Communication/Speech-Language Strategies & Supports
By Sandra Rief
- 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 phonological & phonemic awareness ( rhyming, segmentation, blending) and word play.
- Supplement any oral directions with demonstrations and visuals.
- 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 environmen in the classroom.
- Utilize context to help convey meaning.
- Speak in natural voice but slower and more clearly.
- Check frequently for comprehension.
- Provide many 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 gestures, body language, and facial expressions to maximize communication.
©2012, Sandra Rief
