Bríd O'Connell, a Speech and Language Therapist at DSCNE, has shared some advice on Pointing.
Learning to point is an important preverbal skill. It allows children to directly indicate objects, people, or events, which in turn, helps them communicate their interests and needs before they can express them verbally. Developing the ability to accurately point promotes the development of joint attention and shared understanding between the child and caregiver, laying the groundwork for more advanced language and communication abilities.
Here are some activities you can do with your child to help strengthen their pointing finger:
You can give forced choices, and this can work really well during meal times. For example, when offering your child a drink you can take out both milk and water. You can say “milk or water” and hold one in each hand. If they are having trouble responding you can model the pointing gesture and provide the model “milk…I want the milk” with the emphasis on the word “milk”. You can use your own pointing finger and point to the milk. Even if you know your child wants milk, this is a nice interaction to support early language development!
Use toys with buttons or switches that require precise finger movements. If you feel comfortable, you can guide your child's hand to show them how to push the buttons with their index finger.
Blow bubbles and have your child try to pop them by jabbing at them with their pointy finger.
Roll out some playdough and demonstrate making dotted patterns by pressing your fingertip into the dough. Encourage your child to copy the motions.
Break out the finger paints and have your child make dots, lines, and swirls using just their pointing finger.
Make simple finger puppets and move them around, guiding your child to imitate the movements with their own pointer finger.
These types of playful, repetitive activities will help your child to master the pointing gesture. Consistent practice will lay the foundation for using pointing to effectively communicate their needs and interests before they have a full vocabulary.
DSCNE currently has two SLTs who both work two days a month. For more information check out our SLT area https://www.dscnortheast.ie/slt
You can add your child's details to our Expression of Interest list via : https://forms.office.com/e/tzcaJjazQj
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