Early childhood intervention teaching

Listening, talking and following instructions

A lot of what a classroom asks for is communication, but not the kind most people picture. It is following an instruction given to twenty children at once. It is putting a hand up instead of calling out. It is telling an adult you need the toilet, or that someone has taken your turn.

Our early childhood teachers work with children across Springfield and Ipswich on exactly those skills — the everyday communication that a kindy or school day runs on. Where the underlying difficulty is language itself, our speech pathologists lead and we work alongside them.

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What we work on

  • Following instructions — one step, then two, then instructions given to a whole group
  • Listening in a group — attending to an adult who is not speaking directly to them
  • Asking for help — noticing they are stuck and having a way to say so
  • Expressing needs — the toilet, a drink, feeling unwell, wanting a turn
  • Answering questions — who, what, where, and eventually why and how
  • Joining a conversation — with an adult, and harder, with other children
  • Using words instead of actions — when frustrated, excited or wanting something
  • Understanding routine language — pack away, line up, find a partner, choose a spot

Signs you might notice

  • Not responding when an instruction is given to the group, though fine one to one
  • Needing their name said first, every time
  • Doing the first part of an instruction and missing the rest
  • Copying what other children do rather than acting on what was said
  • Not asking for help, or getting upset rather than asking
  • Difficulty answering simple questions about what happened
  • An educator saying they seem not to be listening
  • Communication that works at home and falls away at kindy

How our early childhood teachers help

They build these skills in the place they are needed, through the ordinary moments of a kindy or home day rather than at a table. Instructions get practised during pack-away. Asking for help gets built in by deliberately setting up something your child cannot quite reach. Group listening gets practised at real group time, with support that fades as it works.

They also change what the adults do. Shortening instructions, pausing long enough for a reply, giving the instruction before the child is already busy, and checking understanding rather than assuming it — these small shifts in how educators and parents talk usually do more than anything we teach the child directly.

We are clear about scope. Our teachers are qualified educators, not therapists. If your child has a language delay or disorder, that is speech pathology territory and we will say so — see our language delay page. The two work well together, and the key worker approach means you get one main contact rather than two separate plans.

What this is not

This is not speech therapy and we will not present it as such. We do not assess or treat language disorders, speech sound difficulties or stuttering.

What our teachers bring is classroom knowledge: what a Prep teacher will actually expect, how group instructions are given, and what gets a child noticed as not coping. That is a genuinely different thing from language therapy, and plenty of children need both.

What getting started looks like

We build a picture of how your child communicates in the settings that matter, rather than testing them in a quiet room.

  1. A conversation with you. What you are noticing, what educators have raised, and what a hard moment looks like.
  2. Observation in the setting. With your permission, watching group time, transitions and free play at kindy or day care.
  3. Getting to know your child one to one. Which usually looks very different from the group and shows what they are capable of.
  4. Instruction-following in context. How many steps your child can hold, and whether a group instruction lands at all.
  5. How they ask for help. Set up deliberately, because it is one of the most protective skills a child can have at school.
  6. Educator input. What the adults in the room see, and what they have already tried.
  7. A speech pathology check where needed. If the barrier looks like language rather than classroom communication, we say so and refer.

We will share what we noticed, agree the goals with you, and set out who is doing what — including what the kindy or school will be asked to do.

Where we see children

  • In our Springfield clinic
  • At home
  • At daycare, kindy or school
  • In the community

Related pages

Frequently asked questions

Is this the same as speech therapy?

No. Our early childhood teachers are educators, and they work on the communication a classroom asks for — following group instructions, asking for help, joining in. Speech pathology assesses and treats language and speech difficulties. Many children benefit from both, and we plan together so you are not managing two separate programs.

My child talks constantly but does not listen. Is that a communication problem?

It can be. Understanding and listening in a group are different skills from talking, and a very verbal child can still be struggling to take in what is said to them. It is also worth checking hearing, and whether the difficulty is attention rather than communication — those need different approaches.

Should we wait until school starts to see if it settles?

We would rather look now. The year before school is when these skills can be built without the pressure of a classroom, and a child who starts Prep already able to follow a group instruction has a much easier first term. If what you are seeing is within normal range we will tell you that plainly.

Ready to help your child be heard and understood?

We’ll partner with you to create a plan that works for your family — with access, empathy and hope.

Request an appointment ECI teaching

Or call 0480 841 300 · hello@accesstotherapy.com.au