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Supporting Higher Level Communication Skills
in the Classroom, Community, and Home
Jillian Baldwin M.Sc., RSLP, S-LP(C)
604-444-3773
Marla Folden M.Sc., RSLP, S-LP(C)
604-444-3773
Long Term Goals
• What is going to be most important to your
students’ “quality of life” down the road?
�Lasting relationships
�Employment
�Independence
• Focus on functionality
Today’s Goals
Skills
• Communication strengths
• Communication challenges
Demands
• Environmental demands
• Communication opportunities
Strategies
• Build skills
• Compensate
Help
• Professionals
• Resources
What is communication?
• How people
communicate
– Spoken words, sounds
– Voice
– Facial expressions
– Body language
– Gestures
– Pictures
– Sign language
– Writing
– Devices
• Why people
communicate
– Meeting needs
(getting/refusing
things), safety
– Exchange information
– Social interaction
– Build/maintain
relationships
Get to know your child’s learning profile“The profile should inform practice”
Consider:
1. Physical, perceptual, and sensory factors
2. Cognitive factors
3. Communication factors
Identify both strengths and challenges….
Then work from strengths!
Vision (60%)
Hearing (65-80%)
Touch (49%)
Perceptual and Sensory Factorsin Communication
• Attention
• Verbal short-term
memory
• Reasoning / problem-
solving
• Abstract thinking
• Memory for words
• Sequencing /
organization
• Generalization
Cognitive Factorsin Communication
= Communication Profile
Strengths vs. Challenges
Receptive Language
(understanding) + gesturing
Expressive Language (speaking)
+ speech clarity
Visual processing + memory Auditory processing + memory
Vocabulary (especially for
things)
Grammar (putting words
together in sentences)
Concrete words Abstract concepts
Repetitive language Novel sentences
Social motivation Social skills (pragmatics)
Today’s Goals
Skills
• Communication strengths
• Communication challenges
Demands
• Environmental demands
• Communication opportunities
Strategies
• Build skills
• Compensate
Help
• Professionals
• Resources
Health status
Child’s current health status will affect behaviour, skill, and
sensory abilities.
OpportunitiesSkill Demands
Day-to-day interactions
at:
• Home
• School
• Community
Communication
profile:
• Strengths
• Challenges
Include:
• Environment
• Cognitive load
Social & emotional state, and learning
How your child responds to others affects willingness to try something new.
Learning challenges affect skill acquisition
Child factors in Communication
Today’s Goals
Skills
• Communication strengths
• Communication challenges
Demands
• Environmental demands
• Communication opportunities
Strategies
• Build skills
• Compensate
Help
• Professionals
• Resources
Key Strategies
Understanding
others
Following
directions
Comprehending
stories
Asking and
answering
questions
Communicating
about day-to-day
experiences
Sentence length Social interactions
Fixing
communication
break-downs
• Follows directions accurately
• Responds meaningfully
• Respond consistently to similar directions/ requests
Does the child understand me?
• Bored and fidgeting
• Starts doing self-directed things
• Responds incorrectly
Does the child understand me?
• Smile
• Say ‘yes’, ‘ok’, or ‘no’!
• Pick the last choice you gave
• Say the last word you said
Does the child understand me?
When You’re Giving Information
�Reduce distractions
�Length and simplicity
�Use visuals*
Does the child understand me?
Reduce
Distractions
Does the child understand me?
Highlight Your Language
www.hanen.org
Does the child understand me?
Length & Simplicity
Key Strategies
Understanding
others
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
Following
directions
Comprehending
stories
Asking and
answering
questions
Communicating
about day-to-day
experiences
Sentence length Social interactions
Fixing
communication
break-downs
When You’re Giving Directions
�Labels: Be specific
�Visuals: say it AND show it
�Repeat, repeat, repeat!
Following Directions
Labels: Be specific
Hand in your
assignments
Put your chapter 6
definitions in the blue
science homework tray
Following Directions
Labels: Be specific
Put that away. Hang your coat in the
closet.
Following Directions
Following Directions
Demonstrate what you want your child to do
Visuals
Following Directions
Visuals
Low-Tech Picture
Systems can support
verbal directions.
Following Directions
Visuals: First � Then
Keep it simple, clear, consistent
Following Directions
Visuals: Schedules
Following Directions
Visuals: Size
Following Directions
Visuals: write your own schedule
Following Directions
Let your student help write
the list: this
increases motivation,
provides functional practice
Repeat, Repeat, Repeat!
