Michele Stottlemyer-Language Communication Skills For Children With Special Needs-Vietnam Final.pptx

Language Communication Skills for Children with special needs LANGUAGE COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS PRESENTED BY MICHELE STOTTLEMYER MEET THE PRESENTER MICHELE STOTTLEMYER • Ea[.]

LANGUAGE COMMUNICATION SKILLS

FOR CHILDREN WITH

SPECIAL NEEDS

PRESENTED BY MICHELE STOTTLEMYER

MEET THE PRESENTER

MICHELE STOTTLEMYER

• Early Childhood Specialist

• Workshop Trainer for the Child Care Workforce in the State of Maryland, USA

• 30 years experience in the Education Field

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education

• Married for 29 years with 3 children; twin daughters and a son

KEY IDEA

• In this workshop we will look at effective strategies that

parents, teachers and caregivers can implement when

working with children who present with needs in the area

of communication Strategies that will be discussed

include how to appropriately use a visual schedule, how to use various prompting supports to express wants/needs,

as well as strategies to use with students who present

with behavioral challenges.

COMMUNICATION IN THE CLASSROOM

Children with special needs often have a much harder

time than their peers with communication skills

However, there are ways that you can help these

children develop communication skills, and the

understanding of how to be an active participant in their classrooms and to express their wants and needs.

USING VISUALS STRATEGIES IN THE

CLASSROOM

Ways using visual strategies can support children with

special needs

1. Portray expectations (wash your hands, line up, stop, etc.)

2. Teach Routines (visual schedules, first/then boards)

3. Can cue or teach positive behaviors or new skills

WAYS VISUAL STRATEGIES PROVIDE HELP

• Permanent, the student can examine and process (unlike

words that are gone once they are said)

• Enhances communication skills, academic learning, and

self-control

• Provides a predictability of the classroom process for the

students

adults the same way all the time

VISUAL SCHEDULES

communicate the order in which an activity or day will proceed for the students They are useful in helping

children understand and manage daily events in their lives either at school or at home

INDIVIDUALIZED VISUAL SCHEDULES

• Some students will respond much better to a visual schedule when it is individualized for them to see, hold and manipulate themselves

ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL VISUAL SCHEDULE

WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO TO HELP?

• When a child presents with communication issues it is up to the teacher to observe the child and determine what that

child is trying to communicate If you are working with more than one child with special needs it becomes your job to

figure out how each of them are attempting to communicate and have the individual strategies available that work for

each child A good deal of one-on-one instruction time is

required to aid the child/ren in their communication skills

VISUAL PICTURES

• There are a few ways that you can obtain visual pictures to use with your children who have special needs and require the additional support

• The internet is a great source of ready made pictures

• It is also helpful to the children to see themselves in pictures doing what is being requested of them, or pictures of what they need So taking pictures in the classroom of the

children is another great way to gather pictures

LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT SOME VISUAL

PICTURES

FIRST/ THEN BOARDS

• Another useful visual to utilize with children with special needs is a First/Then or First/Then/Next Board

•

OTHER VISUAL IDEAS

CHOICE BOARDS

CORE BOARDS

USING TECHNOLOGY FOR ASSISTANCE

CORE BOARDS FOR PLAYGROUNDS

HOW DOES BEHAVIOR EFFECT

COMMUNICATION

• Behavior and communication are very often intertwined with each other

We can see unwanted behavior when a child is unable to express himself,

or does not understand what is being said Visuals here again will aid the

student in this area.

A couple of ways to observe for challenging behaviors

1 Observe and look for any consistent triggers that the child reacts to

2 Look for subtle cues that the child may give prior to exhibiting a behavior

HOW TO HELP WHEN COMMUNICATION

CAUSES UNWANTED CHALLENGING

BEHAVIORS

• Keep the child and others safe

• Allow the child to go to a calming area, or someplace separate from the group

• Give them your undivided attention

• When they are safe and calm reassure them that you are there for them

• Get on their level and talk to them, really “listening” to what they are trying to tell you

• Help them identify and process their emotions

• Be patient and understanding

USING VISUALS TO COMMUNICATE NEEDS

USING VISUALS TO COMMUNICATE

FEELINGS

WRAPPING UP

Special Needs is one that we could spend days discussing so

we really just barely began to cover this topic

• Please use the strategy resources that are provided to you as

a guide to make one specific to your classroom and your

individual students

• I wish I was there in person with you so that we could make some of these items together

QUESTION AND ANSWER TIME

• What strategy did we talk about today that you think would

be useful for you to implement in your classroom?

• How do you think your students will respond to the strategies

we discussed today?

THANK YOU!

• Thank you so much for this opportunity to share in this

workshop with you!! I have enjoyed being here, and hope to see you in person in the years to come!

• If you have any questions please feel free to email me at

mlstottlemyer@yahoo.com, or find me on Facebook at

Michele Gouker Stottlemyer