Communicating Strategies for Learners with Difficulties

COMMUNICATION. Interactive exchange of information, ideas, feelings, needs, and desires between and among people. DIMENSIONS OF SPEECH AND LANGUAGE SPEECH - expression of language with sounds and oral production LANGUAGE - a formalized code by a group of people PHONOLOGY - sound system of a lang...

COMMUNICATION. Interactive exchange of information, ideas, feelings, needs, and desires between and among people. DIMENSIONS OF SPEECH AND LANGUAGE SPEECH - expression of language with sounds and oral production LANGUAGE - a formalized code by a group of people PHONOLOGY - sound system of a language; phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a system MORPHOLOGY - refers to the smallest unit of language that has meaning and which are used - sounds, syllables, or whole words SYNTAX - grammar rules - arrangement of words GENERAL EDUCATION ADAPTATIONS for learners with difficulty communicating UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING - This includes multiple means of presentation, expression, and engagement; Providing of different modalities, such as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic - motor tactile; Means of presenting lesson includes the use of pictures, videos, hands-on experiential learning. PRACTICAL TIPS FOR THE CLASSROOM 1. Allow the child to sit near the teacher and the blackboard, away from the auditory and visual distractions such as the window and the door. 2. Get the child's attention. 3. Use visual aids as supplement auditory information. 4. Speak slowly and clearly without exaggerating speech. 5. Simplify directions into short steps. 6. Use gestures to clarify information. 7. Use peer- mediated instruction so that peers without difficulties can serve as a language models and learning buddies. 8. Provide extra time to prepare for oral language activities. 9. Model correct language forms and use appropriate wait times (3-5 seconds or more) 10. Explicitly teach vocabulary that is needed in the learning context to promote better comprehension. 11.