108 • Stance: Studies on the Family The positive effects of infant directed speech (IDS) include better comprehension abilities, linguistic success and even relationship success (Liu, Kuhl, & Tsoa, 2003). A variety of disabilities could impact IDS, from speech impairments to less intuitive responsiveness as a result of psychiatric illness. However, there are many ways parents can accommodate for limited IDS. Adaptations include replacing infant-directed speech with the more inclusive infant-directed language (IDL), such as using high emotional affect, having multiple caregivers, and singing. Using infant directed language (not just speech) involves exaggerated, slow and expressive motions, actions or facial expressions that compensate for speech quality. Infants respond to “motionese,” or slow and deliberate actions, similarly to IDS (Brand, Baldwin &, Ashburn, 2002). This means that parents can effectively connect and interact with their child in non-verbal as well as verbal ways. However, IDL does not compensate for the linguistic gains of IDS, and for this reason it may be necessary to have multiple caregivers (although parents may choose to communicate through sign language instead of spoken language.) This way, infants learn to identify and respond to their speech-impaired caregiver but also have clear exposure to language and phonetic organization. In addition, parents with physical and emotional disabilities can capitalize on the positive effects of singing. Singing to infants, like speaking, tends to have a unique quality. Specifically, infants prefer songs with a higher pitch, lower tempo, and positive feel. (Trainor & Zacharias, 1998; Trehub, et al., 1997). Singing can not only replicate the benefits of IDS but can bond parents with physical or emotional disabilities to their children.
Non-caregiving issues Parents also need to recognize that a disability could affect their child even with high quality caregiving. Two major ways this can happen is through medications and heredity.
Medications. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) says that new medications do not have information about pregnancy because pregnant women are rarely part of new medication studies. Therefore, it recommends that pregnant women take medications that have been in the