Active Listening
Renee Garvin
July 16, 2025
There’s a fast-food restaurant not far from where we live. On nights when we were too tired or got home too late to cook, my
There is a ‘joke’ in the speechie world that we ‘teach kids to talk back’. And it’s true!
Let me explain: We celebrate when a child demonstrates the skills to refuse or to say no, because this is clear advocacy for their own wants and needs! Self-advocacy!
And here’s an example:
At the end of a recent session with a young client (let’s call them Billy) I used the communication app Proloquo2Go to tell Billy “It is time to go to school”.
Billy paused the game they were playing on their iPad to go into Proloquo2Go and replied, “time for iPad”. They then went back into their game and continued playing!
Billy’s mum and I celebrated. Yes, celebrated!
We celebrated for a few reasons:
And so now you see it! Because by gosh, by gosh, THAT is communication progress.
Billy had also entered the room at the start of the session and communicated “set a timer” (until iPad time), so the communication about the game was actually a continuation of their self-advocacy! The communication continuum focused around their own needs!
Learning self-advocacy as part of speech therapy
Self-advocacy is a significant part of becoming a more confident communicator. It’s also an important tool for keeping us safe. To become independent you need to be able to effectively communicate your needs and desires.
It’s not always easy to speak up when something isn’t right, or when a message isn’t understood the way you intended. Negotiating and advocating for yourself when necessary are important skills for wellbeing. When you can share your needs and preferences effectively, it can also boost your confidence and self-esteem.
For people facing communication challenges, social interactions can sometimes feel overwhelming. Finding ways to express your thoughts and feelings so others can understand, allows us to connect with others and fully participate in our communities and in the world around us. It also helps with emotional regulation. Having the skills to express feelings appropriately can reduce frustration and encourage more understanding of others.
Improving these skills can make it easier to navigate social situations and help build deeper, more meaningful connections. It’s an important part of becoming independent and being able to make choices about things that impact you and your life. Self advocacy leads to self determination.
So yes, we do encourage children to “talk back” and we celebrate when they do!
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Speech Pathology Tasmania acknowledges the traditional owners of country and their continuing connection to land, sea and community throughout lutruwita (Tasmania) and Australia. We give our respect to the muwinina people upon whose land our offices stand.
