Top Tips: What does it mean to initiate communication? Why is it important?
If a family is concerned about their child’s expressive language skills, I often begin to ask questions about ways in which their child is initiating communication, or how the child independently and intentionally communicates a message to their communication partner. Remember that a child doesn’t have to be talking to initiate communication! Children can initiate communication using eye contact, directed facial expressions (e.g., looks of excitement, surprise, curiosity, frustration, etc.), body movements, vocalizations, gestures, signs, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) use, and/or words. Think about how much a look of frustration or excitement communicates.
While a child may not use words, they may tap their hand on a chair and look towards you as a means of telling you to sit down (i.e., directing action). Perhaps a child pulls your hand towards their stomach when they don’t feel well (i.e., sharing information). Maybe they move their body towards you after you stop tickling them to indicate they want the routine to continue (i.e., requesting recurrence). These are all initiations! While the child may not be using words, they sure are communicating!
It is critical we understand the ways in which a child initiates communication as it allows us to appropriately respond while simultaneously modeling an expanded form of communication (e.g., if a child is gesturing to initiate communication, we might model signs and/or words).
In addition to evaluating the manners in which a child is initiating communication, it’s important to assess communication functions. Often times, we tend to focus too much on requesting. While I like to know how a child asks for preferred foods and toys, I also want to know how they refuse unwanted items. How do they indicate they want you to do something (i.e., directing actions)? How do they show you they need help (i.e., requesting assistance)? How do they ask for a routine (e.g., peek-a-boo) to continue? How do they gain attention when you’re looking the other way?
Why is it important to understand how and when a child initiates communication?
When a child initiates communication, it is not prompted by an adult. It is spontaneous in nature. The child is motivated to share something with you. This is gold when it comes to expanding communication, as it allows adults to model a more sophisticated form of communication in a moment that the child is engaged and motivated! That’s invaluable when it comes to teaching language.
What does it mean to model expanded communication? Immediately following your child’s initiation, you model functional language in that moment. Take the following examples:
Your child reaches for additional snack. You sign “more” and say, “More cracker! You’re hungry.”
Your child hands you a toy they need help turning on. You say, “It looks like you need help. Let’s turn it on.”
Your child hands you a book as a means of asking you to read with them. You model, “Read,” on their AAC system.
A child places your hand on their head to indicate their head hurts. You model, “Feel” or “Hurt,” on their AAC system.
Your child pushes a goldfish cracker away. You shake your head and say, “You don’t want it! No more crackers.”
A child vocalizes to gain your attention when you walk away. You say, “Oh hello! Thanks for letting me know you want to play!”
Often times, we see an increase in initiation when we start to recognize and respond appropriately to a child’s initiations.
That being said, some children exhibit difficulty initiating communication or initiate communication in atypical ways. If this is the case, it may be important to address initiation in therapy.
What strategies can we use to improve a child’s ability to initiate?
Follow your child’s lead: Children initiate communication when they’re engaged in activities that are fun and motivating for them. If they’re interested in trucks, let’s start there! If they’re interested in sensory toys, that’s a wonderful place to begin. What about food? Snacks are often a really effective starting place for eliciting communication attempts from children who have significantly reduced initiation.
Wait time: Often times, parents and caregivers anticipate what kids want and provide them with what they need before giving them an opportunity to request it themselves. While silence may initially feel uncomfortable, wait time provides kids with ample processing time such that they have an opportunity to initiate communication. It also gives us a chance to observe exactly subtle ways in which a child is initiating communication.