Communication & Language Deep-dive

If you only remember four things from this whole course, remember these. Each takes seconds. Each compounds. Together they build vocabulary, grammar, attention, and the relationship that supports all of it.

1. Tune in.

Get down to the child's eye level. Notice what they're looking at, holding, doing. Wait for them to lead. Don't bring an agenda.

Example: child is holding a leaf, staring at it. You crouch next to them, look at the leaf too, say nothing for a beat. They look at you, then back at the leaf, then say "wet." You're in. The conversation has started, on their terms.

2. Narrate.

Quietly describe what the child is doing, in short sentences, parallel to the action. Not "Are you putting the cup in the box?" Just "Cup in the box. Big cup." Then wait.

Narrating gives the child the words for what they're already experiencing — the easiest possible vocabulary learning.

3. Expand.

Take what the child says and gently extend it. They say "dog." You say "Yes — a big brown dog. Look at his tail." They say "more." You say "More water? Here you go — more cold water in your cup."

Expansion is how children's sentences grow without being corrected.

4. The 30-second pause.

After you ask a question or make a statement that invites a response, wait. Adults typically wait 1–2 seconds before re-prompting. Children, especially younger ones, often need 5–30 seconds to process and form a response.

The pause is the single highest-impact thing you can change about your communication with children. It's also the hardest because it feels unbearable. Count to 10 silently if you have to.

💡 JLK practice standard: Tune in · Narrate · Expand · Pause. Every interaction. Every age group. Every day.

• I can name the four JLK communication moves in order
• I will wait at least 5 seconds after asking a question before re-prompting
• I will narrate what a child is doing rather than question them
• I will expand a child's word into a phrase, gently, without "correcting" them

Beyond individual interactions, the room itself either feeds language or starves it.

What a language-rich JLK room looks like:

• Books everywhere — not just in the book corner. Cookery books in role-play kitchen. Reference books in the construction area. Picture books in the cot room. Bath books in the water tray.
• Adult-to-child read-aloud daily. Not just at story time — opportunistic, small-group, on a beanbag, in a den.
• Songs, rhymes, signing. Built into transitions (tidy-up song, lining-up song), not just at music time. Repetition is the engine.
• Word-rich displays. Children's own words captioned underneath their work, photos labelled, signs on storage so children associate written words with objects.
• Real conversations between adults. When the team talks calmly and warmly to each other in the room, children hear what conversation sounds like. This is one of the most underrated factors.
• Quiet spaces. Constant background noise (music, chatter, TV) suppresses talk. JLK rooms have a quiet corner with low or no audio so children's own voices have room.

What kills language development in a room:

• Adult instruction mode. Days where the adults are mostly telling, not talking with.
• Constant background music or TV. Children stop trying to be heard.
• Adults talking about children in front of them. Excluded from the conversation, and learning that talk is something done to you.
• Closed questions only. "Did you have fun? Yes? Good." doesn't open anything.
• Test questions. "What colour is this? What animal is that?" Children stop volunteering language because they're being assessed instead of talked to.

Open questions that work:

• "I wonder why…"
• "What do you think will happen if…"
• "Tell me about…"
• "How did you make that…"
• "What would happen if we tried…"

🔇 The audio test: stand in your room for 30 seconds and listen. If the dominant sound is the adults instructing, or background music, the room isn't language-rich — it's language-noisy.

• I can name 3 features of a language-rich room
• I understand why background music or TV suppresses children's talk
• I will use open questions ("I wonder why…") not test questions ("what colour?")
• I will not talk about a child in front of them

Late talking is more common than people realise. Some children just take longer; some have a need underneath that benefits from early identification. The JLK approach is the same shape for everyone: rich support in the meantime, careful observation, low-key parent partnership.

The rough developmental landmarks (use as gentle guidance, not deadlines):

• 12 months: babbling, gestures (waving, pointing), responding to name.
• 18 months: ~20 spoken words, follows simple instructions, points to show interest.
• 2 years: ~50 words, beginning to combine 2 words ("more juice", "dog gone").
• 2.5–3 years: ~200–500 words, 3-word sentences, asking questions.
• 3–4 years: long sentences, stories, "why?" questions, beginning to be understood by strangers.
• 4–5 years: grammatically complete sentences, conversation across turns, narrative play.

