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Communication
Explore explanations, everyday questions and next steps connected with communication.
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Signs & concerns
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Signs & concerns
What signs in a child's Communication development should a teacher notice and flag?
Teachers should notice and flag children who speak far less than peers, struggle to follow simple instructions, have very unclear speech, rarely start or join conversations, or don't take turns and share. These are signs to observe and flag to parents and support staff — not to diagnose. A persisting pattern, several areas affected, a child left out of participation, or any sudden loss of words deserves prompt attention, alongside a hearing check.
Read the answer AnswerSigns of an Auditory Difficulty in Children
Hearing shapes speech, language and connection, so signs of an auditory difficulty often appear in how a child responds and talks — not startling to loud sounds, not turning to your voice, slow babbling or few words, turning the TV up loud, frequent ear infections, or seeming to 'tune out'. Hearing may be partial or fluctuate, so clues can be subtle. These are reasons to check, not to panic, as early support helps children catch up beautifully.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs of oral-motor difficulty can affect a child's development?
The oral-motor system — lips, tongue, jaw and cheeks — powers sucking, chewing, swallowing and speech. Signs of difficulty include messy or stressful feeding, trouble moving to lumpy or solid textures, gagging or coughing on feeds, persistent drooling past the toddler years, and speech that's hard to understand for the child's age. A persistent pattern across feeding and talking is worth a gentle developmental check; choking, chest infections or poor weight gain need prompt medical review.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with cognitive communication pre-literacy?
Between roughly 3 and 7 years, signs a child may need support with cognitive communication pre-literacy include trouble following multi-step instructions, little interest in books or rhymes, difficulty retelling a simple story, not recognising their name in print by school-entry age, and limited letter or sound learning. These are signs to observe and gently support, not to diagnose at home — many children bloom on their own timeline, and early playful help works well. A hearing check usually comes first, and support never has to wait for a label.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with communication?
Between 12 and 36 months, signs your child may need communication support include few or no words by 18 months, not combining two words by 24 months, limited pointing or gestures, not responding to their name, little eye contact, or losing words once used. Many toddlers bloom at their own pace, so these are signs to observe and check — not to diagnose at home. A hearing check comes first, and early, playful support helps greatly when needed.
Read the answer AnswerSigns Your Child May Need Expressive Communication Support
For a child aged 3–7, signs of difficulty with expressive communication include a small vocabulary, very short or jumbled sentences, speech that is hard to understand, frustration when not understood, and relying on pointing over words. These are signs to observe and check, not diagnose at home. A developmental screen with a hearing check is a sensible first step, and early, play-based speech support helps many children bloom.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with communication – pragmatics?
Pragmatics is the social use of language. Between 3 and 7 years, signs a child may need support include difficulty taking conversational turns, staying on topic, understanding jokes or hints, reading tone and body language, making or keeping friends, and adjusting talk to different listeners. These are signs to observe gently, not diagnose at home — a developmental and speech-language screen is the sensible next step, and early playful support helps greatly.
Read the answer AnswerSigns your child may need receptive communication support
Between roughly 3 and 7 years, signs your child may need support with receptive communication (understanding language) include not following simple instructions, seeming not to listen even when hearing is fine, struggling to answer simple who/what/where questions, confusion with everyday words like in/on/under, and relying heavily on gestures to understand. These are signs to observe and check — not diagnose at home. A hearing check comes first, and a developmental screen helps understand the pattern early.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need communication support?
Between ages 3 and 7, signs a child may need communication support fall into understanding (receptive — following instructions, answering questions, grasping stories) and expressing (expressive — sentence length, naming, being understood). Watch for misunderstood requests, short sentences, being hard to understand, or trouble recalling their day. These are signs to observe and check, not diagnose at home; a hearing check comes first, then a speech-language assessment.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with communication social language?
For a child aged 3 to 7, signs they may need support with communication and social language include speech that's hard to understand, trouble following instructions, a small or slow-growing vocabulary, difficulty with back-and-forth conversation, and trouble joining play or reading social cues. These are signs to observe and gently check, not to diagnose at home. A short developmental screen brings clarity, and early support never has to wait for a label.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with contextual language use?
Contextual (pragmatic) language use means using words the right way for each situation — greeting, turn-taking, staying on topic and adjusting tone. In children aged 3–7, signs to watch include talking at people rather than with them, missing conversational cues, very literal understanding, repeating scripts that don't fit, and difficulty telling a simple story or asking for help. These are patterns to observe and discuss, not to diagnose at home, and matter most when they persist across settings and affect friendships or learning.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with conversation skills?
