WHAT IS CONVERSATION FOR THE CHILD WITH LIMITED LANGUAGE SKILLS?
Conversation is often what we really want when we say that wed like to improve “communication” or “language” skills of children with disabilities. Conversation can be defined as a dialogue between two partners consisting of multiple turns which are balanced between partners around a topic of shared interest. Most often we think of using words to fill our turns in a conversation, but we also can use actions, objects, facial expressions, and movements as our response during a conversation. Think of the times you shrug your shoulders, hand someone an object, or wave your arms in response to a comment or a question. Conversation differs from other types of communicative interactions because the focus is on interaction around a shared topic, rather than communicating concrete needs or wants, instructing, or following instructions. Conversational interactions with children who have limited language skills should involve: • a short turn-taking format in which the adult and child alternately e
