How to Help Your Late Talker: Focus on Basic Communication Skills
Today I’m sharing five basic communication skills your late talker needs to master before speech!
I get it – you want your child to talk. You fantasize about the conversations you’ll have, the memories you’ll make, the tantrums you’ll avoid.
If only my child could communicate, you might think. Then I’ll understand him.
You want to help your late talker! But if you’re planning word drills and sentence practice, you’re jumping a few steps ahead. You can’t build a house without a firm, solid foundation. You can’t build speech without communication fundamentals
I’m here to share the basic communication skills speech therapists look for when testing and teaching a child, including those that are generally believed to be precursors to speech. We’ll chat about the importance of these skills and how to support your child’s development of each.
But first, let’s get on the same page when it comes to communication.
Re-Thinking Communication
(Hint: It’s Not Just About Talking)
Many parents are led to believe that communication is synonymous with “talking” (speech) and that it’s an all-or-nothing skill: you either have speech or you don’t. But this approach to communication is short-sighted. It fails families.
The truth is that speech is one milestone on the long road that is communication learning. And there are many more milestones before and after it!
In fact, when parents focus too intensely on their child’s ability to talk, they fail to see all the ways in which their child is already a good communicator. And they miss opportunities to build up the foundational communication skills.
Let’s get back to basics, speech therapy style
A Speech Therapist’s Top 5 Basic Communication Skills for Late Talkers
Paying Attention to People
Attention, at its most basic, is the ability to focus on something important. To learn to talk, children first need to pay attention to the most important learning tool for talking in their environment: you. You provide most of the speech and language input to your little one. It’s important, then, that he can focus on you and whatever things you call his attention to (something we call “joint attention” in the speech therapy world). Studies show that joint attention supports the early development of speech and language. (1)
Does your child look at your face when you talk to him? Will he look towards the things you point to or talk about? Does he alert to voices? Will he focus and stop what he’s doing when you laugh or sing
If you’re answering “no,” start here. Focus on increasing your child’s attention to you and the other favorite people in his environment. Kids learn best when they are engaged and having fun. It’s no surprise, then, that attention is most easily achieved in the context of exciting and stimulating interactions. Use play and games, including those in the Speech and Language at Home Play Skills Packet, to capture and maintain your child’s attention.
Imitating
Kids learn countless skills through imitation, including speech and language skills! They’ll need to know how to imitate in order to re-create the sounds, words, and sentences they hear others using. Imitation starts with attention, but a child must take it further – they have to try what they see or hear themselves! According to research, early imitation skills are associated with higher language abilities. (2)
Does your child dance when you dance? Clap when you clap? Does he try to roll a ball after watching you do so? Will he imitate funny faces you make?
No imitation yet? Practice with exaggerated movements during everyday activities and routines. Put your hands to your face to show surprise. Clap when something exciting happens. Put your finger to your lips to indicate quiet. If your child is focusing on you but not imitating, try gently prompting him with your hands.
Responding, Initiating, and Turn-Taking
Communication is, at its essence, an exchange of ideas. This means that it requires more than one person to communicate! Not only is it important that your child respond to your attempts to interact, but it’s also important that he can take the first turn in communication. We want to make sure he’s not relying on others to always start the exchange. The back-and-forth nature of communication is important for little ones’ success. (3)
When you ask your child a question, does he respond in some way? Will your child take the first turn in an interaction, even just to show, give, or ask you for something? Does your child wait for you expectantly after taking a turn?
If your child is not yet showing these skills, start with play that involves back-and-forth turns. Build a block tower together, taking turns stacking. Bring out the bubbles and alternate who gets to blow. Sit on the floor and roll a ball to and fro.
Gesturing With Meaning
Even adults use gestures to communicate; in fact, research tells us that nonverbal communication accounts for the majority (about 70%) of our messages to others. (4) The use of gestures is especially important for little ones who are not talking. Communication involves the use of meaningful symbols, and this is an important concept for early language learners. Just like words, gestures carry meaning, and that meaning can be understood by others.
Does your child reach up to request to be held? Does he wave “hi” and “bye”? In familiar nursery rhymes and songs, will he participate with gestures
If you do not see your child using gestures communicatively, start with songs. The Speech and Language at Home Early Song Visuals and Rubrics are a perfect resource for parents supporting their children in the development of this skill. The package includes guides for Wheels on the Bus, I’m a Little Teapot, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, and more – all tried-and-true family favorites.
Making Sounds
Kids need lots of practice making sounds before they are able to combine sounds into words and sentences. At its most basic, speech involves movements of various body parts (lips, tongue, etc.), using lots of muscles. And those muscles need practice with all the little movements! You wouldn’t expect a child to run if he hasn’t walked yet. Similarly, we can’t expect a child to say sentences if he hasn’t practiced sounds. Research tells us that the sounds babies use in sound play and babbling are related to the specific language they’ll speak later on. (5) They’re preparing!
Do you hear your child babble? Does he play around with different sounds? Will he combine sounds to make noises that sometimes sound like words?
Not hearing much yet? Start small! The Speech and Language at Home Exclamatory Words Books offer practice beginning at the most basic level, with books targeting single sounds like “Shhh,” “Ahhh,” and “Oh,” and moving to sound combinations. Animal and vehicle sounds are also fun and functional ways to explore early consonant and vowel combinations (e.g., “baaa,” “mooo,” “choo choo,” etc.).
Supporting Basic Communication Skills as Your Late Talker Grows
At Speech and Language at Home, our goal is to keep communication development fun and low-stress for your family. We want to give you the tools you need to feel successful and confident while nurturing your little one. We’ll show you the ways in which your child is already a great communicator.
Our Early Intervention Notebook is designed especially for early communication stages, with parents and early interventionists in mind. You’ll find play tips, daily activity tricks, progress tracking sheets, and more to make building basic communication skills a breeze with your late talker.
And he’ll be on the road towards speech!
