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Speech and Language Support w/b 25th Jan

On the left there are ideas on how to include speech and language activities at home. 

On the right there are videos that link to each area of development.  

First and Then boards

A First and Then Board is a visual strategy used to help children and adults with language and/or behaviour needs complete specific tasks.

How to use. This strategy can work to displays two pictures, one on either side of the board. The “first” is usually a picture of a non-preferred activity and the “then” is a picture of a preferred activity.

 

First and Then boards

 

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Reducing the number of questions

When we want to encourage children to talk more or hear what they have to say, we do the same, we ask questions. This works well for some children, but for many, particularly children who are less talkative or have speech and language difficulties, questions can be really challenging and they may struggle, seem reluctant or unable to respond. 

If you already know the answer, avoid asking the question. Instead turn your question into a comment. For example:
Instead of  asking “What are you doing?”

Try “You are building a tall tower”

Reducing the number of questions

 

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Giving choices

When we give choices to children, we’re telling them that they have some control and their input matters. Providing choices also encourages decision making and promotes language development.

When we provide choice questions, we are providing models of the potential target words for the child to imitate. For example, "Do you want the airplane or the truck?" The child hears the potential targets: "airplane" or "truck". Open-ended questions like, "What do you want to play with?" can be harder because it's requiring the child to recall and retrieve a word from memory.

This strategy provides your child with a verbal model of a word he or she can imitate, while still letting him or her make a decision independently. By giving your child choices, you also help reduce your time spent playing “the guessing game.”

Giving choices

 

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Activities to develop understanding...

Odd One Out

Which is the odd one out of the following:

• Sheep, cow, chicken, lion

• Apple, orange, grapes, carrot

• Chair, table, sofa, hat

• Cabbage, yoghurt, potato, broccoli

• Football, rugby, judo, cricket

Spot the mistake/true or false

• Christmas is in November

• Leopards run as fast as mice

• The leaves fall off the trees in spring

• Eating lots of sugar is good for you

• Sheep lay eggs