Pre-Verbal Communication: Ways to Understand Your Child and the SÖMDÖ Approach
Your child's inability to express themselves with words does not mean they are not communicating with you or do not wish to. Families of children with delayed speech or no verbal communication often face great difficulty understanding their child's wants and needs. Yet communication in autism and intellectual disability begins long before the first words are spoken.
We call this precious stage, where words have not yet emerged, the pre-verbal communication period. So how can you make sense of your child's silent world and open the path toward speech? This is where SÖMDÖ (Pre-Verbal Milieu Language Teaching), one of the most powerful methods you can apply at home, comes into play.
What Are Pre-Verbal Communication Skills?
In the "Language, Communication and Play" module of support education programs designed for individuals with intellectual disabilities, acquiring pre-verbal communication skills is regarded as a critical foundation. Before a child begins to speak, they are expected to demonstrate the following communicative behaviors:
Eye Contact and Joint Attention: Looking at the face of the person in front of them, turning toward their name when called, and most importantly establishing joint attention by looking at an object another person points to, or by pointing to an object themselves, all represent the beginning of communication.
Intentional Gestures Aligned with Communicative Function: Even without words, a child's use of gestures such as rejecting (pushing away an unwanted object), requesting (reaching toward a desired object or opening and closing their hand), and attention-seeking gestures constitutes intentional communication in its truest sense.
Naturalistic Language Teaching: What Is the SÖMDÖ Approach?
One of the most scientifically grounded and naturalistic ways to develop your child's pre-verbal skills is the SÖMDÖ (Pre-Verbal Milieu Language Teaching) approach.
SÖMDÖ is a naturalistic-behavioral-developmental teaching method in which the child's environment is arranged to enable children with limited language and communication development to use communicative behaviors. In this method, materials, people, or events present in the environment are used as communication triggers to initiate and sustain social interaction.
The primary goal of the SÖMDÖ approach is to build targeted communication objectives within social routines. The early intentional communication skills targeted include pre-imperative behaviors (requesting and rejecting) and pre-declarative behaviors (initiating joint attention) — intentional skills directed at the communicative function of language. Three core techniques are applied in this method: providing antecedent stimuli, modeling, and natural consequences.
For example, when you place your child's favorite toy on a shelf where they can see it but cannot reach it, you have arranged the environment. When your child looks at you and points toward that toy (joint attention and requesting) or vocalizes, you reinforce the communication by handing them the toy (natural consequence).
Transform Your Home Routines into Communication Opportunities with E-Rehabilitation
Naturalistic language teaching approaches such as SÖMDÖ, as their name implies, yield maximum benefit when carried out in the child's most natural setting — their own home, with their own toys. Rather than placing your child in an unfamiliar clinical room and expecting them to communicate at a table, using daily home routines is far more effective.
This is where our e-rehabilitasyon.com platform comes in. Our specialist therapists join you directly in your home and your child's playroom through online video sessions. Observing your home environment from the other side of the screen, our expert becomes a "communication coach" tailored to your needs.
Our therapist provides you with real-time guidance such as: "Now close the juice bottle tightly so your child cannot open it, place it in front of them, and wait for them to request your help" — helping you turn ordinary everyday moments into powerful communication triggers. Through e-rehabilitation, you build the communication bond with your child in the comfort of your home, backed by professional expertise.
Would You Like to Give Voice to Your Child's Silent World?
If your child's speech is delayed and they are unable to communicate verbally, contact us to learn how you can transform your everyday toys and daily routines into powerful communication tools.
Click Now to Receive Online SÖMDÖ Consultation from Our Specialist Therapists