Between about 3 and 7 years, signs your child may need support with conversation skills include difficulty taking turns in talk, jumping off-topic, rarely starting or joining chats, giving very short answers, missing the back-and-forth of questions, or not adjusting speech for different listeners. Many children grow into conversation at their own pace, so these are signs to observe and share, not diagnose at home. A persistent pattern across settings, or one that leaves your child frustrated or left out, is worth a gentle developmental screen.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with conversational skills?
For a child of about 3–7 years, signs that conversational skills may need support include difficulty taking turns, drifting off-topic, struggling to start or sustain a chat, missing the listener's cues, and trouble asking and answering questions. Many children develop these skills with time and play, so these are signs to observe and gently support — not diagnose at home. A pattern that persists for several weeks across home, school and play, and affects friendships, is worth a developmental screen.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with descriptive language?
Between roughly 3 and 7 years, descriptive language grows as children add colour, size, feeling and detail to their words. Signs your child may need support include very short or bare phrases, leaning on vague words like "thing" instead of naming, difficulty retelling a simple event or explaining how something looks or feels, and frustration when not understood. These are patterns to observe and explore gently — not to diagnose at home — and early, playful speech support helps beautifully.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with early words?
Between 12 and 36 months, signs your toddler may need support with early words include few or no words by 18 months, not combining two words by 24 months, limited pointing or gesturing, not responding to their name, and little babble or imitation. Many children are simply late talkers, so these are signs to watch and check rather than diagnose at home. A hearing check and a short developmental screen are the kindest first steps to understand your child's pace.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with event description?
Between about 3 and 7 years, children learn to describe events — what happened, who, and in what order. Signs your child may need support include very short or hard-to-follow stories, jumbled order, trouble answering "what happened?", and heavy reliance on gestures or single words. These are patterns to observe and discuss, not to diagnose at home; early play-based support helps before any label, and a developmental screen is a kind next step if concerns persist.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with expressive language?
For a child aged about 3 to 7 years, signs that expressive language may need support include a small vocabulary, short or jumbled sentences, frequent word-finding pauses, difficulty telling a simple story or answering 'wh-' questions, and relying on gestures over words. Many children develop on their own timeline, so these are signs to observe and discuss — not to diagnose at home. If several persist over months, a friendly speech check is the kindest next step.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with following directions?
Between 3 and 7 years, signs that a child may need support with following directions include needing instructions repeated often, losing track of two- or three-step tasks, appearing to 'tune out', and struggling with position or sequence words. These are patterns to observe and note, not diagnose at home — especially when frequent and across home, play and preschool. A hearing check comes first, and a warm developmental screen helps pinpoint whether language, attention, hearing or processing needs gentle support.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with grammar use?
By 3–7 years, most children steadily learn word order, tenses, plurals and small joining words. Signs that grammar use may need support include very short sentences for their age, frequent word-order mix-ups, dropped word endings, and lasting confusion with past or future tense. These are signs to observe and screen — not diagnose at home — and gentle, play-based support works best when started early.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with language development?
For a toddler aged about 12–36 months, signs that language development may need support include few or no words by 18 months, not combining two words by 24 months, limited pointing or gestures, not responding to their name or simple instructions, and little back-and-forth babble or eye contact in play. Any loss of words deserves prompt attention. These are signs to observe and screen, not to diagnose at home — and a hearing check comes first. Many children thrive with early, playful support.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with language processing?
For a child aged 3 to 7, signs that language processing may need support include difficulty following multi-step instructions, frequently needing repetition, off-topic or echoed answers, slow word-finding, and trouble understanding stories, questions or new words. These are signs to observe and discuss, not diagnose at home. A hearing check comes first, and early play-based support builds comprehension steadily.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with language structure?
Between about 3 and 7 years, signs your child may need support with language structure include very short or jumbled sentences, missing small grammar words (is, the, -ed), trouble answering who/what/where questions, and difficulty retelling a story in order. These are signs to observe and explore gently, not to diagnose at home. A structured speech-language screen maps where sentence structure is strong and where it needs scaffolding — and early, play-based support makes a real difference.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with naming speed?
Naming speed is how quickly a child retrieves words they already know. In children aged about 3–7, signs to observe include frequent word-finding pauses, reliance on fillers like "that thing", slow or laboured naming of familiar pictures, and effort that seems out of step with how much they understand. These are patterns to observe and monitor — not to diagnose at home — and are best discussed early with a developmental professional if they persist or affect confidence.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with non verbal?
Between 12 and 36 months, signs a toddler may need communication support include few or no words by 16–18 months, limited pointing, gestures or eye contact to share interest, little babbling, not responding to their name, and rarely copying sounds or actions. Toddlers vary widely, so these are signs to observe and check early — not to diagnose at home. A hearing check comes first, and gentle play-based support never has to wait for a label.
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