How to Support Your Child’s Communication Skills at Home

Pediatric Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy are powerful tools in

supporting our children’s communication skills and needs. However, it doesn’t stop

there! The home is ground zero for communication– read on to learn more about how to

support your child’s communication skills at home!

Supporting Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal communication is just as important as our verbal communication.

However, it can appear more subtle and may be challenging to understand or respond

to sometimes. When seeking to support your child’s nonverbal communication skills,

there are a number of things that may be beneficial! Modeling nonverbal communication

is a good start. Make good eye contact, sit at their level, show how to calmly handle

strong emotions, and listen actively. Your child may need clear explanations of things

such as facial expressions, tone, or posture, as well as practice using them

appropriately (Healthy Children).

Listening skills are another critical element of nonverbal communication. Again,

modeling good listening skills is a great way to support your child’s communication. In

addition to practicing the things listed above, you can model good listening skills by

nodding and responding with appropriate facial expressions, putting aside distractions

(such as technology), repeating/summarizing what your child said before responding,

and have them do the same for you (Healthy Children).

Supporting Verbal Communication

According to Las Vegas Day School, the foundation for fostering good

communication in babies is comprised of recognizing their communication signals,

reading them appropriately, and responding quickly to those signals. As children get

older, this can get more complex. Just like nonverbal communication, modeling good

communication skills with your children can go a long way. There are so many ways to

do this, and a few good places to start are by modeling and fostering empathy and an

empathetic vocabulary (Las Vegas Day School), using “I” statements, and being

consistent (Healthy Children). Additionally, engage in reading with your child, ask them

their opinion on things, and focus on the natural flow of conversation (Las Vegas Day School).

Seeking Extra Support

We aren’t meant to walk our health and wellbeing journeys alone. If you feel

overwhelmed or think that your child may benefit from extra support, a little bit may go a

long way. A compassionate professional can build a tailored therapy program to suit

your child and their needs, while prioritizing bringing you in on the process!

At Compass Community Health, we believe that YOUR child’s wellbeing matters. Our

compassionate Pediatric OT and Pediatric Speech Therapy teams are ready to meet

you and walk with your family on your specific health journey. It’s too important to wait-

schedule an appointment today by calling (740) 355-7102!

_____________________________

-Email: info@compasscommunityhealth.org,

-Message us on Facebook @ Compass Community Health

-Call: 740-355-7102

-Address: 1634 11th St, Portsmouth, OH 45662