Question for Health visitor

[youareasyoungasyoufeel]

Ok so I only want answers from health visitors please

I'm trying to encourage language for my 19 month old but he is so active that often u can't talk TO him only in the background, does this count and will he still pick it up?

Slightly confused here - why would you only want answers from health visitors? the majority are generalists on child wellbeing, and would be the least qualified in giving specific advice on speech and attention issues.

Because HVs are qualified

But feel free to help if u genuinely think u can

I agree in the sense that HV are very qualified people, just not in these areas, or at least I have personally failed to ever speak to one (but all respect to them, they do a great job, or at least most do). The answer to your question is yes, and this has been shown in many studies. For example, studies have shown (and results replicated) showing that a child has a worse vocabulary if brought up in an environment where the TV is always on versus where the TV is off. The reason for this is not because the child is distracted with the TV and not learning but because while the TV is on adults tend to speak less to each other and hence the child is exposed to less background language (similar experiments were conducted where the TV is on all the time but parents still speak to each other - in these tests the children had similar language skills to those children where the TV was off, so the TV was not cause but the parents not talking) . A child is always listening to natural spoken language from their parents, at 19M their brains are still configured to interpret and absorb spoken language specially from their parents (they are even able to pick up their parents voice out of many voices in a noisy room) - this is the case regardless of whether the language is directed at them (so speaking to them) or not (while the parents are speaking to themselves and not to the child). This ability starts fading off after 2YR old. There are also many practical techniques to try to increase the concentration levels of a toddler, encourage them to speak, direct attention to you, etc.

Ok so if the tv is offf which it often is, and I'm chattering away in the background while he is playing, even though he's not looking at me, he can still pick up words etc?

yes, most certainly - don't stop talking :)

Ok i won't. I just thought I had to say things that were relevant. So you're saying I can literally be chattering away about anything (in reason obvs) and this will help his language/speech?

Yes. Partly why DH and I have had to get very creative when we drop something etc.

I've always just talked to DS about what I'm doing, where we're going, what's in the shopping trolley, what colour it is, etceetc

And, OP, if you want a HV only to answer your question, contact your HV.

@youareasyoungasyoufeel yes, absolutely - the child will learn from the conversations you and your partner are having in the background as well as when you talk to them - at this age their brains are optimized to do just this (it starts fading out from 2YR onwards), it's how they are able to learn spoken language (in multiple languages) incredibly quickly, quicker than any adult can ever learn them later in life. It also the reason why they will come up with words that you though you had never taught them before.

Ok well I've been chattering away non stop in between these posts and just chatting about random stuff really and all that's in the background otherwise is the radio on a low volume

At this age they will not be listening to the radio or TV, it will be just noise - their brains are designed to primarily hone into their parents voices. Them learning from TV shows comes after 2YRs old, before that they will not learn anything from them, it will just be noise and moving images.

The radio is classical fm as I heard that's good for brain development

I'm chattering away non stop so even if I'm following him round chattering he should be taking it in?

Ah yes, they do say that about classical music, can't do any harm. Yes, he should be taking in most of what you say (he might not be able to understand it all but he will be absorbing it).