While conducting the developmental assessment of an infant, the nurse notes that he is able to produce sounds like Mama, dada, etc. What is the likely age of the infant?

1. A

   8 months

2. B

   9 months

3. C

   12 months

4. D

   18 months

Appeared in: RML 2023

Explanation

• At 9 months, infants typically enter a stage of 'reduplicated' or 'canonical' babbling, where they repeat consonant-vowel syllables.
• This results in sounds like 'mama', 'dada', and 'baba'.
• Crucially, at this stage, these sounds are not yet associated with specific meanings; the infant is practicing the motor skills of speech.
• This milestone is a key indicator of normal progression from single-syllable babbling (around 6 months) to meaningful words (around 12 months).

Why Other Options Were Wrong

• Option A: At 8 months, an infant is typically transitioning from monosyllabic babbling. While some may start producing bisyllables, it is more consistently established as a milestone at 9 months.
• Option C: By 12 months, an infant is expected to use 'mama' and 'dada' with specific meaning, referring to their parents. The question describes producing the sounds, not using them with meaning.
• Option D: An 18-month-old has a much more advanced vocabulary, typically using 8-10 words or more and starting to follow simple commands. Babbling 'mama' and 'dada' is a much earlier milestone.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

• Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Infant Language Development Milestones to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
• Nurses perform developmental screening at every well-child visit to ensure infants are meeting their milestones. Identifying delays early is crucial for timely intervention.
• If an infant is not babbling by 9-10 months, it can be a red flag for a potential hearing impairment or a developmental delay, warranting a referral for a hearing test and further developmental evaluation.
• What if? If a 12-month-old infant is not babbling at all and does not respond to their name, the nurse's priority action would be to recommend an immediate audiology (hearing) evaluation, as undiagnosed hearing loss is a common cause of speech delay.

How to Approach the Question

• First, identify the core task in the question: the infant is 'produc[ing] sounds like Mama, dada'. This points to a specific language milestone.
• Next, classify this skill. 'Mama' and 'dada' are bisyllables (two-syllable sounds).
• Recall the typical sequence of language development: cooing -> monosyllabic babbling -> bisyllabic babbling -> first words with meaning.
• Place the identified skill (bisyllabic babbling) within this sequence. It occurs after monosyllabic babbling (around 6 months) and before meaningful words (around 12 months).
• Evaluate the options based on this timeline. 9 months fits perfectly into the window for bisyllabic babbling.
• Eliminate the other options: 8 months is slightly early, while 12 and 18 months represent more advanced language skills.

Concept Tested & Keywords

• Concept Tested: Infant Language Development Milestones
• Stem keywords: developmental assessment, infant, sounds, Mama, dada
• Lead-in keywords: likely age
• Clinical cues: Age/sex group narrows the expected diagnosis, intervention, or normal reference range.

Question ID

QKE-_2Gks4Rw7nX1vStXhs

Copy ID

Reference Book

E6 Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics(2024) — Volume 1 p. 130-132