A DOZEN WAYS FOR TEACHING LANGUAGE TO CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS (continued)
6. Describe characteristics of things and actions to teach adjectives and adverbs: For example, “Daddy is happy because he got a big buck when he was hunting. The deer has big antlers. Look, Daddy is holding it up by the antlers. Antlers are pointy. " Encourage your teaching with physical experience. Let the child touch the antlers and see how they feel.
7.Repeat yourself: A pair is two. There are two things in a pair. There are nine pairs of ear rings. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. (While counting, we recommend touching the child's finger to each object in turn.) Each pair has two. Look, two pink ones. Two orange ones. Two black ones. Every pair has two. Which one do you think I should wear today?
8. Encourage parents to be involved in developing language: This is SO crucial. There is a reason that the last two examples used are more the type of language instruction children would receive at home. Especially for children with special needs it is critical that the home supports the instruction in the school. We highly encourage staff members to talk with parents during parent-teacher conferences, during school open house, and through letters home, providing examples and encouragement for developing language.
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