{"id":914,"date":"2019-07-16T13:17:54","date_gmt":"2019-07-16T13:17:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.twentytwo.digital\/ukbodytalk\/children-and-long-term-communication-difficulties\/"},"modified":"2025-07-14T16:53:40","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T15:53:40","slug":"children-and-long-term-communication-difficulties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.twentytwo.digital\/ukbodytalk\/resources\/blogs\/children-and-long-term-communication-difficulties\/","title":{"rendered":"How Parents Play A Critical Role In Reducing Children’s Long-Term Communication Difficulties"},"content":{"rendered":"

“There\u2019s a huge difference between talking with children and talking to children”<\/span><\/h2>\n

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How Parents Play A Critical Role In Reducing Children’s Long-Term Communication Difficulties<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Growing up, I struggled to communicate effectively at school.<\/p>\n

I found it hard to understand social dynamics and interactions. \u2018Banter\u2019 was an alien language to me. It sounded like people insulting each other, then laughing about it! My own attempts at small talk were disastrous \u2014 I\u2019d end up offending people instead of connecting.<\/p>\n

As I got older, I realized my difficulties with speech, language, and communication \u2014 important tools we all need to thrive in the 21st century \u2014 continued to plague me as an adult.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I was so excited to have Mary Hartshorne as a guest on my Born To Speak podcast to discuss how early childhood speech development can have a positive impact on our communication skills as adults.<\/p>\n

Mary is the Director of Impact at ICAN, an organization dedicated to helping children develop speech and language skills, and she knows how crucial communication can be for early childhood brain development.<\/p>\n

She explained to me that language is essential for building relationships, learning, and navigating life. Not only is it how children express their needs and thoughts, but it also helps them relate to and understand others. Yet 1.4 million children \u2014 around 2 or 3 in every classroom \u2014 have long-term communication difficulties, and many parents greatly underestimate the importance of language skills.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a parent wondering how you can best prepare your child for the future, here\u2019s her advice on supporting communication development:<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a huge difference between talking with children and talking to children.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/section>\n

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Good communication involves so much more than speech.<\/p>\n

In order for children to actively learn to talk, adults have to listen. It\u2019s not enough to simply talk to your child. They need to participate, as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is that back and forth,\u201d Mary told me. \u201cWhen we\u2019re working with parents of very young children, we talk about the importance of not asking loads and loads of questions like, \u2018What\u2019s that?\u2019 \u2018What\u2019s daddy wearing?\u2019 \u2018What color is that?\u2019 \u2018What are you doing?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Most of the time, the answer is \u201cnothing\u201d \u2014 and the conversation ends.<\/p>\n

Instead, approach the interaction as more of a commentary. For example, if a child is playing with their toys, say something like: \u201cThat looks like a lot of fun.\u201d It gives the child space to make a comment and join the conversation without the pressure to provide an answer.<\/p>\n

If you are going to ask a question, make it specific. Say,<\/span>\u00a0\u201cDid anything make you laugh today?\u201d or, \u201cWhat was the most exciting thing you did today?\u201d Doing so takes the pressure off the child to formulate a response and gives them time to think about what they\u2019re experiencing.<\/p>\n

Parents can also develop their children\u2019s communication efforts by encouraging and establishing a time for a healthy back-and-forth conversation. That means both engaging and listening to your child in active conversation.<\/p>\n

Once you understand how to talk to your child, then you can take steps to walk through communication challenges together.<\/span><\/h2>\n

We all struggle to communicate at some point. Here are a few of Mary\u2019s tips to help identify problem areas and overcome them.<\/p>\n