Session 11 Early Communication Development SECTION 4: 1 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

SECTION 4: Communication 1

Session 11

Early Communication Development

SECTION 4: Communication 2

Communication in its widest sense

• Make a list of all the

different ways in which we communicate with each other speech, gesture, touching, pointing……..

SECTION 4: Communication 3

Typical infants 0-6 months

• People coo and smile at

babies and have fun

• Babies are born wanting

to look at faces

• Intense eye contact is

established by 6 weeks

• Burps, wiggles and

sounds are responded to by adults as early ‘conversations’

SECTION 4: Communication 4

Typical infants 6-12 months

• Care givers select what

they respond to a bit more

• Babies begin to realise

their actions have effect

• n people
• They ask for things with

gestures and sounds

• They comment on things

too and indicate ‘no’

SECTION 4: Communication 5

Typical toddlers 12 months plus

• Proto-words come first eg: ‘gar’

for garden but also meaning ‘I want to get out’

• Single words 12-18 months eg:

dadda meaning ‘where’s daddy?’, ‘here’s daddy’ ‘I want daddy’ etc

• Joining words together 18-24

months ‘mummy coat’ meaning ‘this is mummy’s coat’, ‘put your coat on mummy, I want to go out’.

• First words and sentences are

usually the child’s needs and wishes

SECTION 4: Communication 6

Important things to note

• Communication skills grow out of experience of

social interaction. Parents don’t wait until their babies can speak before they include them in the conversation.

• Babies can be very effective communicative

partners long before they have words.

• Babies are encouraged to be partners in

conversation and to take turns. They are not expected to be quiet and listen and learn language without participating.

• The best ‘conversations’ with babies are focused
• n things that are meaningful to babies and fun.

SECTION 4: Communication 7

Learning to communicate is more than learning a few words or signs

• 1. Arrange for a communication

assessment

• 2. Make conversation fun and
• interactive. Give adults the chance

to take their turns wherever possible; give them a chance to express a choice.

• 3. Be very alert to any attempts the

adult makes to communicate and wherever possible respond quickly.

• 4. Try and have a clear method for

letting service users control their activities through communication. It is very important that adults have a method for calling you over when they want attention, and sending you away when they want to be alone. Asking for more or less of activities is also very important.