Prevention – What you can do to give your child the best start to communication and avoid non-verbal difficulties

Before your child starts to talk there are many activities you can do to help them develop good non-verbal communication skills. The first step is to interact with your baby, to encourage their natural interest in faces - which occurs from the moment of birth.

As they grow older nursery rhymes are central to developing these skills so if this is all you do, spend at least two or three times a day with your child on your lap doing nursery rhymes. Don’t be put off if your child appears not to be interested – eventually you will find one that amuses or interests them and you will be able to gradually introduce others as time passes.

‘Not Just Talking Helping your baby communicate - from day one’ gives simple guidance on a range of activities to help develop all the skills your baby needs. It is also useful for those who have toddlers as you can still catch up at that stage. However, if your child is already showing signs of the behaviour and social problems associated with poor skill development then you will need to look at the parent training section.

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