ABSTRACT
Communication between a parent and child can be considered to start from birth. Within hours relatives are heard to say ‘Oh look, he is hungry’, or tired, or uncomfortable, or in pain, and all of these judgements come from the adult interpreting the child’s behaviours and reactions. As a result the child’s expressive language development can be observed in the Early Communicators phase as the development of communicative behaviours. This begins with the way the child reacts and responds to things going on around and within him, and eventually to the development of planned and purposeful actions that initially help him to get things done for himself and later are directed at adults in order for them to do things for him. Finally, in the Developing Communicators phase, these behaviours are replaced by more recognisable forms of communication such as gestures, vocalisations and words.
