Developing
Assertive Listening Skills in your child
Model
the skills you would like to see your child use. Children
will imitate what you do before they do as you say.
Watch
the speaker’s face when they talk and encourage your child
to do the same.
Request
that the speaker use a specific repair strategy if their
message is unclear (e.g. “Could you say that again a bit
slower while you look at us, please?”).
Model
use of specific repair strategies if your young child shows
signs of not understanding.
Optimize
listening environment (e.g. reduce background noise, lift
your child to speaker’s eye level, position your child so
the light source is on the speaker’s face, not child’s eyes,
etc.).
If
your older child appears to be missing some information,
suggest to your child that they ask the speaker to utilize
a specific repair strategy. Practice this at home early
(e.g. “Did you catch what Daddy said? Tell Daddy what he
should do different.”).
Ask
appropriate questions so that your child learns that it
is okay to ask questions for clarification and further information.
