Recently, my toddler took a full 30 seconds to ask me a question. It went something like this:
“Mom - can… can… um… can… can you… um… can I help me… um… can you help me put it… can you help me find my yeh-yoh (yellow) shorts?”
To be honest, I felt like it was just as much work for me, if not more, to sit patiently while he pieced his thought together as it was for him to actually say it.
In today’s newsletter, I want to nerd out a bit on the complexity of speech and language - not just for my own enjoyment, but also to encourage all you parents who are waiting patiently while your little ones sort through their thoughts and “find their words”.
Communication Is INCREDIBLY Complex
When we listen to our children speak, it’s easy to forget what an extraordinary accomplishment it really is. Here are a few science-backed “fun facts” that show just how hard kids’ brains and bodies are working every time they talk:
The brain fires with great precision. To produce even one speech sound, the brain has to send signals through hundreds of thousands of neurons in perfect order - and that’s before combining sounds into words, phrases, and full sentences. These signals travel in milliseconds from language areas to the motor cortex, then out to the lips, tongue, jaw, and lungs. Speech is one of the most demanding motor tasks humans ever do. And toddlers have the added challenge of trying to get their words out before they lose the attention of their listener (I think we can all agree that toddler peers aren’t always the best audience).
Over 100 muscles are involved. From the lungs pushing out air, to the vocal folds vibrating, to the precise movements of the tongue and lips - every single word requires a massive, coordinated effort.
Speech is lightning fast. Children’s brains process sounds in milliseconds (faster than a blink) as they decode meaning and form a response.
Vocabulary growth is explosive. By age 6, most kids know around 10,000 words; by high school, that number may reach 60,000+.
Communication isn’t just words. Up to 70% of communication is nonverbal - gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice. Young children are learning to juggle both verbal and nonverbal signals as they figure out how to connect with others.
Speech is musical. Our brains use rhythm, intonation, loudness (dynamics), and timbre (the unique quality of a voice) in speech - which is why songs, rhymes, and chants are so powerful for language development.
Takeaway
So the next time your child pauses, stumbles, or circles back while trying to tell you something, remember this: their brain is putting in an incredible amount of effort just to get that thought out clearly - and quickly enough to be understood.
One more somewhat-unrelated thing I’d like to mention- I have a new “Speech with Casey” instagram account and am hoping to get more newsletter subscribers through IG. If you’d be so kind, and/or if you’re interested in more speech-language content, give me a follow right here. Reed tells me that will allow the “magical” social media algorithm to put my account - and ultimately, this newsletter - in front of more people. A “like” or comment helps too! 😊
Thanks for reading!
Casey
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