Language Language refers to the way we comprehend and express thoughts and ideas. It is the way we use words to form sentences, tell stories, and communicate with others.

When to be concerned:

• Child develops language at a slow or irregular rate than same aged children.
• Child does not use eye contact.
• Child does not attempt to communicate with others.
• Child exhibits frustration or other behavioral problems due to inability to express himself.

How to Help:

• Consult a Speech Language Pathologist
• Provide choices: “Do you want juice or milk?” This forces child to respond with answer rather than simple yes/no.
• Reinforce child’s attempts to communicate.
• Repeat what child says – this makes the child feel as if what he said was important.
• Expand the child’s utterances. If the child says “dog,” you respond with “ Yes, big dog, big black dog with spots.”
• Talk about what you are doing - ex. “Mommy is washing the dishes, looks at his dirty plate. I’m going to put the soap on it and wash the food off. All Clean.”
• Talk about what the child is doing – ex. “You are playing with blocks. You have a red block, blue block, and yellow block. These blocks are squares. Let’s stack the blocks. One, two three.”

Source:

Peterson, Sarah (2009). Current Best Strategies to Help Speech Language Pathologists Better Meet Student Needs. Bureau of Education and Research.