When Words Aren’t Needed: How hand squeezes, half-smiles, and song clips can carry the strongest messages.

When people think about communication, the first thing that usually comes to mind is *talking*. We place so much importance on spoken words that it can feel as though communication hasn’t really happened unless something has been said out loud. But that’s not true. Communication is so much more than words. I’ve been reminded of this very personally in recent weeks. My father has had a stroke. He can’t speak, and he has no use of the right side of his body. And yet yesterday, he still communicated powerfully. A look, a half-smile, and the gentle squeeze of my hand said far more than any words could. I knew what he meant, and I felt his love and reassurance in that simple moment. This same lesson is clear in my everyday work with children. Many of the children we see at Small Talk don’t use “mouth words” much—or at all—but that doesn’t mean they aren’t communicating. Quite the opposite! One young man I work with doesn’t use speech, but he plays song clips to show people what he wants and how he is feeling. A burst of a favourite tune is his way of saying, *“That’s me. That’s how I feel right now.”* Other children use their eyes, their faces, their hands, their movements, or their laughter to make themselves understood. Parents often tell me their biggest wish is to hear their child *say* words, and I completely understand that. Spoken language is valuable, and we will always support children to develop it if it’s possible for them. But it’s also important to notice and celebrate all the other ways they are already communicating. Research shows that most of what we understand in communication comes from non-verbal signals—things like facial expressions, gestures, body language, tone, and eye contact. Words are just one part of the picture. So, the next time your child looks at you with a twinkle in their eye, hands you a toy, shares a sound clip, or pulls you towards what they want—see that for what it is: real, powerful communication. Responding to these signals not only strengthens your connection with your child, it also lays the foundation for any spoken language that may develop later. Sometimes the deepest messages are spoken without words at all.