1. Give social activities and opportunities.
Play is a powerful learning tool for children. When you play and develop interaction you can create enjoyable opportunities for you and your child to communicate. You experiment with different games to find ones that the child enjoys. Create a routine and go to the playground or a sports session, give him the opportunity to be familiarized and encouraged to observe and make social interaction. When you are interacting with your child, do not forget to place yourself at the same level as their eyes, it empowers your communication and makes you more understandable.
2. Session of imitation.
It can sound weird but it works! Imitating your child's sounds and behaviors during a pleasant activity can encourage them to vocalize and interact more with you. Additionally, it can encourage the child to take turns and copy your actions. When you are imitating the child, it is important to mimic how he is playing to increase positive behaviors. For example, if the child rolls a car and makes a sound, you roll the car too and make a sound. If they crash the car, you can cash it too. However, do not imitate behaviors you do not want such as throwing cars at people!
3. Promoting Nonverbal communication.
such as gestures and eye contact, is a crucial foundation for building language. Do not hesitate to amplify your own gestures, use your body and voice when you communicate. For example, you might extend your arm and amplify your voice when you say "big" or lower it when you say “small”. British Sign Language (BSL) can provide great support for you and give you the opportunity to develop your knowledge too. Use simple gestures to give your child the opportunity to imitate you. Do not hesitate to be more sensitive in response to your child’s gestures, when they point to or look specifically at something, give them the object. In addition, you can also point to an object that you want and pick it up, which helps your child to follow your gestures.
4. Giving space for your child to say or show something.
As a parent, it is normal to want to translate what your children want if they do not answer directly. However, it is crucial to leave time for them to answer and give them opportunities to tell us, even if they are not yet using words. When you ask a question or notice that they want something, try to pause for several seconds and wait for their answer by looking at them. This will give them the time to respond in their own way and to show them it is their turn. In that case, be present for them and respond promptly to any signals, it will help to feel the power of the communication and encourage them to repeat that behavior.
5. Simplifying your language.
It can help your child to follow what you are saying and make it simple for them to repeat what you said. If your child does not speak, try to speak mainly in a single word (use the main word to describe what they are doing). For example, if your child is playing with a car you will say “car”, if it is making a crash say “accident” … “car accident”. If the child is using single words, you can gradually increase the complexity of your language. One interesting way to support your child is when you talk, do not hesitate to use one more word than your child is currently using. This will help them to learn new words and follow what you're saying.
6. Following his Flow.
Do not interrupt the child when he is playing. Try to follow their interests and engage with them using language. Try to describe what he is doing. For example, if you are at the playground and he is climbing a ladder to reach the top of the slide you can say “climb” or “climbing the ladder” and then when they arrive at the top you might say “slide”. By using words related with your child's activities or interests, you help them to learn new vocabulary associated with things they enjoy to do and build stronger connections.
7. Consider visual support.
Technologies or visual supports can do more take the place of speech. They can encourage its development. The PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) or apps like Proloquo show pictures that the child uses to generate words. Visual support (images, pictures, objects…) can be used to make requests and reflections.
Qualified professionals can propose a variety of methods and strategies to you to promote your child’s speech. It is important to communicate your successes and your challenges with the professional: the collaboration will be more efficient and can facilitate the support to increase your child’s own voice.
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