Wait Time
Definition: Wait time is the pause used between the adult’s interaction with a child and the child’s expected response that allows the child time to process auditory information and formulate a response. (Dickson, 2010)
How is this done? When talking to the child, the communication partners wait for a response from the child before taking another turn themselves. The expectant pause lets the child know that he is expected to respond.
Why is wait time important? When the partner continues to request without waiting, the child learns that it is not important to do first time listening and that a vocalized response is not needed. The child is also denied the opportunity to complete an auditory loop of listening, talking, listening to himself (auditory sandwich) that will help him build auditory memory to support the growth of vocabulary and language. Just remember to:
(Taken from Auditory Verbal Strategies to Build Listening and Spoken Language Skills, Fickenscher, Gaffney, Dickson)
In order to provide “wait time,” we have to slow down the pace of our interactive routine.
Some children want to jump ahead to the next activity if you insist on conversational turn-taking. You can avoid this by having only one activity available at a time. If it is not a preferred activity for the child, and YOU decide to move on, make sure you present a language model such as “no blocks” or “I don’t want blocks.” Expect the child to repeat the model and provide adequate wait time for them to do that. Say “bye bye” to the activity.
Some children by nature like to change activities frequently. They may become frustrated and uncooperative with a slower pace. This requires a steadfast patience on your part as parents. Stick to your slow down plan. Don’t allow the child to set a pace that does not allow for effective communication. Remember your goal is to build listening, vocabulary and language. Wait time is critical to those skills.
Note: If your child is at the word combination or phrase level, resist the temptation to provide one word at a time. Give them the whole phrase at once and wait. You can use a visual cue to indicate they should keep going or to cue them on how to complete. It’s important that they work on listening to the whole model. Remember, this builds auditory memory that supports an advance to more complex listening and language skills.
Helpful Hints: When we’re interacting with a child, we want to bathe them in language. One practitioner described this as “an ocean of language, not a pond.” Just remember that for early listeners, we sometimes need to provide one wave at a time. Otherwise, the target is lost in a sea of sounds. Identify your target for listening and vocalizing. Build the target into a play routine. Surround it with “wait time.” Give the child a chance to process what has been said and contribute something to the conversation. A gentle prodding gesture such as a lift of the shoulders or palms turned up expectantly may encourage a response. Using this strategy will help the child build an understanding of conversational turn-taking, increase the likelihood of a response, build communicative intent and build the child’s confidence in his ability to interact through vocalization. If you have more than one caregiver participating in a session, that is wonderful. Just make sure that you leave plenty of listening space for the child to recognize the target. In the early stages of learning to talk, young children may not have the ability to respond with complete words or phrases but remember that even babies communicate with parents by responding with babbling and jargon!
Homework: Consciously look for opportunities to use wait time. What activity were you engaged in? What response were you hoping to get (target)? What happened? How many turn-taking volleys did you get? Record your successes!
Definition: Wait time is the pause used between the adult’s interaction with a child and the child’s expected response that allows the child time to process auditory information and formulate a response. (Dickson, 2010)
How is this done? When talking to the child, the communication partners wait for a response from the child before taking another turn themselves. The expectant pause lets the child know that he is expected to respond.
Why is wait time important? When the partner continues to request without waiting, the child learns that it is not important to do first time listening and that a vocalized response is not needed. The child is also denied the opportunity to complete an auditory loop of listening, talking, listening to himself (auditory sandwich) that will help him build auditory memory to support the growth of vocabulary and language. Just remember to:
- Count to 8
- Look expectantly at the child
- Lean in toward the child
- Practice patience
(Taken from Auditory Verbal Strategies to Build Listening and Spoken Language Skills, Fickenscher, Gaffney, Dickson)
In order to provide “wait time,” we have to slow down the pace of our interactive routine.
Some children want to jump ahead to the next activity if you insist on conversational turn-taking. You can avoid this by having only one activity available at a time. If it is not a preferred activity for the child, and YOU decide to move on, make sure you present a language model such as “no blocks” or “I don’t want blocks.” Expect the child to repeat the model and provide adequate wait time for them to do that. Say “bye bye” to the activity.
Some children by nature like to change activities frequently. They may become frustrated and uncooperative with a slower pace. This requires a steadfast patience on your part as parents. Stick to your slow down plan. Don’t allow the child to set a pace that does not allow for effective communication. Remember your goal is to build listening, vocabulary and language. Wait time is critical to those skills.
Note: If your child is at the word combination or phrase level, resist the temptation to provide one word at a time. Give them the whole phrase at once and wait. You can use a visual cue to indicate they should keep going or to cue them on how to complete. It’s important that they work on listening to the whole model. Remember, this builds auditory memory that supports an advance to more complex listening and language skills.
Helpful Hints: When we’re interacting with a child, we want to bathe them in language. One practitioner described this as “an ocean of language, not a pond.” Just remember that for early listeners, we sometimes need to provide one wave at a time. Otherwise, the target is lost in a sea of sounds. Identify your target for listening and vocalizing. Build the target into a play routine. Surround it with “wait time.” Give the child a chance to process what has been said and contribute something to the conversation. A gentle prodding gesture such as a lift of the shoulders or palms turned up expectantly may encourage a response. Using this strategy will help the child build an understanding of conversational turn-taking, increase the likelihood of a response, build communicative intent and build the child’s confidence in his ability to interact through vocalization. If you have more than one caregiver participating in a session, that is wonderful. Just make sure that you leave plenty of listening space for the child to recognize the target. In the early stages of learning to talk, young children may not have the ability to respond with complete words or phrases but remember that even babies communicate with parents by responding with babbling and jargon!
Homework: Consciously look for opportunities to use wait time. What activity were you engaged in? What response were you hoping to get (target)? What happened? How many turn-taking volleys did you get? Record your successes!