When people think about communication, they usually think about words. Spoken words, signs, or words on an AAC device. But communication starts before that.

It starts when a child begins to notice another person is there. Maybe they notice a familiar partner nearby. Maybe they watch when that person starts doing something interesting or something connected to a routine they know. Over time, that can grow into longer attention, shared attention to an object or activity, and the early understanding that what they do can affect what another person does.

That is a big deal.

At this stage, communication often does not look the way people expect it to look. It may be reaching, pointing, giving an object, making eye contact, using a facial expression, changing body position, or moving toward a familiar place or person. Those early behaviors are easy to dismiss, but they matter. They are part of communication learning.

A child may hand an adult a cup to get a drink. A child may walk to the bathroom and make eye contact to indicate a need to go. A child may reach toward something wanted, push something away, or look toward an adult during a familiar activity. These are not meaningless behaviors. They tell us the child is trying to get a message across.

This is also the stage where a child begins to learn that one thing can stand for another. The cup can mean drink. Going to the bathroom and looking at an adult can mean “I need to go.” A look, a gesture, or an action can carry meaning and influence what happens next.

That is why these early opportunities for learning matter so much. They tell us what the child already wants to communicate. They tell us what the child is motivated by. They also give us clues about which words or messages may be within reach and what the child may be ready to learn next.

One of the most common things we hear when talking with classroom staff about very early emergent communicators is, “They don’t communicate.” But often, that is simply not true. They do communicate. They may use unconventional behaviors, conventional behaviors, gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, or other early signals. If we overlook those forms of communication, we miss the clearest starting point for intervention.

Recognizing these early communication attempts helps us know where to begin. It helps us choose meaningful vocabulary, identify motivating messages, and model language that fits the child’s current level of understanding. Instead of starting with what we think the child should say, we can start with what the child is already showing us.

The earliest stages of communication learning may not be flashy, but they are important. If we pay attention, we usually find that the child is already communicating quite a bit. We just have to know how to notice it.