What is a communication temptation?
Communication temptations are when an environment or situation is manipulated to encourage someone to communicate in order to get a desired item or result. This strategy is commonly used in speech therapy for toddlers to support early language skills. Parents can also use communication temptations at home to encourage carryover from speech therapy to the home environment. At home, communication temptations can be used during play or daily routines.
Examples of Communication Temptations
During play, you can use hard-to-operate toys. If a child cannot turn a toy on or get it to operate, they will need to communicate with another person to let them know they need help. You can also put toys out of reach but still in view or put them in a clear hard-to-open box. These are just a few ways to use communication temptations during play to encourage communication with your child.
Communication temptations are just one of many early language strategies speech-language pathologists use to support early language skills. If you have concerns about your child’s language skills, speech therapy services can help.