To schedule a free phone consult please follow the link here
What Your Child’s First Week of School Can Tell You About Their Communication Skills
Author: Isabella Knight M.S. CCC-SLP (Check Out Her Staff Page Here)
The first week of school comes with a lot of new information. New teachers, new classmates, different routines, and longer days. While parents are often focused on whether their child likes their classmates, remembers their lunchbox, or is adjusting to the new schedule, the first week of school can also provide valuable information about a child’s speech, language, and communication skills. There are many demands throughout the day, including listening, following directions, understanding new vocabulary, explaining their ideas, participating in conversations, asking for help, and interacting with peers.
These everyday moments can give us helpful information about how your child is using and understanding language at school. Here are a few things you can watch for.
1. How Do They Tell You About Their Day?
One of the easiest things to pay attention to is how your child tells you about their day. Instead of asking, “How was school?” and getting the typical “good,” try asking something more specific, such as, “What was the funniest thing that happened today?” or “Tell me what you did at P.E..” Listen to how your child puts their thoughts together. Are they able to tell you what happened in a way that makes sense? Do they give you enough information to follow the story? Younger children will naturally give shorter and less detailed responses, but as children get older, we expect their stories and explanations to become more organized and complete. If your child consistently struggles to explain what happened during their day, it may be worth paying closer attention to their expressive language and narrative skills.
2. Are Multi-Step Directions Difficult?
School involves directions all day long. To successfully follow that direction, a child has to listen, understand the language, remember the information, and complete the steps in the correct order. A teacher might say, “Take out your folder, turn to page 12, write your name at the top, and complete the first three questions.” Your child has to understand the words, remember the steps, and then carry them out in the correct order. At home, you might notice that your child frequently needs directions repeated or only completes the first part of what you asked. Everyone forgets a step sometimes, especially during a busy first week, but consistent difficulty following directions may be something to monitor.
3. Can They Understand New Vocabulary?
The beginning of the school year introduces a lot of new words with new academic vocabulary in subjects such as science, math, reading, social studies, and even classroom routines. A child can often use context clues, connect new words with information they already know, and ask questions when they do not understand something.
‍ ‍What can be more challenging is when a child does not understand a word or direction but does not realize that they are confused. You may notice this when working on homework or when your child has difficulty explaining what the teacher asked them to do.
Download our age appropriate check lists to give you a better idea about whether or not to reach out.
4. How Easily Do They Find the Words They Want?
We all have moments where a word is on the tip of our tongue, but some children experience this much more frequently. They may use words like “thing” or “stuff,” or pause for a long time while trying to think of a word. As children get older and school vocabulary becomes more advanced, word-finding difficulties can sometimes become more noticeable.
5. Is Their Speech Easy to Understand?
The classroom gives children many opportunities to speak with people who may not already be familiar with the way they talk. Teachers and classmates need to understand your child when they answer questions, participate in group activities, introduce themselves, and socialize. Listen for speech sounds that may still be difficult for your child. Your child might avoid certain words because they are difficult to pronounce or become hesitant to participate in class discussions. Speech sound development varies with age, so an error that is expected for a younger child may be more noticeable in an older student.
6. How Are Conversations With Peers Going?
Communication at school is also very social. Children are expected to start conversations, take turns, stay on topic, understand what other people mean, and adjust the way they communicate depending on the situation. If your child frequently talks about misunderstandings with peers or seems unsure about how to join conversations, that can give you valuable information about their social communication skills.
7. Can They Ask for Help When They Need It?
Children should gradually learn to recognize when they do not understand something and communicate that to another person; for example, “Can you repeat the direction?” Parents can encourage this skill by praising children when they ask thoughtful questions instead of treating questions as a sign that they were not listening.
8. What Does Homework Reveal?
Homework can sometimes highlight communication difficulties that were less noticeable during the summer. Sometimes parents notice that their child knows the material but struggles to explain their answer. Other children may understand a story but have difficulty summarizing what they read, organizing a written response, explaining how they solved a problem, or figuring out exactly what a question is asking.
Language skills are closely connected to classroom learning. As children move through school, they are increasingly expected to use language to explain, compare, predict, summarize, persuade, and solve problems. Difficulty with these higher-level language skills may become more noticeable as academic expectations increase.
9. Listen to What the Teacher Notices
Teachers spend several hours each day observing how children communicate in a busy academic environment. One comment alone does not necessarily mean that a child needs speech-language therapy. However, when parents and teachers notice similar concerns across different environments, it may be helpful to probe further.
What Should Parents Do If They Notice a Concern?
The first week of school comes with new teachers, new classrooms, new routines, and sometimes a lot of nerves. It is completely normal for children to need some time to adjust. If communication difficulties are consistently interfering with your child’s ability to participate successfully at school, consider discussing your concerns with your child’s teacher, pediatrician, or a speech-language pathologist.
A speech-language pathologist can evaluate areas such as speech production, receptive language, expressive language, social communication, fluency, and other communication skills to determine whether additional support may be helpful.