Talking and Communication

Talking and communicating uses skills that continue to develop and refine over our whole lifetime.

For most children, communication skills develop rapidly over the first five years of their life, and the adults around them can do a lot to help support their development. For some children these skills don’t always develop as expected and they may need some extra support to help them communicate.

Although most children use talking as a means of communication, some children communicate through signing, gestures/action, symbols, or books/apps.

The Children’s Speech and Language Therapy service has put together lots of helpful advice and suggestions on how you can support your child’s communication skills at home. Please visit the Children’s Speech and Language Therapy page to guide you through to advice relevant for you and your child.

Children's Speech and Language Therapy

Useful Ideas and Strategies to help my child

If your child is currently known to the Children’s Speech and Language Therapy service, please follow the advice recommended for you and your child; please contact us if you would like to talk through this again.

As with all of us, how effectively children communicate can be dependent on how they are feeling. Using strategies to support your child’s emotional wellbeing can also have a positive impact on their communication skills.