. An infant's ability to produce speech sounds also develops rapidly during the first year. By the middle of the first year most babies can produce speech-like babbling sounds. It is not known whether the characteristics of these early speech sounds are shaped by the language environment however. This research will address the following questions: Do infants with Arabic speaking parents produce babbling sounds that are different from the sounds produced by babies with French- or English-speaking parents? Do toddlers with good speech perception skills go on to develop more accurate speaking abilities than toddlers with poorer speech perception skills. The research will help us to understand why some children develop accurate speech articulation skills more rapidly than other children. The research may help us to develop more effective treatments for children with speech disorders.