Tips from Sandra

Communication/Speech-Language Interventions

Check that student’s hearing has been tested recently.
Have the student repeat or paraphrase what you or other students are saying.
Increase the amount of ‘wait time’ (at least 5 seconds) to enable student to respond to questions.
Utilize partner responses and small group structures whenever possible to increase opportunities to verbalize and communicate.
Utilize pictures and pictorial clues to increase comprehension.
Explicitly teach vocabulary, parts of speech and sentence expansion.
Label objects in the environment.
Consult with your speech/language therapist.
Teach oral language skills and be a good language model.
Provide many opportunities for learning and practicing rhyming, word play, and phonemic awareness tasks (e.g., segmentation/blending).
Give student your full attention when he/she tries to communicate.
Supplement any oral directions with demonstrations and visual cues.
Provide multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate knowledge and mastery in a variety of ways.
Assign a student buddy to help whenever additional assistance is needed to understand directions.
Foster a low-anxiety environment in the classroom.
Utilize context to help convey meaning.
Speak in natural voice but slower and more clearly.
Check for comprehension.
Provide opportunities for vocabulary building.
Provide activities that teach and allow practice in classification and categorization of objects, words and pictures.
Provide access to good language models from adults and peers.
Use only essential information when giving directions.
Repeat and/or rephrase key directions and concepts.
Use real objects, concrete materials, manipulatives, and visuals to get across meaning.
Use props, pantomime, role-playing.
Use gestures, body language, and facial expressions to maximize communication.