Your child will enjoy repeating an activity to get a reaction. They might like the way an object reacts, like when blocks fall down or something makes noise. They might like the way you react, like when you act surprised or you give back an object so they can repeat their action.

Dropping or throwing objects onto the floor is a common routine that children learn to initiate. Knocking things down to see them tumble or to hear the noise is another routine your child would enjoy.

Today's activity: Be aware of the routines you want to encourage or discourage. Monitor how your reaction can continue an activity. Strong emotions or giving back an exciting object will encourage the routine to continue. Removing an object or acting like you don’t notice the action will discourage the routine from continuing.

Use these charts as a checklist for your child's progress.

Visit www.TheInteractionCoach.com to see the directory of speech-language pathologists licensed in your area. If you can’t find one in the directory, contact me at [email protected] and I’ll track down someone for you.

Your child starts to anticipate what action comes next during a daily routine like dressing. That makes routines the perfect place to introduce more turn taking.

Today's activity: Pause at key points during dressing to give your child a chance to take a turn. At first you can interpret any action as their turn. As they get more skilled, they will be using helpful actions to complete a step in the dressing process—pulling down their shirt, pushing their arm into a sleeve, holding up their leg to put on a sock.

Use these charts as a checklist for your child's progress.

Visit www.TheInteractionCoach.com to see the directory of speech-language pathologists licensed in your area. If you can’t find one in the directory, contact me at [email protected] and I’ll track down someone for you.

Skills that develop during Level Four include: imitate unfamiliar actions they can see themselves making, extend arm or leg to assist when dressing, play social games and finger plays, exchange objects back and forth, start a familiar social game, and repeat an action to see the reaction.

Turn taking is the foundation for having a conversation. You have a joint focus on the topic, and take turns back and forth sharing the topic.

You can count how many times your child responds to your invitation and how many turns your child takes in this back-and-forth exchange. Doing this once a week will help you see the progress your child is making.

Today's activity: Do something you know your child can do then wait for your child to do it back. Act like you are waiting for a response.

Visit www.TheInteractionCoach.com to see the directory of speech-language pathologists licensed in your area. If you can’t find one in the directory, contact me at [email protected] and I’ll track down someone for you.

Your child will develop preferences or dislikes at this level. Observe their degree of attention and body language for clues to how they feel about your shared experience.

Today's activity: Notice your child’s reaction to an object. Provide a word or sound that matches their reaction.

Visit www.TheInteractionCoach.com to see the directory of speech-language pathologists licensed in your area. If you can’t find one in the directory, contact me at [email protected] and I’ll track down someone for you.

Send your questions to [email protected].

Your child will learn to invite you to look at something when you interpret their glance as an invitation to pay attention to what they are holding or looking at.

Today's activity: Act interested and animated when your child shows you something. Shape your child’s “showing” action by interpreting their glance at you as an invitation to pay attention to what they are holding.

Use these charts as a checklist for your child's progress.

Visit www.TheInteractionCoach.com to see the directory of speech-language pathologists licensed in your area. If you can’t find one in the directory, contact me at [email protected] and I’ll track down someone for you.

Share your child’s attention instead of distracting from it. Your child needs to learn there’s enjoyment in sharing attention.

After you establish this shared enjoyment, you’ll be able to share more of your ideas and actions during shared attention,

Today's activity: Notice what your child is paying attention to. Match your child’s interest and activity; avoid distracting from the focus. Model the enjoyment that comes from sharing a joint focus on the experience,

Visit www.TheInteractionCoach.com to see the directory of speech-language pathologists licensed in your area. If you can’t find one in the directory, contact me at [email protected] and I’ll track down someone for you.

Joint attention is when both people are sharing attention toward some other object or activity.

Joint attention is achieved by the end of this level. Your child will look at an object when you point and say, “Look.” They’ll show you an object to get you to pay attention to it, and reach or point toward an object and look at you to indicate they want it.

Today's activity: Shape your child’s use of joint attention by pointing to a nearby object and saying “Look” while slowly moving the object toward your child. Act excited and interested in the object.

Visit www.TheInteractionCoach.com to see the directory of speech-language pathologists licensed in your area. If you can’t find one in the directory, contact me at [email protected] and I’ll track down someone for you.

Be alert to any time when your child shows they want to start an interaction. This builds their understanding of the power of communication.

You might notice your child use a motion that you have used in a social game, like putting their ams in the air or pulling a cloth off their face. You can respond like you believe they were starting the routine, and continue with the social game. This helps shape their intentional use of the action to get you engaged in the play.

Today's activity: When you notice your child use an action from a familiar social game, respond with your turn in the game.

Download your list of Targets and Activities for Level Four here. Use it as a checklist for your child’s progress or as a reminder of activities you want to practice.

Visit www.TheInteractionCoach.com to see the directory of speech-language pathologists licensed in your area. If you can’t find one in the directory, contact me at [email protected] and I’ll track down someone for you.

Download your list of Targets and Activities for Level Four here.

Finger plays set to music are engaging for most children: Itsy-Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus, Open Shut Them, Where is Thumkin?, If You’re Happy and You Know It.

Today's activity: Perform songs with finger play for your child. Make it engaging and exciting with your enthusiasm and action. Reinforce your child’s efforts to imitate by using extra smiles and excitement. Introduce one song per week.

Visit www.TheInteractionCoach.com to see the directory of speech-language pathologists licensed in your area. If you can’t find one in the directory, contact me at [email protected] and I’ll track down someone for you.

Download your list of Targets and Activities for Level Four here.

We begin Level Four with a reminder of the importance of social interaction as the foundation for all our uses of speech, language and communication.

By the end of this level your child will understand that symbols can represent something that isn’t present. They start to understand some words. They can express an idea, not with words but with an action.

They become intentional with their actions and can use actions or sounds to get your attention and initiate an interaction. They give extra attention to your voice. They will spend 3–5 minutes in back-and-forth social games with you and can play in a wider a variety of social games.

Today’s activity: Expand on some familiar social games and introduce a few more: peek-a-boo, so big, pat-a-cake, here come tickle fingers, up/down, hands on top. Keep the focus on engagement and enjoyment.

Here’s a source for more social games.

Visit www.TheInteractionCoach.com to see the directory of speech-language pathologists licensed in your area. If you can’t find one in the directory, contact me at [email protected] and I’ll track down someone for you.