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Breastfeeding and Speech Development
Breastfeeding...
- Promotes normal oral-facial development
- Improves coordination of the mouth, lips, tongue and jaw muscles
Since breastfeeding promotes normal development of the face and
mouth, it would make sense that breastfeeding would enhance speech
development and help to prevent speech problems. The research on
this topic is mixed. Several studies have shown breastfeeding to
enhance speech development and speech clarity, and others have shown
no speech differences between breastfeeding and bottle-feeding.
Following are links to various journal articles on the subject
(latest listed first):
Fletcher K, Ash B. The
speech-language pathologist and lactation consultant: The baby's
feeding dream team. The ASHA Leader. 2005 Feb. 8;8-9,32-33.
Neiva FC, Cattoni DM, Ramos JL, Issler H. Early
weaning: implications to oral motor development (Review). J
Pediatr (Rio J). 2003 Jan-Feb;79(1):7-12.
"In addition to several benefits of breastfeeding,
it contributes to a proper oral motor development and also avoids
speech-language disorders, regarding oral motor system."
Thorpe K, Rutter M, Greenwood R. Twins
as a natural experiment to study the causes of mild language delay:
II: Family interaction risk factors. J Child Psychol Psychiatry.
2003 Mar;44(3):342-55.
"Family features that might have been influential,
but which were not, included parental depression, breast-feeding,
family size, and style of sibling interaction."
Vestergaard M, Obel C, Henriksen TB, Sorensen HT, Skajaa E, Ostergaard
J. Duration
of breastfeeding and developmental milestones during the latter
half of infancy. Acta Paediatr. 1999 Dec;88(12):1327-32.
"Early language development was defined as
the ability to babble in polysyllables. The proportion of infants
who mastered the specific milestones increased consistently with
increasing duration of breastfeeding."
Palmer, B. Breastfeeding:
Reducing the Risk for Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Breastfeeding
Abstracts. 1999 February;18(3):19-20.
"Breastfeeding is important to the proper
development of the swallowing action of the tongue, proper alignment
of the teeth, and the shaping of the hard palate."
Palmer, B. The
Influence of Breastfeeding on the Development of the Oral Cavity:
A Commentary. Journal of Human Lactation. 1998;14(2):93-98
"There is another compelling benefit to exclusive
breastfeeding: positive effects on the development of an infant's
oral cavity, including improved shaping of the hard palate resulting
in proper alignment of teeth and fewer problems with malocclusions.
The purpose of this commentary is to stimulate further research
as well as to propose the importance of breastfeeding to developing
and maintaining the physiologic integrity of the oral cavity."
Obel C, Henriksen TB, Hedegaard M, Secher NJ, Ostergaard J. Smoking
during pregnancy and babbling abilities of the 8-month-old infant.
Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 1998 Jan;12(1):37-48.
"Smoking 10 or more cigarettes per day during
pregnancy almost doubled the risk of the infant being a non-babbler
at the examination at 8 months. Among children who were breast
fed for less than 4 months this risk was even higher."
Smith VL, Gerber SE. Infant
feeding and phonologic development. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol.
1993 Dec;28(1):41-9.
"This study fails to replicate earlier researchers'
findings of an association between breastfeeding and phonologic
development."
Taylor B, Wadsworth J. Breast
feeding and child development at five years. Dev Med Child Neurol.
1984 Feb;26(1):73-80.
"Breast feeding had no discernable effect
on speech problems during the first five years."
Broad FE, Duganzich DM. The
effects of infant feeding, birth order, occupation and socio-economic
status on speech in six-year-old children. N Z Med J. 1983 Jun
22;96(734):483-6.
"Differences in clear speech were associated
with birth order and socio-economic status. Controlling for these
effects, the association of breast-feeding with clear speech was
different for the sexes. It was negligible for girls but strongly
positive for boys."
Broad FE. Further
studies on the effects of infant feeding on speech quality.
N Z Med J. 1975 Dec 10;82(553):373-6.
"The combined studies showed that: 1. Breast
feeding is associated strongly with improved speech clarity in
the male child and the tendency for breast feeding to be associated
with improved tonal quality is sustained. 2. Reading ability is
associated with breast feeding for the entire group, boys showing
the effect more clearly than girls. 3. A high degree of association
was found between reading ability and speech clarity. 4. There
is an association between breast feeding and confidence. There
is evidence that the feeding effect is different for both sexes
and that differences exist between the two regions."
Broad FE. The
effects of infant feeding on speech quality. N Z Med J. 1972
Jul;76(482):28-31.
"There was a distinct relationship between
breast feeding and clarity of speech in the male. Breast feeding
was associated with improved tonal quality in both male and female
children with a more marked improvement in the case of the male...
The dramatic effect of breast feeding on the development of speech
and reading in boys as revealed in this study suggests that the
natural breast feeding method accelerates the rate of maturation
of the male infant."
Page last modified:
10/10/2005
Written: 02/26/2004
