Words, Words, Words
As a speech-language pathologist I look at language and language development through a model based on the work by Lois Bloom. Simply put, we can break language down into 3 components: semantics (vocabulary), syntax (grammar) and pragmatics (use of language). As an auditory therapist I look at this model through the lens of developing listening skills.
How do words develop? Through the infant listening to sounds, those sounds being formed into words spoken by the people in the baby’s environment and those particular sounds /m-a-m-a/ becoming attached to that person “mama” through repetition and consistency of the message. Children need lots and lots of words to be able to keep up and communicate with their peers, especially if they have listening challenges. So, mom, dad, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, cousins, friends…“use your words”.
Talk a lot to young children. Talk about things in their environment; their room, the bird outside the window, their food, their blanket. As the child grows, the topics can grow to pictures in books, or sounds they hear or something that happened earlier in the day. And as they grow even older, from toddler to pre-school child, use story telling utilizing your imagination and their imagination. Books, again books…the language of books offers us new words in new ways.
So, talk, talk, talk, but remember to pause frequently and listen to what your child has to say, you will be amazed.
But what happens when you pause, and you realize they aren't catching what you say?
As parents, teachers, and speech-language pathologists, we are often told to "just talk more." But here is the hidden pain point we don’t talk about enough: talking a lot only works if a child's brain can actually catch, store, and organize the words we are throwing at them. Without strong underlying auditory processing and memory skills, a child cannot hold sound information in their brain's "inbox" long enough to assign meaning to it. When this infrastructure is missing, "just talking" doesn't build vocabulary—it builds frustration.
For Parents: It feels like a child who is constantly tuning you out or failing to follow simple requests.
For Teachers: It looks like a student who gets lost the second you give a multi-step routine in the classroom.
For SLPs: It’s the realization that an expressive language delay is actually rooted in an unmapped auditory system.
If talking a lot is the goal, then training the brain how to listen is the critical medicine.
To bridge this exact gap, we created LISTEN, LOVE, LEARN BABY! Pocket Guides—a series of digital, digestible booklets written by Lois Kam Heymann, M.A., CCC-SLP. Designed to be a quick, encouraging friend right on your phone or device, these guides break down complex auditory concepts into simple, everyday interactive games that turn your daily routines into powerful milestones:
Auditory Memory Pocket Guide: The first building block. It helps littles learn to hold onto a sound message and link it to an object (like matching "Oink" to a toy pig), building the mental library required for words to finally "stick."
Auditory Sequential Memory Pocket Guide: The next step in the blueprint. It trains children to retain information in the correct order, shifting them from following one-step directions to effortlessly stringing multiple steps together (like "Touch your nose, then clap your hands" or "Take off your shoes and get your book").
First Words Pocket Guide: The ultimate destination. It teaches you how to create a responsive environment, navigate the exciting transition into expressive spoken language, and expand on your child's first words so they feel heard and motivated to keep talking.
So yes—talk, talk, talk! But if you want to make sure those words are truly landing, step into their auditory world. Pick up the LISTEN, LOVE, LEARN BABY! Pocket Guides today and give them the tools to not just hear you, but truly understand