If a child is well behind these markers:

1. Don't panic, don't ignore. Note specifically what they are doing — gestures, eye contact, comprehension, single words. Profile is more useful than label.
2. Increase the JLK communication moves with them. Tune in, narrate, expand, pause — more frequently, slightly slower, with more visual support.
3. Talk to the SENCo at your site. She'll suggest practical adaptations and start the gentle assessment cycle.
4. Mention to the parent — carefully. Lead with what the child is doing, not what they aren't. "We've been really enjoying watching Yusuf at the moment — lots of pointing and gesturing. We've noticed he's not using many spoken words yet. Many children at his age aren't, and we'll keep supporting him — but we wanted to flag it so we can keep an eye together. Have you noticed the same at home?"
5. If the family wants to investigate further: they go to the GP for a referral to a Speech and Language Therapist. JLK doesn't refer directly — that's via the family's medical route.
6. If a referral is in process / already happened: JLK works with the SLT's recommendations, attends review meetings where helpful, mirrors their strategies in the room.

What NOT to do:

• Don't diagnose. "She might be autistic" / "He's probably just lazy" — never. Description, not diagnosis.
• Don't compare children to each other in front of parents. "Well, [other child] is already saying full sentences…"
• Don't withhold concern. If something is genuinely worrying, sharing it early is kindness, not alarm.
• Don't promise outcomes. "He'll be fine, my own son was a late talker and he's now a barrister" — not the conversation.

⚠️ The honest balance: early identification helps. Premature labelling harms. Trust the SENCo to hold that balance and route concerns through her, not directly to the parent.

• I know the rough developmental milestones for spoken language by age
• I will increase the four communication moves with a child who isn't talking yet
• I will raise concerns through the SENCo before raising with the parent
• I will not diagnose, label, compare children, or promise outcomes

Scenario: Tomi is 2 years 4 months. He's been at JLK Lewisham for 6 months. His key person, Sade, has noticed his spoken vocabulary is still around 10–15 words. He communicates well non-verbally — pointing, gestures, eye contact, lots of comprehension. The other 2-year-olds in the room are mostly forming 2–3 word phrases by now.

Sade's plan:

Step 1: Sade increases the JLK communication moves with Tomi specifically — tunes in more often, narrates Tomi's actions, expands the words he is using, and forces herself to pause and wait longer than feels natural.

Step 2: Sade keeps a small notebook page on Tomi's spoken-word capture — what he says, when, in what context. Within 2 weeks she has a clearer picture.

Step 3: Sade talks to the site SENCo, Esther. They look at the observations together. Esther's view: it's worth keeping a closer eye but not yet worth a SLT referral. She suggests Sade add some visual supports (a now/next board for transitions) and try Makaton signs for high-frequency words ("more", "all done", "drink").

Step 4: At a pickup, Sade has a brief conversation with Tomi's mum: "Just wanted to share — we've been really enjoying watching Tomi this fortnight. Lots of pointing and gesturing, lots of clear understanding. We've noticed he's not using many spoken words yet — he's got about 15 with us right now. Have you noticed the same at home? No urgent worry from our side — we just wanted to keep an eye together, and we're going to add a few extra visual supports for him in the room."

Mum: "Yeah, we've been wondering. He's the same at home."

Sade: "Worth a chat with your GP if you'd like — they can do an initial check, and refer to speech and language if helpful. We'll keep supporting him here, and let's check in again at the end of the month."

What Sade did right:

• Increased her own communication moves before raising it externally.
• Captured observations specifically over 2 weeks — not just impression.
• Went via the SENCo first.
• Led with what Tomi is doing (gestures, comprehension), not what he isn't.
• Didn't compare to other children. Didn't diagnose. Didn't promise.
• Made the GP suggestion gently, not as an instruction.
• Booked the follow-up so it doesn't go quiet.

Reflection prompt: Think of a child in your current room whose language you'd like to support more deliberately. What's one of the four JLK moves (tune in / narrate / expand / pause) you'd commit to doing more with them next week?

• I've identified one child and one communication move to focus on next week