Building Language Skills
with Schedules for Special Needs Children - Part 2
Read the first article on this topic.
Follow these steps to hear your child say new words when pretending with dolls or stuffed animals. How does this happen?
Target One Thing Where is your child with communication skills? See my upcoming article Steps in Communication. For example, Justin uses gestures and a few single words. He needs practice using other single words. Maybe he already knows cookie, juice, more. He is mostly "talking" about things. Add a new word through the daily schedule. During outside time, you might offer him a ball and bubbles. Say each word as you show him the choice. When he reaches for one (the ball), say ball and continue your play.
Model Continuing with Justin, you have modeled the word ball. This kind of modeling -- just the target word - has to happen MANY times before the child will learn it. Some professionals say it takes hearing something more than 50 times before it is learned!
Then why do other kids just get it? Other children pick up new words from just listening to conversation. Suppose Adam has a new toy in his playpen. Dad and Mom talk about it. Sister wants to play with it. Adam hears the name of that toy over and over just sitting in his playpen. Justin (above) cannot pick out the new words as easily. Justin learns to talk in a different way.
Practice Give your child lots of opportunities to hear and practice the new word. Use a ball for outside play everyday. Say ball every time you catch the ball, roll the ball, etc. One day, you will hear your wonderful child say ball!
Often a Down syndrome child won't say that target word no matter how much you model, practice, or coax. If you have been rolling the ball and saying ball until you are blue in the face, you may think all is for nothing. Then, one day, you hear the target word clearly as if he has been practicing it in his room for a surprise for you.
You may be thinking I want my child to say more than one word. I want him to talk!
Note: All children in this article are fictitious and represent general characteristics of the disability.
