Adding Language and Experience

When our child behaves in ways that are easy to understand we make adjustments to our way of talking that help our child to learn. We match our child's actions or words to confirm that we have heard him; model the correct language to provide him with the information he needs to express himself & add more information to help him understand more about what's happening. It takes two to talk, & when our child does not play his part by giving us the clues we expect & need, we become anxious & confused about how to play our part. This handout aims to help with this.

1. Imitate & Add. One of the easiest ways to help our child learn to communicate is to imitate his sounds or gestures, & then add a new word or action. I.e. say what the child says, do what the child does, then add another word or action.

2. Interpret. Use the words the child would say if he could communicate more clearly. E.g. if the child says “oh” & points at a hole, we might interpret this as “oh, a hole in your trousers”.

3. Expand. Expanding on the child's message gives him the chance to hear new words & gradually understand them. E.g. if the child says "car" we can expand this to "red car" or "mummy's car".

4. Emphasize Key Words. Emphasizing adds special interest & highlights information the child needs to start learning. E.g. "Oh look there's a CAR".

5. Repeat. In the beginning our child may not be able to understand or say the words we use, but the more often he hears words associated with particular objects, the easier it will be for him to understand what we are saying & use those words. E.g. when undressing we can use the word off. "Shoe off, sock off etc".

Until we get used to it, constantly thinking about what we say to our child can be draining, so be prepared to persevere.