“My child does not use words as yet” is a concern very often noted by parents. 

Your Speech and Language Therapist would most probably then ask: “So how do you know what your little wants from you?”

Replies then varies, from -“He cries”, “ he points”, “ he takes me to what I want”, “ he uses a hand gesture” ,“ he vocalizes”, to “he uses the first sound or first part of a word.”

It should be noted that all of the above responses are forms of communication. 

Communication is defined as : “ The imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium.”

Speech and Language Therapists advocate for the acceptance and stimulation of all forms of communication. 

Verbal communication: The use of words. 

Vocalisations: The use of sounds to communicate.

Communication using gestures: For example: pointing, shaking head, arms up 

Picture communication: Requesting needs through picture exchange.

Signing: Using hand signals to convey meaning.

When engaging with our little ones, it is important to maximise on every form of communication. Present it , encourage it, accept it, listen to it. 

Multimodal communication encourages an holistic view of communication, taking all modals into consideration and using them as a means to build strong language foundations. 
Aeysha Ebrahim

Speech and Language Therapist