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Investigating the Relationship Between Early Speech Milestones and Oral-Motor Development in Infants

K M Allison1, K M Radville1, A Martens1

  • 1Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|February 3, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Infants with stronger oromotor skills at 6 months produced more speech sounds and babbled earlier, suggesting a link between oral motor development and early speech abilities.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Speech-Language Pathology
  • Infant Communication

Background:

  • Early oromotor skills are crucial for feeding and speech development.
  • Understanding the relationship between oromotor abilities and early speech milestones is important for identifying potential developmental delays.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between infants' oromotor skills and the onset of babbling.
  • To determine the relationship between oromotor proficiency and phonetic inventory at 6 months of age.

Main Methods:

  • Parents of 50 six-month-old infants completed the Child Oral and Motor Proficiency Scale (ChOMPS).
  • Caregivers reported on infant babbling and phonetic inventory (protophones) via an online questionnaire.
  • Statistical analyses included linear and logistic regression.

Main Results:

  • Higher ChOMPS scores were significantly associated with a larger number of reported protophones.
  • Infants' ChOMPS scores significantly predicted the likelihood of babbling by 6 months.
  • Preterm status and sex did not influence babbling onset or phonetic inventory.

Conclusions:

  • Early oromotor development appears linked to emerging speech abilities in infants.
  • Stronger oromotor skills at 6 months may indicate a larger protophone variety and earlier babbling.
  • Oromotor behaviors could serve as early indicators of developing speech skills.
Abstract

Keywords:
babblefeedinginfantsoromotor development

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