Children's Communication Skills

Based on a huge body of research in child language and communication development, Children's Communication Skills uses a clear format to set out the key stages of communication development in babies and young children. Its aim is to increase awareness in professionals working with children of what constitutes human communication and what communication skills to expect at any given stage. Illustrated throughout with real-life examples, this informative text addresses: - normal development of verbal and non-verbal communication skills - the importance of play in developing these skills - developmental communication problems - bilingualism, cognition and early literacy development - working with parents of children with communication difficulties. Features designed to make the book an easy source of reference include chapter summaries, age-specific skills tables, sections on warning signs that further help may be needed, and a glossary of key terms. It will be of great use to a wide range of professionals in training or working in health, education and social care.

Belinda Buckley is a Paediatric Speech and Language Therapist.

Introduction - Human Communication, Chapter One - The First Year: Hearing, Attention and Listening; Towards Early Verbal Understanding; Communication and Expressive Skills in the First Year; Why Do Babies Communicate; How Babies Communicate, Looking, Moving and Gesturing; Making Sounds in the First Year Chapter Two - The Second Year: Attention and Learning Language; Play and Symbolic Understanding; Understanding Meaning; Early Verbal Understanding; Communication and Expressive Skills; Why Do Children in Their Second Year Communicate?; Using Early Words; Early Speech Chapter Three - The Third Year: Attention Control; Links Between Play and Language; Conceptual, Semantic and Vocabulary Development; Understanding Words and Sentences, Communication and Expressive Skills; Speech Development; Chapter Four - The Fourth and Fifth Years: Attention Control; Links Between Play and Language; Semantic and Vocabulary Development; Understanding Words and Sentences; Further Developments in Communication and Expressive Skills; Speech Development; Emergent Literacy Skills Chapter Five- Learning More then One Language in Early Childhood: Bilingualism; Features of Bilingualism Speech and The Pattern and Stages of Bilingual Acquisition; Bilingualism, Cognition and Literacy Development; Environment Factors Impacting on Bilingual Acquisition Chapter Six - Problems Developing Speech, Language and Communication: The Nature of Communication Difficulties; Environmental and Internal Factors Contributing to Communication Difficulties Chapter Seven - Working with Parents of Children with Communication Difficulties; Which Professionals?; Understanding Parents of Children with Communication Difficulties; Parent-Professional Relationships; Considerations for Working with Parents at Different Stages of Their Child's Care Useful Addresses, Glossary, Bibliography