IMPLICATIONS IN THE CLASSROOM
The inability for a student to communicate clearly in the classroom can obviously be very challenging for a teacher for many reasons. Not only will they most likely struggle academically, but they may also experience socialization problems and/or lack of self esteem. This section highlights some of the challenges that speech/language disorders may present in a classroom that teachers must be aware of.
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COMBATING NEGATIVE STEREOTYPES
Listed, are some terms used to describe students with communication disorders in professional literature . Many of these terms have been used to describe students with other disabilities, and they tend to promote stereotyped thinking and negative impressions. This is a reminder that, as with other disabilities and disorders, teachers and other professionals need to look carefully at the capabilities of students with speech and language problems, remembering the great diversity that can be hidden under a single label. It would be a shame and a great disservice to students if teachers lowered their expectations of the potential and capability of learners. (Citation: Ysseldyke, J., Algozzine, B., “Teaching Students with Communication Disorders”, 2006, pg. 35-38. Corwin Press.)
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CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILDREN WITH LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION DISORDERS
It is important for teachers to recognize and understand the different types of characteristics that their students with communication disorders may present. Not only for differentiated instruction, but also to recognize possible disorders if an official diagnosis has not yet been made. If a student is struggling with a speech or language disability, a quick and accurate diagnosis should be made so that the proper instructional strategies can be implemented as soon as possible.
1) Academic Performance:
- reluctance to contribute to discussions
- difficulty organizing ideas
- difficulty recognizing phonemes
- difficulty producing sounds
- failure to follow directions
- difficulty finding the right word for things
- Reluctance to interact with other children
- exclusion or rejection by other children
- difficulty carrying on a conversation
- problems negotiating rules for games
- difficulty organizing information for recall
- slow responding
- inattentiveness
- high level of frustration
- frequent arguments
- fighting with peers
- withdrawing from interaction
IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING
Many children with speech and language disabilities can get frustrated with school and suffer emotionally due to their disorders. Teachers must help these students develop the skills to become socially integrated and academically successful. The self-esteem of these students should also be cultivated in hopes that they lead emotionally stable and positive lives in, and out of, the classroom.
Teachers should keep the following points in mind:
- Provide descriptive feedback for students when the message is not understood. For example: “You were talking too fast, I didn’t understand where you said you were going after school.” This will also improve the students self-monitoring skills.Engage the student and parents in planning for transitions between grade levels, different schools and out of school.
- The student may have difficulty with social and conversational skills. Teach the student language to use in specific social communication situations, such as:
- greeting people and starting a conversation
- asking and answering questions
- asking for help or clarification.
- Explicitly teach social communication skills, such as how to read body language and expressions. Use direct instruction along with modelling, storytelling and role-play.
- Provide support in transitioning from one activity or place to another. Cues, routines and purposeful activity during transitions may be helpful so that the student clearly understands what to do.
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SOME WAYS FOR TEACHERS TO DEAL WITH THESE IMPLICATIONS IN THE CLASSROOM
The ways a teacher may accommodate a student with communication disabilities differ, depending on whether they have an expressive language disorder or a receptive language disorder.
When Dealing With Expressive Language Disorders:
- Repeat back what the student has said, modelling the correct pronunciation, word form or sentence structure. It is unnecessary to ask the student to repeat the correct form after you; what is important is that the student hears the correct form.
- Provide the student with choices of correct grammar, sentence structure or word choice to help them process the correct form or word to use. For example: “Is it a giraffe or an elephant?”, “If it’s a boy, is it he or she?”
- Be patient when the student is speaking; not rushing a student who has expressive language difficulties will reduce frustration levels.
- Use visuals to support expressive language skills. Pictures or written cues can be used to prompt the student to use a longer utterance or initiate a phrase within a specific situation or activity.
- Help build the student’s vocabulary by creating opportunities for focusing on language processing skills, such as sorting and grouping, similarities and differences.
- Help students connect new words and information to pre-existing knowledge.
- Use pre-planning strategies for oral and written tasks. Talk out the student’s story or ideas first. Then help the student organize thoughts by creating a task outline. Write out the ideas the student wants to discuss in his or her story. Cue the student to look at the “outline,” to verbalize what he or she wants to say, and then to write it down.
- Use visuals, symbols or photos to help students organize and communicate their thoughts.
- To facilitate students’ speech intelligibility and expressive language skills, encourage them to slow down while speaking and face their communication partner.
