Expressive Language

When should I choose this 'Area of Focus' for my Gabadoo?

Expressive Language refers to our spoken language skills and it allows a child to express theirs feelings and thoughts. Children and teenagers who struggle with expressing themselves may lack self-esteem, have difficulty contributing in education or social settings or may not be understood by others.

So maybe you are looking for support around increasing your child's words or vocabulary, their grammar and/or sentence skills.Or maybe your child speaks in very long sentences but they lack meaning or clarity.

Our Gabadoo Team are experienced at working with children and families to support the development of expressive language skills. Get individualised strategies and support today through a Gaba Plan.

Important to Note:

If you are only looking for support specifically around your child's social or pragmatic language, there is a separate area of focus for social language which you can select when doing your Gabadoo.

If you are only looking for support specifically around your child's speech sounds or speech fluency, there are also separate 'Areas of Focus' for each of these which you can select when doing your Gabadoo.

If your child is already using an AAC device and you are looking for guidance around supporting their engagement or use, there is a separate 'Area of Focus' for AAC which you can select when doing your Gabadoo.

What information do I need to include in my Gabadoo?

As our Gabadoo Team have never met your family before and know nothing about your child, they can only provide strategies based on the information you provide so be very detailed!

After you have filled in the relevant information in your Gabadoo, go through this checklist to make sure you have included the following:

Family & Home Life:

Description of your family & the structure of your family including siblings, pets or any extended family who are living in your home. Also include if anyone else in the household has identified difficulties with their expressive language.

Your daily routine including school hours, child-care, free-time in evenings and weekends.

Strengths and Interests:

What does your child like to do?

What games, toys, T.V. programs, characters do they like?

What type of activities do they enjoy?

What daily activities do they enjoy doing with a parent or family member? e.g. cooking, baking, jobs, walking the dog.

Do they respond to praise from adults?

Do they enjoy playing with other children?

Additional Information:

What class is your child in at school?

What type of schooling do they receive? i.e. homeschooling, mainstream N.S., gaelscoil, preschool, ASD class, Special School.

Have you seen any professionals in the past in relation to their language skills? Or has your child ever had a medical review in relation to their expressive language? If so, what was the outcome?

How does your child currently communicate? E.g. speech, Lamh, PECS, AAC

Does your child use echolalia? If so, how often.

Make sure to include:

What you have tried before to work on this skill e.g. interventions, specific programmes, courses, books such as More Than Words or Talkability.

Include a list of toys or books that you already have at home that your child likes to engage with.

Detailed observations of what level your child is at with their expressive language e.g. babbling, pre-verbal, one word level, 4 word sentences, telling stories etc.

Include a list of people your children frequently communicates with (e.g. teacher, relatives, parents), the most common environments they communicate in (e.g. home, clubs, school, public places) and what this looks like for them.

Very Important: What would you like to gain from this Gabadoo? What are some of your goals? E.g. I would like to support my child to be able to communicate their needs at gymnastic practice.

Next include videos and images of your child and their environment:

A variety of video-clips where your child is making sounds, babbling, talking or telling a story (dependent on their level).
Video-clips of them engaging with you or another caregiver where you are playing, engaging in an activity or having a conversation. If your child is at the pre-verbal, babbling or one word level stage, try to sit in front of your child and get someone else to capture both of you on the video.

Remember: The more information you give our team, the more individualised and relevant your plan will be. Videos are vital when reviewing a child's expressive language.

What support will I receive for my child?

Your information will be reviewed by one of our Gabadoo Experts who is experienced in the area of language development. They will detail individualised strategies, activities, next steps and helpful organisations and products that you can use at home to support your child.