Shine - Speech Language Pathology

There is power is simply “joining in” to share an experience. ✨

When we join in, it encourages littles to do what we do and say what we say. This ability to imitate what we say and do is foundational for building communication and interaction.

✔️Joining in supports eye contact, helping littles learn how to read facial cues.

✔️Joining in encourages children to learn how to take turns in interactions by initiating or responding as we share an experience.

✔️Joining in helps kiddos problem solve around what they are seeing, touching and experiencing.

✔️Joining in helps our littles learn about their own world and process their own lived experiences.

✔️Joining in supports connection and relationship, helping our littles feel seen and heard.

What moment do you have within your day to join in?

Early intervention makes a significant difference in supporting early communication development. ✨

You can support your child’s ability to use their first words by:

1. Narrating your daily routines. Children need to hear language in order to learn language. This can be incredibly challenging if you are a parent who is content being quiet. Find moments in your day when you can tune in to what your child is seeing, touching and experiencing, and talk about it!

2. Simplifying your language. Young children are more likely to imitate you if it’s simple. Stress single words that you are trying to teach.

3. Avoiding pressure. Telling kids to talk actually makes it less likely for them to want to talk. I know it’s hard, but avoid asking your child, “Can you say…”. Instead, wait to cue them to try and if they don’t, model the word you would want them to say if they could.

4. Repeat repeat. First words are often ones that children hear repetitively in their lived experiences. They are also words that they choose around their interests.

5. Focusing on “in person interactions”. Children learn more language through their experiences, than from any device or app. In fact, research shows that greater screen time for children at one year of age contributes to developmental delays in communication and problem solving at 2 and 4 years of age.