The Power of ‘Declarative Language’
Kate Morling - Certified Practising Speech Pathologist at Adventures Speech Therapy
As parents, teachers, and caregivers, we possess a powerful tool that can support children with social communication challenges and promote their social success. By utilizing a speaking style known as declarative language (presented by Linda Murphy, MS, CCC-SLP in her book ‘Declarative Language Handbook, 2020), we can create a positive and engaging environment for these children. Unlike directive or demand-based language, declarative language fosters comfort, curiosity, problem-solving, and independent thinking. In this article, we explore the benefits of declarative language and provide practical examples to help parents incorporate this approach into their interactions with their children.
Creating Comfort and Positive Engagement:
Declarative language invites children to feel at ease by shifting away from questions or commands that may cause them to withdraw. Through its inviting nature, declarative language encourages open and positive engagements, as children trust that no demands will be placed upon them. By turning towards others, they establish stronger social connections.
Developing Inferential Thinking:
Rather than telling children what to do, declarative language helps them develop inferential thinking skills. It guides them to notice and draw important conclusions on their own, cultivating their ability to make informed decisions and connections.
Encouraging Spontaneity and Independence:
Declarative language leaves room for children to take action, promoting spontaneity and independence. By not imposing strict directives, this approach allows children to explore their environment and make choices based on their own interests and preferences.
Fostering Curiosity and Problem-Solving:
Declarative language sparks curiosity in children's minds, planting seeds of wonder that encourage exploration and learning. It shifts the focus from obtaining right answers to valuing the process of problem-solving. By emphasizing the journey rather than the outcome, children develop a deeper understanding of the world around them.
Creating Authentic Social Interactions:
By using declarative language, parents provide authentic reasons for social interaction. Children learn to notice and think about others within naturally occurring opportunities, fostering their social awareness and empathy.
Suitable for Various Learners:
Declarative language is an effective strategy for all language learners and communicators, including those with executive function difficulties or more concrete learning styles. Its versatility makes it a valuable tool for in-the-moment teaching across different environments and with various communication partners.
Understanding Declarative Language:
Declarative language involves making statements and thinking out loud for children to hear. It encourages everyone to slow down, observe their surroundings, and make thoughtful decisions. As children are exposed to declarative language, they begin to adopt this communication style themselves.
The Components of Declarative Statements:
Declarative language is characterized by commenting, flexibility, and various word choices. It includes cognitive verbs that express thinking processes, observational words that engage the senses, emotion-related phrases, and first-person pronouns. It also incorporates words of uncertainty or possibility, allowing for multiple valid responses.
Examples of Declarative Language:
To help you incorporate declarative language into your conversations, here are some examples to get you started:
- "I'm wondering where your shoes are."
- "I notice your clothes did not make it into the hamper!"
- "The dog looks hungry."
- "We might need some forks."
- "I heard your friend say that she wants to use the red crayon when you are done."
Embracing the Challenge:
Shifting to a declarative speaking style may require some effort initially. It involves slowing down and being more thoughtful in our communication with children. However, the long-term goal of fostering independence, problem-solving skills, and meaningful connections makes the endeavor worthwhile.
By incorporating declarative language into our interactions with children, we can create a supportive environment that nurtures their social communication skills. This approach encourages comfort, independent thinking, curiosity, problem-solving, and authentic social interactions. As parents, teachers, and caregivers, we have the power to empower children by adopting a declarative speaking style. Let's embrace this challenge and help our children become independent individuals who can navigate the world with confidence and empathy.
Written by Kate Morling
Kate is the CEO and Senior Speech Pathologist at Adventures Speech Therapy. Kate has 10 years experience working across the globe with children with communication and learning differences as well as supporting early career speech pathologists.