SEND resources for early years PVI providers and SENCos

You can use these resources to learn about approaches to support children with SEND.

Support with non-verbal communication

What is body language?

Body language is the use of physical behaviour, expressions, and mannerisms to communicate nonverbally, often done instinctively rather than consciously.

When you interact with others, you give and receive wordless signals. Non-verbal behaviours such as the gestures you make, your posture, your tone of voice and how much eye contact you make send strong messages. Even when you’re silent, you’re still communicating nonverbally.

The importance of nonverbal communication

Non-verbal communication can give signs to the person you’re communicating with about:

whether or not you care
if you’re being truthful
how well you’re listening

Nonverbal communication and children with additional needs

Children with social communication difficulties, autism or other additional needs can find communication hard, including nonverbal communication.

For example, autistic children often need to be taught about eye contact. You can do this by holding objects you know your child wants right in front of your eyes. Keep doing this until your child automatically looks up when they want something.

Some autistic children can listen better when they do not have to make eye contact. You might need to adjust your communication depending on what works best for your child.

Some children may also find body contact like hugging hard. They may prefer it if you express warmth or approval in a different way such as by clapping, winking or giving a thumbs-up.

Observing children to assess development

Observation is often one of the simplest yet most effective ways of assessing young children as they develop. For a childcare provider or early childhood educator, observing a child begins with noting how each child behaves, learns, reacts to new situations and interacts with others.

Just because a non-verbal child does not speak any actual words, it does not mean they are not communicating with us.

When a child is born, we often rely on signals like crying. We recognise different crying to have different meanings. As the child develops, we expect them to learn language to tell us their needs, wishes and feelings.

If a child cannot communicate verbally, we may need to interpret signals like behaviour instead.

Observing helps us to:

gain knowledge of what a child can do
understand their strengths
understand where a child learns best
understand how a child learns
understand their stage of development

How to observe a non-verbal child

When observing a non-verbal child, do not just focus on their emotions. This might not tell us why they feel the way they do. Instead, focus on if their behaviour could be connected to their environment.

If you’re keeping a record of development, include hidden messages within behaviour as well as what you’re seeing.

If you're observing a child, it’s important to record your observations regularly, and make it as detailed as possible.