Try At Home: Language Strategies

Jen Wong
Jan 18, 2024
3 min read

If you are worried about your child's language, e.g. having trouble finding the right words or struggling with following instructions, below are some strategies you can start using to increase their language learning within the home.

Early Development

Regardless of age, if your child is at the early stages of language development, i.e. no words to single words, consider the following:

Establish joint attention (i.e. engage in an activity that both you and your child will enjoy) - this may require you to follow their lead in play and do something they're interested in.
Do lots of talking together about what you're engaging in - make comments about their play, add in some gestures and use varying facial expression.
The more the child sees, hears and engages, the more they will learn - a child needs lots of input from you before they're able to use language.
When you finish talking, pause to give the child time to speak.
Respond to all your child attempts, e.g. if they point at a toy and babble, point along and model the language that they might use, e.g. "it's an elephant! Can I have that?"
Avoid asking too many questions to start - it is more effective and functional to comment alongside your child's play, than asking questions
This is particularly helpful for children who are very echolalic (repetitive) or are gestalt-language learners (i.e. phrases first, then words) - if your child is likely to copy you, then model the language that you want them to say, rather than asking questions, e.g. when giving them food, say "I want food? Yes, I want food" rather than "do you want food / are you hungry?

Expanding Language

Once your child has some language under their belt and understands back-and-forth communication, you can use the following strategies to lengthen the things they say:

Repeat their phrase and add an extra word into their comment, e.g. if they say "want food", you can repeat "want more food?"
If your child makes a mistake or grammatical error, model the correct phrase, e.g. "I go shop yesterday", you can respond "you went to the shops, yesterday?"
Use motivating activities to provide communication opportunities.
E.g. during mealtime, if you know your child wants certain foods, give them opportunity to request for it, e.g. "which foods would you like?"
You can also elicit more complex language by adding adjectives, e.g. "would you like the big piece or the small piece?"
This also teaches them skills in using their words to request for things rather than take things.

Continuing Language

To continue developing a child's language, social skills and communication abilities, it is important to keep the experience positive:

Provide positive reinforcement when the child uses their words in place of behaviours, e.g. if a child asks something nicely when they previously have not, acknowledge this and provide the child the item where possible.
Encourage back-and-forth conversations between you and your child - provide time for them to articulate their thoughts before jumping in and making a comment.
Provide exposure to play and social opportunities with peers and other children their age so they can learn to communicate with each other and increase socialisation.
Keep in mind that communication includes facial expressions, body language and gestures as well - continue using this throughout your communication.