ARTICLE 5: LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT OUTCOMES TO LOOK OUT FOR

Once we’ve started the language program there are a few key language development outcomes to look for.

• Focus: 5–10 mins focus on an activity done 3 times a week yields results

• Repetition: repeating the same activity enhances memory and retention 

• Interest-based exploring:

  • a child could be focusing on one item in a set (the focused explorer)

  • all items in a set (the extraverted explorer)

  • asking questions, or

  • asking for new sets (the thinker & explorer).

Progress in language development doesn’t require speech output. We help by tracking a child’s progress based on how much a child understands, as opposed to their speech output. 

Mimicking words or speech production is not required to improve expressive language development.

Why?

• If a child feels pressured to talk or mimic they can show resistance to learning. 

• Group play can be non-verbal, there is a lot of language learning conveyed from our bodies.