Foundational Language Intervention Strategies for Early Communicators

Question 1

Responsive Interactions

Answer 1

Caregivers reacting quickly and positively to meet child’s need to responding to a child’s behavior to encourage back and forth turn-taking communication

Question 2

Goal of Responsive Interaction

Answer 2

Teaches children that communication is important
Supports engagement and builds secure relationships
Promotes reciprocal interaction (turn-taking)
More a child gets to communicate, more practice they get (They need ALOT of this!)

Question 3

Embedded Intervention

Answer 3

Interventions that can be done during the daily routines of the child; intervention embedded into their daily life and routines

Question 4

Steps of Responsive Interactions

Answer 4

NOTICE
RESPOND
PAUSE

Question 5

NOTICE: Summary

Answer 5

Notice what the child is interested in/how the child is communicating
Any form of communication counts!

Question 6

RESPOND: Summary

Answer 6

Respond to child’s interest and communication by:
-Physically engaging in the “next-step” action
-Imitating gestures
-Commenting on action or focus of interest
-Expanding the play/physical action
-Imitating vocalization/word
-Expanding the words into short and simple phrases

*Doesn’t need to be sophisticated or correct version of play: do what they are doing (contingent responses are responses that are DEPENDENT of the activity of the child)

Question 7

PAUSE: Summary

Answer 7

Pause after your response to encourage taking balanced turns and give child TIME to respond
Be quiet but still be engaged at the same time
Once the child responds, cycle repeats

Question 8

NOTICE: Detailed look

Answer 8

Notice what the child is looking at, reaching for, doing or saying

Ex:
Reaching for bubbles
Kicking a ball
Saying “ball”

Question 9

RESPOND: Detailed look

Answer 9

Language is most meaningful when it is related to what the child is DOING or in response to what they are COMMUNICATING or SHOWING INTEREST in

Respond by IMITATING:
-Imitate actions and words
Ex:
Child bangs table: You bang table
Child says “ball”: You say “ball”
Child draws circle: You draw circle
Child kicks ball: You kick ball (next-step)

Respond by COMMENTING
-Comment on actions
Ex:
Child bangs table: You say “Bang!”
Child draws circle: You say “Circle”
-Comment on action and imitate action (helps bridge gap between action and word)
Ex:
Child bangs table: You bang table and say “Bang!”

Respond by EXPANDING
-You add more words on top of what child communicated
Ex:
Child says “ball”: You say “Kick ball!”

*Avoid lengthy narration and remember to pause for turn-taking!

Question 10

PAUSE: Detailed look

Answer 10

Balanced communication turns, taking turns communicating with the child
Allows time for child to communicate
Take another turn if child doesn’t take a turn after you pause for around 5 seconds!