Communication Development: Birth to Five

Understanding milestones. Recognising concerns. Knowing what to do next.

A practical, evidence-based course for educators, parents and professionals on how communication develops from birth to five years. Presented by speech pathologist Jess Watson, this session looks beyond “how many words a child can say” to the full picture of communication — understanding, expressing, speech and social interaction — and how to recognise patterns that may warrant a closer look. The goal isn’t to diagnose; it’s to help you notice, describe and respond to communication development with greater confidence.

What you’ll learn:

• The four areas of communication — understanding, expressing, speech and social communication, and why they don’t always develop at the same rate
• Communication is more than speech — looking, reaching, pointing, gestures, facial expressions, sounds, signs, visuals and AAC, and how behaviour can also give us information
• The early foundations — shared attention, reciprocal interactions, gestures, imitation and vocal play that develop before first words
• What communication typically looks like at 12 months, 18 months, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years — across all four areas, with everyday real-life examples
• Milestones as a guide, not a checklist — why progress, profile, participation and persistence matter more than any single milestone
• When to look more closely — loss of previously acquired skills, limited progress over time, persistent difficulties understanding language, very limited ways of communicating wants and needs, speech intelligibility that limits communication, difficulties affecting participation, or ongoing parent or educator concern
• Don’t forget hearing — how hearing differences and recurrent ear infections can affect speech and language, even when a child seems to respond normally to everyday sounds
• How to observe — being specific about what you actually see, across different people, routines and settings
• How to document concerns — brief, specific examples rather than broad labels
• Talking with families — opening a conversation by starting with strengths and sharing specific observations, not conclusions
• What happens next — the notice, observe, discuss, decide pathway, including hearing assessment, GP or child health professional, speech pathology assessment, or broader developmental support
• Supporting communication while you wait — responding to all communication attempts, following the child’s interests, using simple meaningful language, giving children time to respond, and supporting communication with gestures, signs, visuals and AAC

Format: Video course presented by speech pathologist Jess Watson, with downloadable resources included as part of course participation.