- Focus on content vs delivery
- Prepare students for verbal question-answering (inform them of when they will be called upon; allow preparation time for a response; provide extra time when they are responding)
When Dealing With Receptive Language Disorders:
- Reduce auditory and visual distractions in the classroom. Extraneous noises and visual clutter interfere with the student’s ability to listen, follow directions and know what information to attend to.
- Prepare students so they know when it is time to listen. Cue them (e.g., call their name, give a verbal cue) and encourage them to look at you. You can also give students a nonverbal signal, such as pointing to your ear.
- Keep directions short and simple.
- Include visuals (e.g., photos, illustrations, symbols) when giving instructions. Visuals provide additional information to the student, assist with memory and processing; visuals remain when the auditory information is gone.
- Use natural gestures to give students added cues about what you want them to do.
- Speak clearly and slowly. A slower speaking rate with pauses between ideas will help students understand what you want them to do. Emphasize important parts of directions.
- Break tasks and assignments into short, easy-to-manage steps. Write down these steps on the board or students’ desks so they can use them as a reference.
- Check the students’ comprehension of directions and information (e.g., retelling instructions in their own words, indicating understanding with different coloured cups, re-sequencing instructions on the white board, using manipulatives to demonstrate comprehension)
- Provide extra response time (10-15 seconds more than their peers)
THE IMPORTANCE OF DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION
The 2005 Differentiated Instruction: A Research Brief for Practitioners, conducted by University of Alberta, found that of all groups of students, those with disabilities and/or at-risk of academic failure experience the greatest gains through a differentiated approach.
According to this research, the key component that made the difference was explicit and targeted instruction (e.g., small group and one-to-one interventions) that increased intensity of instructional time. Differentiated instruction benefits students with disabilities because it creates and promotes an environment in which learning differences are not just tolerated, they are expected and valued. A differentiated approach supports an inclusive education system in which all students have the best possible learning opportunities.
PROPER ASSESSMENTS ALSO HOLD GREAT IMPORTANCE
Parents are an important source of information and insight about their children and should be involved in the assessment process. For example, they can provide information about their child’s strengths and needs and wishes and dreams for the future.
The assessment process is multi-tiered, multidisciplinary and occurs in a continuous cycle—from planning through to final assessment and evaluation. The assessment process begins at the classroom level, with the teacher using informal techniques such as observation, reading inventories and other diagnostic tools to explore how the student is learning and to identify areas of strength and concern.
At the school level, it may be helpful to do more formal academic assessment, as well as screenings for sensory or other issues that could interfere with learning. School-based assessment should provide initial information for identifying and trying out various strategies, supports and interventions to see if they make a positive difference for the students.
For some students with disabilities, it may be necessary to go beyond the school to arrange for other types of assessments such as emotional-social needs, speech/language, fine and gross motor or sensory functioning such as hearing and vision. This type of specialized assessment should be used to inform educational programming and decision making.
(http://education.alberta.ca/media/1234001/11_ch8%20students.pdf)
According to this research, the key component that made the difference was explicit and targeted instruction (e.g., small group and one-to-one interventions) that increased intensity of instructional time. Differentiated instruction benefits students with disabilities because it creates and promotes an environment in which learning differences are not just tolerated, they are expected and valued. A differentiated approach supports an inclusive education system in which all students have the best possible learning opportunities.
PROPER ASSESSMENTS ALSO HOLD GREAT IMPORTANCE
Parents are an important source of information and insight about their children and should be involved in the assessment process. For example, they can provide information about their child’s strengths and needs and wishes and dreams for the future.
The assessment process is multi-tiered, multidisciplinary and occurs in a continuous cycle—from planning through to final assessment and evaluation. The assessment process begins at the classroom level, with the teacher using informal techniques such as observation, reading inventories and other diagnostic tools to explore how the student is learning and to identify areas of strength and concern.
At the school level, it may be helpful to do more formal academic assessment, as well as screenings for sensory or other issues that could interfere with learning. School-based assessment should provide initial information for identifying and trying out various strategies, supports and interventions to see if they make a positive difference for the students.
For some students with disabilities, it may be necessary to go beyond the school to arrange for other types of assessments such as emotional-social needs, speech/language, fine and gross motor or sensory functioning such as hearing and vision. This type of specialized assessment should be used to inform educational programming and decision making.
(http://education.alberta.ca/media/1234001/11_ch8%20students.pdf)
