This is a spin off of the "I made a word count" thread. I was just curious what you ladies count as "words" when considering how many words your children have.†I was trying to come up with a word count for my son because I like to document the progress he's made each month. I typically separate spontaneous words and prompted words into 2 different categories. But there are some "words" I'm not sure if I should count. For example, he consistently says "shhh" every time he sees a pair of shoes. Likewise, he'll say "tuh" when he puts Mr. Potato Head's tongue on. He does this a lot-- he'll pull the first consonant of a word & use it spontaneously if he doesn't know how to say the whole word. Do I count these as words? My son has his 2 yr well child check coming up in a week & I know the pedi will ask for a word count. I don't want to give an inaccurate view of his abilities if those approximations I mentioned don't really count as true words. So, I'm curious-- what do you all count as a word for your kids?
What do you count as a word?
When anyone else besides myself, DH or immediate caregivers can understand them without the need for us to translate.
I have high standards ;-)
But I have to agree with the above poster.
Kevin will say approximations¬†for "red," "means," and ¬†"stop" and they would typically count as three seperate words.
But he's said the phrase so often at every freaking traffic light¬†that they're now not three seperate words, but sound more like "Ya-ye-'op" when he says it.¬† A phrase counts only as one word, not three seperate words.
Which, sounds alot like when he says lollipop, which he also produces as "Ya-ye-'op."¬†
The few times he's said "ya-ye-'op" in the car, I've looked at him very perplexed and asked, "Are you saying lollipop?"
To which he'll look confused himself, repeat what he said, then either hand sign "stop" or point through the windshield at the red traffic light we're stopped at, and repeat "Ya-ye-'op" as if I'm a dope for not knowing.
Yeah, that had to stop counting as a word.
FTM to twins 2008
The way our speech therapist explained it, prety much anything counts as a word, as long as a familiar listener understands what is meant.
So even if your toddler points to a car and says BA (like my son did), that counts as the words CAR.¬†¬†
Now if your kid is saying BA for CAR, there are definitely distortion issues, but that's not what a word count is about.
I had heard that animal sounds count as a word.¬† My daughter's approximations aren't always consistent so I don't put those on the list if they are way off.¬† She also has words that she will say when I hold up a picture or Kaufman card without verbal prompting, but i still don't hear them spontaneously.¬† I guess they will get there eventually.¬†
And pixie cole... I understand about the phrase approximations.¬† My daughter will say "ready, set, go" but I can only tell me by her voice inflection that is what she is saying.¬†
I would count words and approximations as words, but for your doctor's purposes I would still have a separate list of what can be said spontaneously and what requires a prompt
~Linda~ proud mama to Henry ~ 4/24/09
(Epilepsy,Cortical Dysplasia or brain tumor,Apraxia,SPD, hypotonia,reflux,ASD/VSD)
I maintain two tabs in my spreadsheet. What I count for spoken vocabulary is words she can mostly use spontaneously and continues to use over a period of time. So the first time she repeats or says a word it does not go to that list, she has to use it for a couple of weeks before I qualify it to be part of vocabulary.
For the second tab, I keep a weekly (update everyday) list of new words said or repeated. That way I can keep track of improvement in imitation.
I was not counting word approximations, but my SLP said if the word approx is consistent for the same object/meaning it should be counted as a word.
Hope that helps.
Yeah, Kevin especially, since he doesn't like opening his mouth, alot of the things he says I only know what he's saying from the inflection and emphasis in the noise he's making.
Things like, "Where are you?" or "Here it is!" have not yet been said as three distinct words, but more a sing song of sound.¬† He's pretty lyrical actually, in his ability to make sounds at different pitches, but the only person who understands what the hell he's convaying is me.
Then I'll look at him and ask, "Did you say, 'Here it is?'"
And he'll answer, "Yah."¬† And he can convey so much sarcasm for a three year old in that one word.
FTM to twins 2008
MY kids also talk with their mouths closed so all it is is inflection. Of course, I'm the only one who knows what they mean!¬†
Our SLP said words and approximations count if they are used regularly and spontaneously, even if we are the only ones who know what they are saying. I guess I need to start making seperate lists as well because both of my kids have 30-50 approximations that they say occasionally but only a handful that they use all the time. For example, both my kids say bye-bye spontaneously sometimes, but it is usually prompted, so the SLP said that didn't actually count. It's so confusing!
HE and EJ born December 2009 at 38 weeks! ( . )( . ) silver 2010
Baby number 3 due Oct. 1st, came Oct. 10