What are cognitive communication skills?

Cognitive communication skills are the thinking abilities that help us follow information, remember what was said, and express ideas clearly. They support listening, speaking, reading, and writing. These include:

attention: focusing on a message and keeping track of the important information
memory: holding information in mind while responding and remembering details later
organization: putting ideas in a clear order when explaining, retelling, or writing
planning: deciding how to approach a communication task and work through its steps
problem-solving: choosing what to do when information is unclear or an explanation is not working

Planning, organization, and checking our work are part of executive functioning: the skills that help us manage a task from start to finish.

When these skills are affected, communication can become difficult, even when a person’s language abilities are strong.

Social communication focuses on how we use and interpret communication with other people: for example, understanding tone, taking turns, or adapting an explanation to the listener. Cognitive communication focuses on the thinking skills that help us follow and organize that exchange.

The areas overlap. Losing track of a conversation because it is hard to hold information in mind is a cognitive communication concern. Interpreting a sarcastic remark involves understanding the speaker’s intention as well as reasoning from context. Difficulty with sarcasm alone does not tell us which skills need support. Our social communication page explains these needs and the specific diagnosis of social communication disorder.

Signs a child may need support

School-age children

Children may:

lose track of key information during an explanation or class discussion
forget parts of spoken instructions before they can use them
have trouble holding a question in mind while preparing an answer
struggle to organize their thoughts when speaking or writing
need help breaking a spoken or written assignment into steps
retell events in a jumbled or unclear order

Adolescents and teens

Older children and teens may:

find it hard to follow longer explanations and pick out the main points
struggle to take notes while listening or remember what was discussed
know what they want to say but have difficulty giving a clear, concise explanation
struggle with written organization for essays and assignments
have difficulty managing time and planning ahead

These difficulties can have different causes. Assessment looks at both thinking and language skills to understand what is making communication harder. Some children and teens may also benefit from autism-specific therapy, depending on their communication profile.

How speech-language therapy helps

At West End Speech, we help children and teens:

identify key information and break spoken instructions into manageable steps
use notes, visual reminders, or repetition to remember important details
organize ideas before speaking or writing
plan and sequence explanations, stories, and written assignments
learn problem-solving strategies they can use independently
ask for clarification, extra processing time, or information in a helpful format

Our approach

Therapy is practical and goal-driven. We build strategies around communication tasks that matter to each child or teen, such as following a classroom explanation, telling someone about their day, or planning a written response.

Strategy-based learning

We teach thinking and communication strategies that can be applied across settings. For example, a child may use a visual checklist to remember spoken instructions or an idea map to organize their thoughts before answering a question in class.

Metacognitive awareness

We help children and teens notice what makes communication easier or harder for them. This may mean recognising when they have lost track of information, choosing a memory aid, or checking whether their explanation includes the main point and enough detail.

Collaboration with schools and families

Cognitive communication skills affect learning and social participation. We work with families and, when appropriate, collaborate with teachers to ensure strategies are supported across environments.

What to expect

Assessment

We start by looking at how attention, memory, organization, planning, and problem-solving affect the child’s communication. We consider their language skills, strengths, and everyday demands at school and at home. If social communication is also a concern, we look at that alongside their cognitive communication needs.

Therapy sessions

Sessions are structured around real-life communication challenges. Therapy may involve recalling key points from a short explanation, using a story outline, planning a written response, or practising how to ask for information to be repeated or written down.

Ongoing support

As children grow, the communication demands on them get harder. We adjust goals and strategies as things change.

How to get started

If you or someone you support is having trouble following information, remembering what was said, or organizing thoughts, contact us to book an assessment. Sessions are available online across BC and in-home around Vancouver, in English and French.

Cognitive Communication Therapy