Parents of children aged 0-5 years: 10 practical ideas to increase your child’s participation and communication skills
In this, our third infographic on functional communication, our speech pathologist Vivien Wong, outlines 10 practical ideas parents of children aged 0-5 years can use to increase their child’s participation and communication skills.
- Increase the number of people the child spends time with, including grandparents and other members of the extended family, friends, babysitters, carers and others.
- Connect with families of other children with similar communication challenges.
- Encourage children to make their own choices and requests about what they want.
- Increase opportunities for your child to play, including with other children, e.g. in playgroups, childcare, and preschool. (See here for why this helps.)
- Explore your community with your child, e.g. by going to local shops, parks, libraries, fetes, fairs, and festivals.
- Give your child opportunities to help you and others – set high expectations.
- Involve your child in age-appropriate family, community, cultural and religious practices.
- Look after yourself! Learn self-advocacy and self-care skills, and seek professional/community help for any family issues.
- If needed, access early intervention, e.g. speech pathology and occupational therapy.
- Incorporate language stimulation techniques into everyday tasks, routines, and activities, while co-exploring the world. (You can read more about some of these here.)
Key source: National Disability Insurance Scheme. (2014). Report of the Independent Advisory Council to the National Disability Insurance Scheme: Reasonable and Necessary Support across the Lifespan: An Ordinary Life for People with Disability.
Related infographics:
- Focusing speech therapy on functional outcomes: a refresher
- Not about ‘fixing’: using the ‘F-word Framework’ to support children with communication disorders and their families
- Parents of children aged 6-12 years: 10 practical ideas to increase you child’s participation and communication skills
- Parents of children aged 13-15 years: 10 practical ideas to increase you child’s participation and communication skills
- Parents of teenagers aged 16-18 years: 11 ideas to increase participation and communication skills
Hi there, I’m David Kinnane.
Principal Speech Pathologist, Banter Speech & Language
Our talented team of certified practising speech pathologists provide unhurried, personalised and evidence-based speech pathology care to children and adults in the Inner West of Sydney and beyond, both in our clinic and via telehealth.
