Communication Tree (or Pyramid)

So this is the "communication tree". The 5 main components needed for effective communication. Of course, each of these can be broken down into smaller elements but we don't need that level of detail right now. 

I wanted to talk about this communication tree this month to illustrate how complicated effective communication really is.

If one of these components is tricky it can really impact on communication skills. 

Often as therapists we want to first work on attention and listening skills as this is a foundation for communication. If you aren't attending to someone while they are talking to you it is going to be difficult to absorb and understand what they have said and respond appropriately.

If little ones have lots of language but can't use this language in a functional way then, all that vocabulary goes to waste. Sometimes, even though the goal is to develop stronger talking skills, we have to consolidate those foundations first to ensure that when we do come to working on grammar, vocabulary and speech sounds, little ones are able to use all these lovely new words in a meaningful way.

When thinking about your little one, it can be helpful to have this tree in mind and think about which areas are strengths for them and which areas are more tricky. That way you can look out for activities designed to boost those more challenging areas. Knowing that working on those foundations leads to stronger communication skills in the end!