Are you noticing that your child is using a lot of gestures but not many words to communicate? Are they beginning to show some frustration when you’re not understanding what they want? One way to assist your child with indicating what they want, while decreasing their frustration, is to provide choices. For example, they gesture to the snack cupboard and you know there are a couple of snacks they prefer. Bring the box/container down to their eye level and simple ask, “Do you want crackers or goldfish?”. Even if they can’t imitate those words at the moment, they can show you which one by touching or pointing to it.
Another strategy to try is a “communication temptation” or “environmental sabotage”. What is that?? You can implement this in a few different ways. If they choose a food that is in a small package or container that they can’t yet open, give it to them anyway before opening it. When they give it back to you, you can model “open” or “help”, or the name of the food. Model it first as if you are asking a question so they also have an opportunity to give you a “yes” response by shaking their head or attempting a vocalization similar to “yes”. As you open the package or container, model the word you’ve chosen again. Once again as you give them the food, model the same word. They have now heard it 3 times. If they do not try to imitate that word after trying this MANY times and throughout MANY routines, you may need to contact additional assistance through your local Early Intervention program. Another way to practice this is by placing a favorite toy or favorite cup in sight but out of reach. When they gesture toward it, you know for sure what they want. Utilize the same strategy of modeling the word 3 times, giving your child plenty of time to at least attempt to imitate the word(3-5 seconds based on how frustrated they become waiting).
Sometimes our children need extra time to process the expectation or extra opportunities to practice and become confident to imitate the word so they eventually use it spontaneously. There will be frustration if this is something new for them. It’s important to provide opportunities for our children to navigate through the steps of spontaneously and confidently expressing themselves, while providing assistance when needed. This also means they will need time to feel and process their emotions.
