Is your child a chatterbox or the silent type?

There are two distinct types of people: The talkers and the thinkers. The talkers are sociable, life-and-soul-of-the-party types; who get on well with everyone and like nothing better than a good old chat.

The thinkers are loners, the silent, reflective types who take a bit of getting to know, who take a back seat in conversation. Even babies fall into these categories.

Research on the ways in which babies learn to talk show that some babies learn to say their first word at nine months and are real little chatterboxes by the age of 18 months, whereas others take longer to get going. Previous studies laid these differences at the door of outside influences, such as the way mums talk to their children. But now temperament is closely linked with early language development.

In one study at London University, special tests were used to divide children into personality types-sociable and outgoing, or naturally quiet. The researchers then tried to see whether temperament affected the number of words the children used and how early they learned to talk. They discovered that the early talkers were highly-sociable toddlers who preferred playing with people to toys, whereas the toddlers with more reflective temperaments had smaller vocabularies.

They were the toddlers who preferred playing quietly with their toys or finding out how things worked to playing with other children at nursery school or following mum into the kitchen to have a chat.

The outgoing, friendly toddler could be more likely to draw other people into talking to her, and therefore could be exposed to more language, than the child who is more focused on playing with toys or trying out the technical possibilities of things.

According to research

But chattiness isn’t just related to personality. Many parents discover that their second child learns to talk later than their first. This, according to research findings is because when the older child is there, the younger one says less.

When just mum and the little one of the family are together, she is very patient and sensitive to what the toddler is trying to say, and long conversations often result. But when big brother or sister comes on the scene, they get more attention. What’s more, the older child is able to make more sophisticated remarks, which mothers are more able to answer.

But it is not all bad news for the younger children. They are better at getting on with other children, because they have to work at expressing themselves to an older brother or sister. Parents are committed to understanding what a child is talking about. Older siblings are not. Indeed, it may suit an older child not to understand, so a younger child is forced into being more explicit.

Talking tips

• Spend some time talking to your baby free from distractions such as the television or other children • Talk to her about the things that are familiar and interesting to her: feeding, getting dressed, her toys and other members of the family. • Play turn-talking games, so she gets the idea that conversation is a two-way business. • Keep speech clear and simple. You’ll probably find you instinctively speak more slowly and higher to your baby. • Use actions to emphasise your words. • Give your baby time to process what you’re saying. Remember she’s just a beginner. • Ask questions and give your baby the opportunity to answer. • Don’t worry about using ‘baby talk’ –it encourages your baby to try new words. • Don’t worry if your baby mispronounces words. If you’re constantly correcting her, you’ll discourage her. • Don’t hog the conversation. Let your baby have her turn.

If your baby hasn’t said her first word by 18 months, have a word with your doctor. She could be hard of hearing - a simple test will find out so that she can be offered help if necessary.