Communication Skills

            Based on my focus child’s Creative Curriculum winter checkpoint assessment he is still in the forerunner stages of development with communication which means he is not yet meeting the milestones of his age level.  The assessment states that he expresses himself using simple three to four word sentences.  However it is hard to understand to what he is saying.  Unfamiliar listeners definitely have a hard time understanding him and sometimes even familiar listeners struggle.   He will answer simple questions with a one to two word response.  He also will ask simple questions such as “go outside” or “time for lunch?”  He actively participates in conversations by responding to comments and questions from others.  At this point, his receptive language skills appear to be higher than his expressive language. 

            My case study child is currently receiving speech therapy twice a week for 30 minutes.  His goals encompass expressive language as well as articulation.  Some of the strategies that I have seen the teachers using in the classroom are things like expanding where the teacher expands on the one or two words that the child uses making it a complete sentence.  Then they will have the student repeat it back to them.  For example, when he says “eat” they say “you want to eat?”  He nods his head and they say “I want to eat” and he repeats it.  I also think it would be beneficial to introduce a choice board for him.  Then when he picks an activity have him say “I want to play with __________.”  My student gets very frustrated when people cannot understand him.  Therefore I know it is very important to model appropriate speech but also not to push him to pronounce thing too many times as he shuts down. 

References:

        Teaching Strategies retrieved from http://www.creativecurriculum.net/