Communication & Language Development in ChildrenCOURSE OVERVIEW: Welcome to the Communication & Language Development in Children course. This program will equip you with the knowledge and understanding needed to support the communication, language, and early literacy development of children from infancy through the early primary years. You will explore how children learn to communicate, how spoken language emerges, how thinking and language interact, and how adults can recognise and respond to the

COURSE OVERVIEW:

Welcome to the Communication & Language Development in Children course. This program will equip you with the knowledge and understanding needed to support the communication, language, and early literacy development of children from infancy through the early primary years. You will explore how children learn to communicate, how spoken language emerges, how thinking and language interact, and how adults can recognise and respond to the diverse ways children express themselves during each stage of development. This course also helps you identify developmental concerns early and apply supportive strategies that strengthen communication for all children, including those with additional needs.

This course begins by examining what communication and spoken language development is, and the difference between speech and language, highlighting how these processes work together but develop differently. You will explore the link between language development and literacy and why early language skills play a critical role in later reading, writing, learning, and social outcomes. This section also examines common speech and language difficulties in children and the risks associated with delayed language and literacy development, helping you understand why early intervention and monitoring are essential.

The next area focuses on how children vary in their development of speech and language skills and how communication develops across early childhood. You will explore how children communicate through non-verbal communication, including gestures, facial expressions, and body language, and how cultural differences influence children’s communication and language development. This section also covers when children’s speech or expressive language typically develops and how to analyse spoken language development in terms of vocabulary and grammar. You will examine how young children show through their communication and behaviour that they understand what is said to them and how they learn the subtleties of communication, including turn-taking, tone, and social rules.

A further learning area explores how children learn language, including the role of imitation, the influence of interaction with adults, and how language is connected to children’s capacity to think, reason, and understand the world. This section examines communication in babies and toddlers, showing how communication begins in the early weeks of life and continues developing before the first spoken words. You will explore how early sounds are accompanied by meaningful gestures, when the first recognisable words emerge, when the first word combinations appear, and how spoken language progresses in babies and toddlers.

The program then examines communication skills from ages two to five. This section explores how young children express ideas, how they may make logical mistakes in their words or simple grammar, how they understand language and concepts, and how they develop social communication skills such as taking turns in conversation and interpreting facial expressions. You will also explore the communication skills of children aged five to eight, including an introduction to the phonological system and its role in reading, spelling, and speech clarity.

The next section focuses on how to support children’s communication development. You will explore the importance of very early communication with babies and toddlers, how to use infant-directed speech effectively, how to listen and talk to children, and how to promote children’s conversations through responsive, open-ended interaction. This section also explains how to communicate with children in groups, how to use circle time to encourage communication, and how to support children who are learning an additional language.

The final learning area explores difficulties in communication and language development. You will examine how to communicate with children who choose not to talk, how stammering appears in different forms of fluency difficulty, and how disabilities can affect speech, language, and communication. This section also introduces practical strategies to support children with language disabilities, helping ensure that every child receives the guidance, patience, and encouragement needed to develop strong communication skills.

By the end of this course you will be able to understand how children learn to communicate and use language, identify typical and atypical developmental patterns, support communication from the earliest weeks of life, apply effective interaction strategies across a range of settings, and assist children with additional needs in developing their communication and language abilities.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, you will be able to understand:

• What communication and spoken language development is?
• What’s the difference between speech and language?
• The link between language development and literacy
• The importance of language development and literacy in children
• The speech and language difficulties in children
• The risks associated with delayed language and literacy development
• How children vary in their development of speech and language skills?
• The development of communication
• How children communicate through non-verbal communication?
• How cultural differences affect children’s communication and language development?
• When does children’s speech or expressive language develop?
• How to analyse the development of children’s spoken language in terms of vocabulary and grammar?
• How young children show through their communication and behaviour that they understand what is said to them?
• How children learn the subtleties of communication?
• How do children learn language?
• How children learn through imitation?
• How language is linked with children’s capacity to think?
• The communication of babies and toddlers
• How communication starts from the early weeks and develops before the first spoken words?
• How sounds are accompanied by meaningful gestures as babies communicate?
• When does the first recognisable words emerge?
• When does the first word combinations appear?
• The spoken language by babies and toddlers
• The communication skills of two to five year olds
• How young children may make logical mistakes in their words or simple grammar?
• How young children understand language and ideas?
• How young children understand social communication?
• The communication skills of children from five to eight years
• The phonological system
• How to support the development of children’s communication?
• The very early communication with babies and toddlers
• How to use infant directed speech?
• How to listen and talk to children?
• How to promote children’s conversations?
• How to communicate with children in a group?
• How to use circle time to promote communication?
• How to help children learn an additional language?
• The difficulties in language development
• How to communicate with children who choose not to talk?
• How stammering shows in different kinds of difficulty with fluency in a child’s speech?
• The disabilities that affect speech
• How to support children with language disabilities?

COURSE DURATION:

The typical duration of this course is approximately 2-3 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.

ASSESSMENT:

A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.

CERTIFICATION:

Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.