What really matters- Non Verbal Exchanges- I definitely noticed Whitney reveal a whole new interest in the world of objects right around 6 months. She would want to grab onto, manipulate, and mouth just about anything within her reach and as she started to crawl anything within her sight. The other thing the research tuned me into was all the non-verbal language Whitney would use to involve me in her explorations and the important nature of these back & forth exchanges and communications. Our job is to extend these volleys into as long a chain of back and forth signals as possible. This competence with sustained exchanges develop the foundations for communication, independent persistence and connectedness with other humans (Read more).

How to put it into practice- So here is what I focused on doing.

Getting to know Whitney’s signaling patterns- Whit was not too flamboyant so I had to really tune into her facial expressions for her cues. Definitely needed to be right down on the floor with her and paying attention.

Reading glances, gestures and signaling back- Could not always read the signal or overture from Whit but at least always tried and made a stab at responding on “target”.  By on target I mean, If she held out arms to be picked up, I did not point to colored toy and say “Yellow”. I would say “Pick-up” and reach out and lift her.

Keeping the exchange going- After I picked her up I would see what next grabbed her interest (noticing what she was staring at). When I noticed her looking at the set of balls, I might say “oh look at those balls on the floor, let’s go over there”. Once I set her down by the balls, I would try to keep the exchange going, watching her grab a ball, I might say “You grabbed it; it is in your hand.” Watch video to right to see a quick session. (Read more)

Why-

Building Perseverance- Following Whit’s initiatives and following up on each, encourages her to stick with it, to keep going and build persistence. This is a character strength that is a hallmark for Independence

Building the motivation for cooperation- These back & forth explorations help nurture the important motivation for cooperation. Whit experiences and feels the joy of working together -- a key foundation for building Connectedness.

Building communication competence- These non-verbal exchanges provide the basis for all language intelligence and communication skills-- a critical foundation.

See Related Links:

“Whit’s Ages & Stages Development”