Give your child's communication a boost with the following tips:

Talk to your child about the obvious. Point out what you are doing and what your child is doing. For young children you might label simple objects or familiar actions. For older children point out more abstract concepts like feelings.

Build on what your child is saying. Repeat or acknowledge what your child has said and expand on it. For example if a young child said, "Ball," you might say, "Red ball. You want the red ball."

Be quiet sometimes. Allow your child time to respond to what you have said. Also allow them quiet time to experiment with sounds and sentences.

Read and sing to your child. Both activities provide wonderful opportunities to learn new vocabulary and experiment with language.