What is connection with others?

For our children at an early stage of communication, connection with others relates to their experience of meaningful communication exchanges with adults and other children. 

Both the child and those engaging with the child may use a range of communication methods to connect. 

Connection can happen without spoken language. Communication could be through body language, touch, tone of voice or gestures for example.

Why is connection with others important?

For some children at an early stage of communication, building connection with people around them is an important building block to support and nurture further communication development. 

It is important for people supporting early communicators to recognise, understand and respond to every form of communication the child uses.

How might my child be communicating?

Children may be able to share their ideas, needs, wants, mood and personality with you through many ways that do not necessarily involve the using words. Early communicators may use:

  • Sounds/vocalisations/intonation
  • Body language
  • Facial expression
  • Symbols/objects
  • Signs
  • Gestures
  • Hand leading
  • Pointing
  • Crying/laughing 
  • Repeating noises/words/phrases
Key strategies to support early communicators
Accepting all forms of communication

It is important to accept and honour your child’s preferred way to communicate just now. Value every attempt they make to communicate with you.

Why this helps

Your child will experience success at communicating with you. This will encourage them to communicate their ideas, wants, needs to you again. Having lots of opportunities to enjoy these interactions with you will support the development of their communication skills.

For some children, having their communication efforts responded to by adults will reduce frustration levels.

Do not focus on eye contact

Do not encourage your child to look directly at you if this is difficult or uncomfortable for them.

Why this helps

Making direct eye contact can be uncomfortable for some children and is not an essential part of building connections. 

Children do not need to make eye contact to communicate with us. Children may look towards you or make fleeting eye contact to show they are giving their attention to you.

Use short comments

Make short comments as your child is exploring, playing, taking part in daily routines. Make comments related to what they are seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, smelling. Try to pause for at least 5 seconds after you have said something.  Try to reduce the number of questions you ask your child.

Why this helps

Making comments related to what your child is interested in shows them that you have noticed what is important to them. Pausing allow your child time to notice and process what you have said. Questions can often be difficult for children to answer and often they cannot respond to them. For early communicators, questions do not always support communication development.

Support your spoken with words additional forms of communication

Add in gestures or signs, use objects to convey your meaning, use more facial expression or intonation to share excitement or build anticipation for example.

Why this helps

Children may not always understand the words that we say. When we add in extra visual information or change how we say words to add excitement, this will help children to notice more of what we are sharing with them. An example of this is when we might say ‘weeeee’ as your child goes down a slide or on a roundabout to show excitement and enjoyment. Early communicators respond to adults using lots of intonation when they talk.

Follow your child’s lead

Notice what your child is interested in in the moment. Observe how they are exploring or playing with the object, toy, their body, their voice. Take a few minutes to do this. They may not use the toys or objects as you would expect them to. This is ok. They are exploring and learning. 

Try to notice what they are focussing on – is it the movement of something, the texture, the sound of something?

Join your child by sitting/ lying/ crouching next to them – try to match their physical level. 

Try not to direct the play. Copy what they are doing. 

Make comments about what they are doing or noticing. 

Make sure that there are lots of opportunities for children to be able to access the things that are motivating for them.

Why this helps

This helps children to know we value their play and are interested in what they are doing. This will support children with trusting us and encourage them to build connections with us. From these connections we can support communication.

When we make comments or use additional actions or sounds related to what a child is interested in, they are more likely to notice and respond to these.

Contact details 

Children's Speech & Language
Springboard Child Development Centre
Orton Road
Carlisle 
CA2 7HE

Telephone 01228 608112

Confidentiality

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For further information on confidentiality contact the Information Governance Team:

Information.Governance@ncic.nhs.uk | 01228 603961

Feedback

We appreciate and encourage feedback, which helps us to improve our services. If you have any comments, compliments or concerns to make about your care, please contact the Patient, Advice & Liaison Service:

pals@ncic.nhs.uk | 01228 814008 or 01946 523818

If you would like to raise a complaint regarding your care, please contact the Complaints Department:

complaints@ncic.nhs.uk | 01228 936302