TIPS ON HOW TO INCREASE CHILDREN’S VERBAL AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS

1. Self-talk

How:  Describe your own actions as you engage in parallel play with the child.  If a child is stacking blocks, you may imitate what he/she is doing and start commenting about your own actions.

Why:  Self-talk provides a clear and simple match between actions and words.  By using the child’s actions and matching your own words and actions to them, you model how to comment on your actions with language.

2. Parallel talk

How:  Provide self-talk for the child.  Instead of talking about your own actions, you provide a running commentary about what he/she is doing.  Be a broken record and use the same set of words again and again in many different phrases.  Use a lot of nouns and verbs.

Example:  “Lauride has a ball.... Lauride is holding the ball.....The ball is round.....“

Why:  Kids often need to hear words over and over again in order to remember them.  When they remember these words, it is easier for children to understand them, and later to say them.  Young children are often aware primarily of what is happening to themselves and they focus better and process better when you talk about what is happening to them.

*Both self-talk and parallel talk are helpful for children since they maximize the chances that the child will use the given model in producing a spontaneous utterance.  Furthermore, they both establish joint attention between the two parties involved.

3. Echo talk

How:  Talk about what the child seems to want to say, but cannot seem to put into words.  This is used when kids start pointing to things, reaching for things and calling one’s attention as if wanting to say something.  This is called communicative intent.  One must learn how to listen to the child’s gestures and follow his/her lead in order to do this effectively.

Example:  “Do you want a cookie? ......... Teacher will give you a cookie....“(as the child reaches for the cookie jar)

Why:  This gives the child words for what he/she is ready to say.  When you do it often, the child himself/herself may be able to remember the words you used and try to use them next time.  This technique establishes more interaction between the parent and child.

4. Expansion

When:  Is used when the child starts using words or short phrases. 

How:  Whenever a child says something, repeat exactly what he/she said.  Then say it again and add some words to the child’s utterance.

Example:  Lauride:  “apple.”

                                Teacher:  “apple… You want an apple….I will give you an apple.”

Why:  This acknowledges that you heard or understood your child.  It also gives him/her a model of a slightly longer phrase, with better grammar.  Expansions have been shown to increase the probability that a child will spontaneously imitate at least part of the utterance.

 

 

5. Obstacles

When:  Is used when the child uses gestures to request something, yet he/she has used/imitated words to request the same thing before.  This can also be used to elicit gestures.

How:  Wait, pausing with an expectant look, as if you did not understand the gesture.  Model the word and wait for the child to imitate or at least try to imitate the form which is expected of him/her.  You can also set up a situation such as withholding an object/action so it would be natural for the child to ask you for things.

Why:  This provides the child with the need/motivation to use speech and it gives him/her the opportunity to use the skills he/she has.

6. Prompts

How: 

1. vocal – Model the first syllable of the word you are trying to teach.

        Example:  Teacher:  “Lauride, say a.” (a for apple). 

1. Verbal – Model the entire word you are trying to teach.

         Example:  Teacher:  “Lauride, say apple.”

• You may also use unfinished sentences, fill-in-the-blanks, and questions for clarifications

1. Gestural – pointing; facial expressions; lip or tongue movements or demonstrate the actions
2. Physical – hand-over-hand assistance (taking the child’s hand and demonstrating how to do the action)

Why:  This provides the child with assistance which he/she needs at a particular moment.  This also increases motivation and decreases frustration.  Prompting fosters initiation. 

7. Chaining

When:  Is used when the child says a two syllable word, but produces only one syllable.

How:  Make sure the child is looking at your face.  Say the whole word correctly then make the child imitate one syllable at a time.

Example:  Lauride: “ple”

                           Teacher:  “apple… look at me ---- a”

                           Lauride:  “a”

                            Teacher:  “pple”

                            Lauride:  “apple”

When he/she is in the habit of imitating one syllable at a time, model the first syllable, then while he is imitating the first syllable, position your mouth for the next syllable.  Wait for him/her to imitate the position and as soon as he/she does, model the next syllable.

Why:  This helps in motor planning and co-articulation (putting two sounds together).

8. Extensions

How:  Add some information to a remark made by the child. 

Example:  When the child says, “doggy house”, the utterance could be extended by saying, “he went inside” or “he ate a bone”. 

Why: Extending the child’s utterances is associated in increasing the child’s length of utterances.

9. Buildups and breakdowns

How:  Start by expanding the child’s utterance to a fully grammatical form then break it down into several phrase-sized pieces in a series of sequential utterances that overlap in content.

Example:  “doggy house” – “Yes, the doggy is in the house.  The house.  He’s in the house.  In the house.  The doggy is in the house.  The doggy.  The doggy’s in the house.”

Why:  This increases the child’s length of utterance as well as gives the child a model of how sentences are put together.

10. Recast sentences

How: Expand the child’s remark into a different type of sentence.  If the child makes the statement “doggy house”, we can recast it as a question, “Is the doggy in the house?” or a negative sentence, “The doggy is not in the house.” 

Why:  Recasting sentences gives the child a model of the different types of sentences used everyday.

 

 

                          Prepared by:  Janice B. Torres, MA, Sp.Ed.

                                                 Preschool Intervention and Referral Specialist

                                                Orange Public Schools