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Communication
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At home
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At home
How to Work on PECS With Your Child at Home
Start PECS at home with one highly-motivating item and teach your child to hand you its picture in exchange for the real thing (Phase 1), using two adults where possible, rewarding instantly, and never forcing speech. Weave short, happy exchanges into daily routines and grow to later phases with a therapist's guidance.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I work on PECS with my child at home?
Begin PECS at home by choosing one thing your child loves, making a clear picture of it, and teaching them to hand you that picture to get the item. Always honour the request instantly, pair it with the spoken word, build distance and vocabulary slowly, and work alongside your speech therapist.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I work on Picture Exchange Communication with my child at home?
PECS lets a child communicate by exchanging a picture for something they want. At home, start with pictures of favourite items kept just out of reach, follow the phases gently, and reward the exchange instantly and consistently. A speech therapist should tailor the pictures and pacing for your child.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I work on Picture Exchange with my child at home?
Picture Exchange helps your child request things by handing you a picture of what they want. Start at home with one or two highly motivating items, keep the picture within reach, and respond instantly so your child learns the exchange brings good things. Keep practice short, frequent and playful, and let a speech-language therapist guide the next steps.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I work on Picture Naming with my child at home?
Practise Picture Naming at home in short, playful turns: choose pictures your child loves, name them first yourself, then give a happy chance to respond using a gentle prompt ladder. Accept every attempt — a point, sign or word approximation all count — and weave naming into books, photos and daily routines.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I work on Picture Vocabulary with my child at home?
Build picture vocabulary at home with picture books, flashcards and photos of familiar people and objects — name, point and pause for your child to join in. Start with things they love, repeat often, and weave naming into daily life. Little and often works best; if new words aren't coming over several months, a developmental check helps.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I work on Picture-Based Story with my child at home?
Use simple pictures, photos or sequence cards to invite your child to look, point, name and narrate. Follow their lead, comment more than you quiz, build from single pictures to short sequences, and celebrate every attempt. A few warm minutes most days grows language, attention and imagination.
Read the answer AnswerHow to Work on Picture-Based Storytelling at Home
Use simple pictures — books, photos, drawings — to help your child name, sequence and describe what's happening. Build it into short, joyful daily moments: name what you see, ask gentle "what next?" questions, follow your child's lead and expand every attempt. It grows vocabulary, sentence-building and conversation.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I work on Play-Based Communication with my child at home?
Play-based communication means following your child's lead in everyday play and turning each moment into shared back-and-forth — face-to-face, with pauses, gestures and warm responses. Roll-and-wait, songs that stop before the fun bit, copying sounds and adding a word all build communication. Keep it short, joyful and pressure-free.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I work on Play-Based Language with my child at home?
Play-based language means weaving words and back-and-forth turns into the games your child already enjoys. Follow their lead, narrate the play, pause expectantly, offer choices and expand on their words — a few joyful ten-minute sessions a day build communication naturally.
Read the answer AnswerHow to Work on Play-Based Two-Word Combinations at Home
Build two-word phrases through play by expanding the words your child already uses — "car" becomes "go car" — during bubbles, snack time and pretend play, pausing to give them a turn. Most children start combining words between 18 and 24 months; a check is wise if none appear by around 30 months.
Read the answer AnswerHow to Work on Play-Based Vocabulary at Home
Play-based vocabulary grows language by weaving new words into the games your child loves. Follow their lead, narrate the play, repeat key words in daily routines, and pause to let them respond. Ten joyful minutes a day beats an hour of flashcards.
Read the answer AnswerHow to Practise Plurals and Pronouns at Home
Build plurals and pronouns at home through everyday play, counting, books and routines — naming, modelling and gently expanding what your child says rather than drilling. Keep it short, playful and repeated, follow your child's interest, and recast errors instead of correcting. Most children master these between roughly 2 and 4 years.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I work on plurals and pronouns with my child at home?
Build plurals and pronouns at home through everyday play, books and routines — model the correct word, repeat it naturally, and give gentle chances to use it. Little and often, fun not drills. Mixing forms is normal early; a speech therapy check helps if grammar stays sparse by 3–4 years.
Read the answer AnswerHow to Work on Plural Picture with Your Child at Home
Practise plural picture work at home with short, playful sessions: pair pictures or real objects showing 'more than one' with the plural word, use matching and sorting games, and gently model the correct form rather than drilling. Most children master regular '-s' plurals between roughly two and four years.
Read the answer AnswerHow to Work on Plural Vocabulary at Home
Build plural vocabulary at home through everyday talk, counting real objects, reading counting books and gently modelling the correct form. Most children add regular -s plurals around 2–3 years, with irregulars (feet, mice) coming later. Keep modelling rather than correcting, and seek a friendly check if plurals are rarely used by 4–5.
Read the answer AnswerHow to Work on Plurals and Pronouns with Your Child at Home
Build plurals and pronouns through everyday play, counting, narration and picture books — and use 'recasting' (warmly repeating your child's words in the correct form) rather than correcting. Keep it little, often and pressure-free; swaps like 'two mouses' are normal as these skills develop gradually.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I work on Pointing and Gesture with my child at home?
Pointing, showing and waving are the foundations of speech. Build them at home by holding items just out of reach, pointing to share interest, playing wave and clap games, and responding warmly to every gesture as if it were a word. Short daily moments beat long sessions.
Read the answer AnswerHow to Work on Pointing Gesture at Home
Pointing develops around 9–14 months. Encourage it at home by placing favourite items just out of reach, modelling pointing with joy, using point-and-name books, offering two-handed choices, and always responding warmly when your child gestures.
Read the answer AnswerHow can I work on Polite Words Role with my child at home?
Polite Words Role helps your child learn courtesy words — please, thank you, sorry, excuse me — through pretend play and everyday moments. Model the word warmly, take turns in roles like shop or tea party, pause expectantly in real life, and praise every attempt. Keep it short, playful and pressure-free.
Read the answer AnswerHow to Work on Positional Words at Home
Build positional words (in, on, under, behind) at home through play — hide-and-seek with toys, simple where-instructions in daily routines, and obstacle courses with movement. Start with one or two word-pairs, model before asking, and keep it joyful. Most children master simple positions by 3 and complex ones by 4–5.
Read the answer AnswerHow to Work on Positional Words at Home
Teach positional words (in, on, under, behind, between) through play, movement and daily routines rather than flashcards. Move your child's body and favourite toys through positions while naming them, and let your child point or place before having to say the word. Start with in/on/under, then add harder words gradually.
Read the answer AnswerHow to Practise Two-Word Phrases With Your Child at Home
Help your child combine two words by modelling short phrases, expanding on their single words, offering choices, and pausing during favourite routines to invite language. Keep it playful and pressure-free, woven into everyday moments rather than formal lessons, and celebrate every attempt.
Read the answer AnswerHow to practise two-word phrases with your child at home
Two-word phrases usually emerge around 18–24 months, once a child has roughly 50 words. At home, encourage them by expanding your child's single words with one extra word, offering choices, pausing to wait, and pairing words with actions during play and daily routines — little and often.
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