Late onset canonical babbling: A possible early marker of abnormal development
Abstract
By their 10th month of life, typically developing infants produce canonical babbling, which includes the well-formed syllables required for meaningful speech. Research suggests that emerging speech or language-related disorders might be associated with late onset of canonical babbling. Onset of canonical babbling was investigated for 1,536 high-risk infants, at about 10- months corrected age. Parental report by open-ended questionnaire was found to be an efficient method for ascertaining babbling status. Although delays were infrequent, they were often associated with genetic, neurological, anatomical, and/or physiological abnormalities. Over half the cases of late canonical babbling were not, at the time they were discovered, associated with prior significant medical diagnoses. Late canonical-babbling onset may be a predictor of later developmental disabilities, including problems in speech, language, and reading.
Publication Title
American Journal on Mental Retardation
Recommended Citation
Oller, D., Eilers, R., Neal, A., & Cobo-Lewis, A. (1998). Late onset canonical babbling: A possible early marker of abnormal development. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 103 (3), 249-263. https://doi.org/10.1352/0895-8017(1998)103<0249:LOCBAP>2.0.CO;2
