We could all use a little S.O.U.L. (Silence, Observation, Understanding, Listening)

Whether you’re a parent or a speech-language pathologist, you may know that it is super important to provide verbal models for your baby/toddler. Just as important – if not more important – is to give them some space so that they do not feel overwhelmed with too much language being thrown at them. So how can we provide SOUL? Be silent while playing – observe your child, imitate their non verbal actions, and follow their lead. Using the SOUL technique, we provide silence, observation, understanding, and listening to our children and give them more opportunities to initiate communication with us.

Too often we may try to “fill in the silence” by asking our toddlers questions or trying to have them imitate us. While there are times where those questions/verbal models are appropriate, sometimes it is just too much pressure for our toddler to follow all of our directions. We need to remember to take a step back and follow their lead so that they are more confident to interact with us without feeling the pressure to meet our expectations.

When we use the SOUL technique, we are becoming better partners at PLAY and there are so many benefits to playing! Children learn through play and it contributes to healthy brain development, improves a child’s ability to plan, organize, regulate emotions, etc.! Try to provide more “wait time” and SOUL to your toddler the next time you play together and see if it increases their engagement/interaction with you.