The concepts and practices contained in this toolkit support all to employ developmentally responsive practices that positively impact the quality of life of children — from birth through adulthood. The intent is to address the gap between knowledge of the impact of language development, engagement as the fuel for language development, and universal practices and policies.
The aim is to:
(1) enhance the knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy of individuals, practitioners, and policymakers who interact with — or indirectly impact — children and families, and
(2) apply language as a well-being indicator through embedded practices.
Learn why language development is a well-being indicator that dramatically and positively impacts life outcomes.
Learn developmentally responsive practices that everyone can take to proactively employ language as a well-being indicator.
Learn simple, realistic methods that nurture practice —appreciating what already works to to foster engagement and explore opportunities to enhance engagement.
Resources for the Language as a Missing Link Toolkit
Use this tool to NOTICE language indicators of well-being that enable children to communicate for different reasons (why we communicate), communicate in different ways (how we communicate), regulate emotions with the help of others (mutual regulation), and regulate emotions on one’s own (self regulation).
Social Engagement Ladder
Engagement through frequent, positive social interactions with caregivers, educators, and peers is both the “fuel” for and a “gauge” of language development. The Social Engagement Ladder monitors whether children are actively engaged in everyday activities that involve social interaction. This tool measures rates of investment, independence, and initiation when engaging in everyday activities. When children are engaged, their use of language is frequent, functional, socially oriented, and fluid across settings.
Individual
An individual version of the Social Engagement Ladder is used to provide additional information about children, illustrating levels of engagement of that individual in daily interactive routines.
Whole Group
The whole group Social Engagement Ladder helps when monitoring whether a group of children are actively engaged within large group settings such as classrooms, social and therapeutic environments, and court proceedings.
Learn how to use the Social Engagement Ladder as a tool to measure engagement.
Emily Rubin, director of Communication Crossroads, describes the three elements of engagement—investment, independence, and initiation—and describes how monitoring these levels on the social engagement ladder can empower us to fuel learning. Then she shares how to use the social engagement ladder as a tool to measure engagement with children who are entering the early childhood years, in the elementary school-aged years, or in the secondary school setting.
Three elements guide engagement: investment, independence, and initiation.
Quick Reference Tool
This resource provides ideas on enhancing everyday routines with strategies to foster engagement for all children—from those who are before words to those with emerging language, developing language competence, or conversational.
Six-Step Mentorship Tool
This resource provides a framework to sustain and enhance engagement through simple, realistic methods that nurture practice —by appreciating what already works and exploring opportunities for next steps.
