Developing commmunication skills

Nitam Giigidowin means “A child’s first words.”
Taylor Waboose learned this from her grandmother.
Taylor is a 17 year-old high school student from Long Lake #58 First Nation and the winner of an artwork contest for the Nitam Giigidowin Project. It took her only a day to design a logo that she said “was inspired by tradition.”
“The logo is a picture of an Elder or a mother with a child. In the past, Elders taught children how to speak by telling them stories. This logo represents how stories are important in my culture,” Taylor said.
“Taylor’s logo represents exactly what the Nitam Giigidowin Project is all about,” said Colleen Mahoney, communicative disorders assistant with Nitam Giigidowin. “The stories and the traditions of the First Nations people are a very important part of what we do.”
Developed as pilot project by Dilico Anishnabek Family Care and the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, the Nitam Giigidowin Project is funded by Health Canada. The project is intended to raise awareness of the importance of developing communication skills at a young age. Speech and language therapy is provided in the communities of Long Lake #58, Ginoogaming and Fort William First Nations.
“Working with children at an early age is important. Without help, many who start school with communication difficulties may not catch up to their peers,” Mahoney said. “Developing speech and language skills before 30 months of age is a strong predictor of the child’s ability to learn and communicate throughout their school years.”
The project prepares children and families by providing appropriate services and resources in the family’s home community so they can easily access the support.
Project staff, including a communicative disorders assistant and speech-language pathologists, work closely with families, community members, infant child development workers, the Aboriginal Head Start Program and child care staff to provide resources which will stay in the community even after the project ends in 2012.
One main service provided is a speech and language check-up. The check-up is available to any child and no referral from a doctor is needed.
“Bringing children in for early check-ups will give them a chance to learn important life skills including how to talk,” Mahoney said, “but communication is more than just talking.
“From birth, children try to communicate in many different ways like smiling, crying, reaching out and making sounds. Caregivers help children improve communication by the way they respond to these actions and by encouraging their children to continue to express themsleves.”
Nitam Giigidowin staff show caregivers how to create these interactions with children. They work with parents to develop children’s abilities to express their needs and to understand what others are saying to them. These are very important skills when children enter school and will make a big difference in their lives even before that time.
The environment that a child plays and lives in also makes a difference in the way they learn how to communicate. In Ginoogaming, Mahoney has helped to improve the space where a parent-child playgroup meets every week. Within the health centre, two areas have been transformed into a family friendly wonderland. The boardroom walls have been decorated with colourful alphabet decals stuck at just the right height for toddlers.
Only a few steps outside of the boardroom is a tent filled with soft cushions for children to enjoy a book. The centre has many suitable books for children and parents to choose from and any can be taken home to be enjoyed. Healthy snacks, craft materials and toys are provided to help to feed children’s tummies and imaginations.This fun space is where parents can help their children develop speech and language skills.
There are also bulletin boards with information about how to help children’s speech and language, and the milestones to look out for at different ages and stages.
“Good communication helps children understand others, learn new things and make friends as they take an active part in family, school and social life. If communication difficulties are found early, all children can be helped,” Mahoney said.