Following Your Child's Lead

Strategy 2 Follow Your Child’s Lead

WHAT?

Following Your Child’s Lead is a strategy in communication that suggests being present, observant & responsive to your child. This is as individuals of all ages have their own agendas, including the individual who uses AAC. We all learn best when we are interested in something.

WHY?

Features of this minimally intrusive model have been shown to effect language development in the following areas:

- the advancement of children’s language (Wong et al., 2012; McDuffie & Yoder, 2010)

- improved parental language facilitation skills (Kim & Mahoney, 2004)

- generalization of intervention outcomes (Roberts & Kaiser, 2011)

HOW?

Look at what the individual is interested in and the gestures they use.
Listen to what they say with their communication system/word approximations.
Learn about their interests and hopes.
Let them lead the way in your caregiver-child interaction.

Picture of the four steps to following your child's lead. Look, Listen, Learn, Let them lead.

Cartoon of a mom and son going through the four steps. The son shows interest is the Goldfish, the mother notices and comments using the AAC device that "he likes Goldie" and then follows the lead of the boy when he asks for fish food.

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