Communicating with your child

How do you know what your child needs or wants? Are you sure they understand what you say to them?

Speech and Language Therapy

Has your child been seen by a Speech and Language Therapist (SLT)? A review from an SLT in school may be helpful before your initial assessment with LD CAMHS.

A speech and language therapist can assess your child’s communication ability. For example, how many words your child can process and understand.

Demands

Communicating with people who have a learning disability:

Visual communication

  • Visual communication is important for children whether they can speak, sign, or hear.
  • Using visuals means a caregiver and child can communicate consistently, regardless of mood or situation, because it is always the same.
  • Unlike speaking verbally or signing, visuals do not change tone, pitch, facial expression, gestures or words. This makes it much easier to understand, especially when your child is overwhelmed.
  • Using visuals effectively can be tricky. The key is to be consistent and frequent with visuals.

What is a visual schedule?

How to use a visual timetable

What kind of timetable works best?

  • Some children like to have a timetable for:
    • the whole week
    • their entire day
    • part of their day
  • Test out what works best for your child.
  • Some children might prefer shorter timetables (e.g. a morning routine first, followed by an evening routine after school).
  • During holidays you can break the schedule up. For example providing the schedule in chunks throughout the day.

Work out what pictures work best

What works best? Photograph or Symbols/Images.

Before starting to use a timetable, work out what works best for the child. Do they understand real pictures or cartoons better? You can check with the child’s school or Speech and Language Therapist.

Structuring a timetable

  • Start by building the timetable around mealtimes (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, supper).
  • Add in all the major activities or events (e.g. school, supermarket, dentist).
  • Identify any difficult activities or transitions for the young person. ‘Sandwich’ these with a regulating activity first (e.g. blowing bubble/trampolining) followed by a motivating activity (e.g. iPad time/sticker book).
  • Build in free time or choosing time and allow the child to pick an activity from a small choice of things they enjoy doing.

Communicating the timetable

  • Make sure that the timetable is visible and within reach so that the child can actively remove the activity picture once complete.
  • If appropriate, talk through the timetable with the child. Some children will not tolerate or process the whole timetable and will only need to know what they are doing ‘Now’ and ‘Next’.

Now and next

Ideas for how to use ‘now’ and ‘next’

Timers and countdowns

  • Timers help children to know when something is starting and/or finishing. They can help children prepare for ending an enjoyable activity, or understand that a less enjoyable activity will end soon.
  • Make sure you explain to them what they need to do e.g. “now is iPad time, when the timer ends iPad time will finish. Then we will put shoes on to go to school”.

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Page last reviewed: 12 July, 2024