Speech, language and communication

Communication and language skills are vital for your child’s development. These skills will affect their future life chances and relationships. It can also impact your child’s ability to learn, make friends and develop ideas and opinions.

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If your child has additional needs visit our specific section for more support

Speech, language and communication for additional needs

The differences between speech, language and communication

Speech, language and communication can be easily confused. Here are the differences between them:

Speech is how you say it. It is how clearly you speak, using the right sounds and putting them in the right order so that others can understand you clearly.

Language is what you say. It is how we use words and sentences to understand and express

Communication is the message you are trying to get across. You can communicate without words by using gestures, expressions and moving your body.

Learning to communicate

Good attention and listening skills are vital for joining in with activities and interacting with other people. It the foundation for the building blocks of communication.

Developing good attention and listening skills are essential to help your child to become a good communicator. These skills will also help your child understand and use language.

Visit our 'Attention and listening skills' page

Two girls playing telephone with tin cans and string. Background is a grey sofa. Girl in foreground listening to tin can and smiling

Attention and listening skills

The most important skills needed for communication are attention and listening skills. All other communication skills are based upon the ability to pay attention and listen.

Playing and social skills

Play is your child’s way of exploring and learning about the world. It can help them understand new words and learn how to communicate with others. Playing and social skills are important for your child to learn.

10 year old boy sitting in classroom at desk, looking up

Understanding language

Understanding spoken language helps children follow instructions, answer questions, understand stories and identify objects and pictures. A child’s understanding of language is usually ahead of their ability to use language.

Two young primary school girls laughing together in the playground.

Using language

Use of language is also known as ‘expressive language’. It is how your child is learning to say new words and put them together into sentences. Use of language also includes non-verbal communication like gestures.

Young girl smiling whilst pushing keys on a keyboard. A woman in the foreground is facing the girl and conducting.

Speech sounds

Speech sounds are the individual sounds we use to make words. The sounds we make when we speak are made from the voice box (larynx), mouth muscles, jaw, lips, teeth, and tongue. In English we have 46 sounds for 26 letters of the alphabet.

Mum and daughter preparing food while laughing together in the kitchen

0-1 Years
1-5 Years
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Parents and Carers

Bilingualism

Bilingualism is the ability to communicate in two or more languages. Learning two languages is a common and a completely normal childhood experience.

Two women kneeling down in front of their babies. The two babies are lying on their back. One baby is looking at the other, whilst the other baby is looking at the camera.

0-1 Years

Communicating with your baby

Babies can communicate from the moment they are born. As soon as they arrive, your baby is learning about speech, language and communication. When communicate with your baby, you are helping them learn to communicate. It's also important for you to understand how your baby is trying to communicate with you.

Young boy sitting on the floor writing on a piece of paper on a coffee table. Behind him sitting on the sofa is his mother and older brother.

5-11 Years
11-19 Years

Developing language

As children grow older, their list of words they know becomes bigger and more complicated. They learn new ways to put words together into sentences. Their understanding and comprehension of spoken, non-spoken and written communication also improves.

Smiling baby sitting down wearing a blue jumper.

0-1 Years
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Helping your toddler to talk

Talking can be intimidating for babies and toddlers. It can take some toddlers a little longer to speak. Every child is different and may start speaking earlier or later than others.

Young girl on mobile phone with a younger boy peering over her shoulder to look at the mobile phone.

1-5 Years
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Selective mutism

Selective mutism is an anxiety disorder. It is where a person who is able to speak, cannot speak in specific situations or to certain people. Selective mutism will often come with shyness or anxiety.

Young girl sitting on dad's knee reading a book together and laughing.

1-5 Years
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Stammering

Stammering (also known as stuttering, dysfluency or non-fluency) is where there is a problem that disrupts the flow and timing of speech. It can develop gradually or your child can suddenly start stammering. Stammering often presents between 2 to 5 years old while your child is learning to speak.

5-11 Years
11-19 Years

Storytelling and narrative

Learning to tell a story and sequence events are essential skills for children and teenagers to learn. It will help them understand the order of events and how to tell an engaging story. These stories can be from their imagination or repeating the events of the day.

Four children laughing and smiling together.

0-1 Years
1-5 Years
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11-19 Years

The importance of play

Some of the skills learned whilst your child is playing will turn into social skills. When you play with your child, you are strengthening your relationship with them and helping them learn social skills.

Young child sticking their tongue out with a cheeky smile

0-1 Years
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Parents and Carers

Tongue tie

Tongue tie is when the tongue is restricted. This is caused by the fold under your tongue (also known as the frenulum) being too tight or short. It can also cause the tip of the tongue to look blunt, forked or have a heart shape in appearance.

If you have any questions or concerns about your speech or use of language, a health professional in our team will be able to offer advice and support.

You can email ccs.bedsandlutonchildrenshealthhub@nhs.net

You can call 0300 555 0606

Open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (excluding bank holidays).

Or you can text:

07507 331456 if you live in Bedfordshire
07507 331886 if you live in Luton

Open Monday to Friday 9am to 4:30pm (excluding bank holidays).

Speech, language and communication

The differences between speech, language and communication

Learning to communicate

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