Follow Your Child’s Lead and Watch Language Grow

Caregivers often ask, “What’s the best way to interact with young children who need to improve their speech and language development?”

The Answer: Experienced speech-language pathologists know that children learn language best when they’re with people they trust in a comfortable, familiar environment. If that environment provides the child with engaging, enjoyable activities that pique their interests, you’re even further ahead.

Comfortable environments fosters trust, which is essential to children taking a lead. In this blog, we delve into how speech-language pathologists use the evidence-based practice of following a child's lead to improve speech and language development.

Evidence-based practice and studies continue to show us that when we follow a child’s lead, those children are more likely to develop improvements in language and conversation skills.

Benefits of Following Your Child's Lead

A recent study published in the Journal of Child Language found that children who were engaged in responsive interactions with caregivers exhibited higher language skills compared to those in less responsive environments. Another study, in the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, highlighted the importance of joint attention in language development, a key component of following a child's lead.

What Does It Mean to Follow Your Child's Lead?

While it may feel natural to help your child by providing words or managing playtime activities and directing social situations, following your child’s lead will ultimately help them improve their communication abilities.

As speech-language pathologists, we are trained to sit back and allow children to be in charge of the conversation, using their words of choice. Observing how children speak, engage in conversation, and interact with others, we gather information about how each individual child learns and develops. We keep the focus in the present, carefully listening and observing. What are they doing now? How are they responding to questions and prompts? How do they interact with friends, family members, teachers, doctors, or strangers in the worlds beyond their known places?

By aligning yourself with a child’s activities, responses, and interactions, you create a low-pressure, relaxing environment. When you show children that their words and actions matter, you demonstrate that you care about what they say and do. The more relaxed they are, the more likely they are to actively engage for longer periods of time in conversational interactions.

Practical Steps - How to Take A Child's Lead

Observe and Listen: Take the time to observe a child's interests, actions, and reactions. Actively listen to how they communicate through words, gestures, sounds, movements or expressions.

Get on Their Level: Literally and figuratively, get on the floor and engage with your child at their eye level. This simple act communicates your willingness to connect and see things on their terms.

Play Like a Kid: Immerse yourself in your child's world by playing alongside. Whether you’re coloring, building with blocks, singing, or playing a game, joining your child in their favorite activities will enhance your understanding of their current interests.

Provide Relevant Language: As you play with your child, make sure your language stays focused on the actions and activities at hand. This will reinforce connections between words and actions, improving your child's understanding of language in the context of what you’re doing at the time.

Avoid Question Overload: When a child isn’t joining you in the conversation, it’s normal to want to encourage their participation by asking lots of questions. Stay in the moment and avoid overloading your child with too many potentially overwhelming questions. Keep in mind that when a child is already dealing with speech-language challenges, being asked a lot of questions creates additional pressure.

Embrace Silence: Never underestimate the power of quiet moments. Children need time to process information and formulate responses before actively participating in a conversation. Letting your child know it’s fine to be quiet together promotes a more natural and less hurried interaction.

Parent and Caregiver Coaching: For parents and caregivers looking to help children improve communication skills and language development, coaching will be a valuable asset. Parent and caregiver coaching involves working with a professional, typically a speech-language pathologist who, in a non-judgmental setting, provides guidance and support, designed specifically for each child/caregiver relationship.

Coaching helps parents and caregivers become better at observing, listening, and actively participating in their child's world, promoting growth in language and communications skills. Every child deserves a life filled with potential. With the right approach, we can help them succeed.