ABC

Phonological awareness is the detection and understanding of sound.

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Phonological development begins before a child is born. Research has found that this process begins in the last 3 months of prenatal development. Babies are able to hear the intonation patterns of their mother's voice and after they are born, they can recognize and have a preference towards the the sounds and rhythms of their native language. 

 

Even though children are able to hear sounds and begin to develop phonological awareness prior to birth, language use begins with the verbal interactions from caregivers. The first 6 months of a child’s life is considered a “critical period” because during this time, a child is mastering sound discrimination. This means that the brain is recognizing the sounds heard within the child’s native language and it is also realizing the sounds that are not heard in their native language.