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The roots of the communication tree are foundational skills that support everything else above. These include:
Listening and Attention: The ability to hear and attend to sounds and voices and to focus attention on tasks.
Social Communication Skills: Developing skills like joint attention (focusing on something with somebody else e.g. sharing a book or following a point to look somewhere), taking turns with somebody else, and the motivation to communicate with others.
Play Skills: Children’s work is their play. By playing, children learn how things relate, they learn about object permanence ( that objects still exist even when out of sight), they develop their imagination with symbolic play (using objects or actions to represent other things) and they learn to imitate others.
Communicative Intent and Motivation: The desire to share ideas, express needs, and connect with others.
Sensory Integration: The ability to manage sensory input and emotions with help from caregivers to facilitate effective interactions.
You can nurture these roots by engaging in interactive play by following your child’s lead, responding to your child’s vocalisations, and encouraging exploration and curiosity by singing, and using effective pauses. The more we engage, the deeper and stronger these roots grow.
The Trunk: Understanding Language
The trunk of the tree represents understanding of language—the ability to understand words, sentences, and concepts. As children grow, they develop:
A robust vocabulary of words they understand.
The ability to follow simple instructions and later more complex directions.
Recognition of patterns and relationships in language, like categorising objects or understanding opposites.
Understanding language serves as the stable core of the communication tree, supporting the branches and leaves that will follow. Reading books, narrating daily routines, and using descriptive language are great ways to strengthen the trunk.
The Branches: Using Language
The branches represent a child’s language skills which they use to express themselves—their ability to use words and sentences to communicate. These skills expand over time and include:
Saying first words or signs and gradually combining them into short phrases.
Expressing needs, wants, and emotions using spoken, signed or picture-based language.
Experimenting with grammar and more complex sentence structures.
You can help grow these branches by modelling language, encouraging communicative attempts, and celebrating communication efforts, no matter how small.
The leaves are the finishing touches that make the tree complete. They represent speech clarity and fluency, enabling children to express themselves effectively. This includes:
Producing clear speech sounds.
Speaking with a natural rhythm and flow.
Using proper intonation and stress to convey meaning.
As children practice and refine their speech, their tree becomes more vibrant and full. Play-based activities that involve rhyming, singing, and storytelling are excellent ways to nurture these skills.
Helping Your Tree Flourish
Just as a tree needs the right environment to grow, so does a child to develop language.
For a communication tree to thrive, it needs consistent care and nurturing. Here are some tips:
Water the Roots: Think of the rain as the opportunities you provide for your child to develop their communication. Engage in meaningful interactions, respond to your child’s cues, and foster their social-emotional development.
Sunlight for Growth: Think of the sunlight as your encouragement and support. Celebrate and praise all communication attempts to encourage confidence and motivation.
Fertilizer (sometimes): Some children may need a little extra help. This is where Nurture can advise on individualised therapeutic approaches to support their growth and development.
Every child’s communication journey is unique, just as no two trees are exactly the same. Let’s nurture their growth together—one word, one conversation, and one day at a time.
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