Communication: It’s More Than Words. By: Allie Zuercher, M.S. CCC-SLP/L

Communication is a vital piece to the human experience. It is how we relate, understand one another, it’s how we can work with others, tell someone our feelings, cast our vote, instill boundaries, order our favorite coffee, and the list goes on. Therefore, there is no doubt how frustrating it is when your toddler is not speaking at the average age. 

But, what if they WERE speaking to you? 

As a society, we often lose sight of the building blocks it takes to reach a milestone. We are so focused on the outcome, we forget how it is we got there. Everything takes time and everything has a beginning. So, let us lean into the “beginning” of speaking and how to NOTICE and CELEBRATE these very real and important steps.

Examples of communication: eye contact, facial expressions, whining, grunting, crying, babbling, jargoning, shouting, pointing, nodding, shaking head, tapping your hand,  reaching, leading, pushing, signing, leaning, handing objects to you, walking away, shrugging, turning away, unwanted behaviors


The golden rule: you MUST meet your child where they are TODAY. Have you ever been given a task that was so overwhelming, that you just felt like running away or giving up? These are the feelings that arise in children when expected to do or be something that they are not yet. Children are highly intuitive and will pick up on the slightest disappointment in you when they cannot imitate a word you want. This can put a barrier in your relationship with your sweet toddler. 

  1. Be present. Is it realistic that you are playing on the floor with your toddler all day, every day? Absolutely not. When you are with them, try your best to include them in all that you do. Minimize distractions.
  2. Look at them! Look them in the eye. Even 10 minutes per day of uninterrupted face-to-face interaction has incredible benefits.
  3. Acknowledge and affirm every communication attempt. When they are turning their head away from a food, saying “Oh, you don’t like that! Okay!” or when they are reaching “You want up!” or “Show me!”
  4. Before doing everything FOR them, wait until they are communicating to you. This is a great time to offer choices. Have them point to which snack they would like. Your child must start to understand the cause-effect aspect of communicating a want/need: “when I DO something, mom moves and gets it”
  5. PAUSE PAUSE PAUSE. Often, adults are moving way too fast for children to catch up. There is no room for them to even try and communicate when we fill the silence with noise and actions. MODEL a word for what they desire, PAUSE, while meaningfully looking at them. Within this pause notice their body language. They may try to imitate the word or give a gesture. It all counts! Then give them the item and reinforce “GREAT talking”
  6. Give your child the words: “Yes! You want milk!”
  7. Honor their feelings. “I hear you are mad.” or “That is very frustrating.” Remain calm.

Communication is so important and empowering for little ones. Early, effective communication leads to the ability to build meaningful relationships with others, advocating for themselves, confidence, being themselves, allows them to feel respected, responsibility for their choices and actions, and to be present listeners. Once you get the communication piece, the words and phrases will flow. They will feel heard, empowered, and closer to you than ever. 

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

An 8-week program for children age 4-5 with sensory processing differences

Children with sensory processing differences have difficulty with regulation, which sometimes makes it difficult for them to interact with the world around them. Our Sensory Explorers group targets regulation in order to build engagement! This group is led by pediatric occupational therapist Mackenzie Baldock and developmental therapist/PLAY Project Consultant Brenna Thompson, both of whom specialize in using developmentally appropriate strategies to support children so they can learn new skills. Group meets once/week for 60 minutes.

Wondering if this class is appropriate for your child? Some characteristics of kids who benefit: easily frustrated with play, repetitive play, difficulty sitting/keeping still to engage in play, refuses to allow others to engage in play, unable to be messy, overly busy, quickly overwhelmed in a busy environment, picky eater, difficulty tolerating grooming/dressing/diapering routines, struggles with transitions/following a group plan/routine. 

Goals of the group include:

  • Child participating in a variety of sensory play activities
  • Engaging socially with others in the group
  • Providing a non threatening environment where children can experience new sensations with the support of a pediatric Occupational Therapist and PLAY Project consultant
  • Providing personalized resources to caregivers, so they better understand the sensory system and learn strategies to assist their child with regulation outside of group
  • Opportunity to meet with other local families
 
 

GROUP MEETS for 8 weeks:  Caregivers must stay on the premises to support their child and learn helpful strategies. Children will separate from caregivers for the session; caregivers can socialize at our coffee bar in the lobby (we will also provide a few toys for siblings to play). Caregiver education is a key component of this program. 

 

OPTIONAL Summary Report available at close of session. This 2 page report will summarize your child’s participation in the class and provide helpful sensory strategies to increase their participation in activities. This report could be given to teachers in classrooms & daycares or utilized to help educate other caregivers about ways to help your child participate. This option includes a 30 minute Zoom meeting with Brenna and MacKenzie to review the report and discuss your child’s progress in Sensory Explorers. COST: $100 due at sign up