PRE-TEACH
new
concepts
PRE-TEACH
new
concepts
REPEAT
key points
REPEAT
key points
REVIEW
concepts
REVIEW
concepts
Following Directions
Key Strategies
Understanding
others
Following
Directions
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
Comprehending
stories
Asking and
answering
questions
Communicating
about day-to-day
experiences
Sentence length Social interactions
Fixing
communication
break-downs
Sequencing – putting events in order
Understanding stories
Identifying WH details
Understanding stories
Key Strategies
Understanding
others
Following
Directions
Comprehending
stories
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
Asking and
answering
questions
Communicating
about day-to-day
experiences
Sentence length Social interactions
Fixing
communication
break-downs
Explicitly teach
what type of
information each
question word
seeks
Asking and Answering Questions
Asking and Answering Questions
Harder
(abstract)
Easier
(concrete)
Asking and Answering Questions
Asking Questions
Asking and Answering Questions
Visuals: Asking for help
Asking and Answering Questions
Key Strategies
Understanding
others
Following
Directions
Comprehending
stories
Asking and
answering
questions
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
Communicating
about day-to-
day experiences
Sentence length Social interactions
Fixing
communication
break-downs
Communicating day-to-day experiences
Visuals
Asking and Answering questionsCommunicating day-to-day experiences
“…evidence that suggests individuals with DS have strengths
in visual processing that can be leveraged to improve relative
weaknesses in narrative language (Chapman et al., 1998;
Roberts et al., 2008).”
Communicating day-to-day experiences
Key Strategies
Understanding
others
Following
Directions
Comprehending
stories
Asking and
answering
questions
Communicating
about day-to-day
experiences
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
Sentence
lengthSocial interactions
Fixing
communication
break-downs
Improving Expressive Language
�Vocabulary (words your student knows)
�Sentences (putting words together)
Sentence Length
Through
Crawl
UnderStart!
Between
Bounce
Your turn!
Again
Fast
Vocabulary: Teach a Variety of Words
Sentence Length
Pour
Combine
HotStir
Fast
Spatula
Creamy
Mix
Measuring cup
Vocabulary: Teach a Variety of Words
Sentence Length
Wipe
Vocabulary: Personal Dictionary
Sentence Length
Improving Expressive Language
�Vocabulary (words your student knows)
�Sentences (putting words together)
Sentence Length
Building Sentences: Pacing
Sentence Length
Building Sentences: Visual Manipulatives
Sentence Length
Building Sentences: Visual manipulatives
Sentence Length
Building Sentences:
Communication Binders
Sentence Length
AACAugmentative and alternative communication
“Any method that assists with or supplements speech and language, or that replaces speech as the primary communication system.”
– Libby Kumin
HOW
• sign language
• picture
symbols
• Electronic
devices
• voice output
machines
WHY
• low
intelligibility
(speech)
• difficulty
formulating
messages
(language)
Sentence Length
Key Strategies
Understanding
others
Following
Directions
Comprehending
stories
Asking and
answering
questions
Communicating
about day-to-day
experiences
Sentence
length
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
Social
interactions
Fixing
communication
break-downs
• Appropriate greetings (Hi! Bye!)
• Taking turns in a conversation
• Commenting on what someone said
• Compliments, jokes, questions
• Eye contact, facial expressions and body
language
• Proxemics (personal space)
• Repairing communication breakdowns
What are the challenges?
Social Communication
How can we address them?
• Teach directly*
• Model
• Scripts
• Role play
• Visuals
• Prompt
• Specific feedback
• Generalize
Social Communication
Direct Teaching Tool
1. Identify expected and unexpected social communication behaviours.
2. Use social behaviour mapping to teach the consequences of each choice.
Social Communication
Direct teaching tool: Teach Concepts with a
‘Social Story’
Social Communication
Direct Teaching
Social Communication
Conversation: Scripts & Role-Play
Social Communication
Supporting Peer Interactions
• With parents’ permission, talk to the class
about the peer and their differences
• Teach peers the skills and language to use
• Encourage as many INTERACTIONS in a day as
possible – facilitate early on
*Think: Can a peer or the individual can do
this instead of me?
Social Communication
Key Strategies
Understanding
others
Following
Directions
Comprehending
stories
Asking and
answering
questions
Communicating
about day-to-day
experiences
Sentence
length
Social interactions
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
Fixing
communication
break-downs
What to do if you don’t understand
the child’s speechUnderstand it can be frustrating!
• Stay relaxed
• Show that you’re interested and trying to understand
Ask your student to:
• Say it again, say it slowly
• Write it, sign it
• Say it a different way, Tell you the 1st sound
• Show you
Ask questions:
• Choices: “Do you mean X or Y?”
• Yes/no: to narrow it down – “Is it on TV?”
Ask if they want to try again later
Repairing Breakdowns
How to fix it:
Repairing Breakdowns
In summary
Today’s Goals
Skills
• Communication strengths
• Communication challenges
Demands
• Environmental demands
• Communication opportunities
Strategies
• Build skills
• Compensate
Help
• Professionals
• Resources
Resources: Who can help?• Public or private SLP, OT
• Resource teachers
• AAC specialists – usually available through the school board
• Behaviour interventionist
• Medical professionals
Private SLP:
https://www.osla.on.ca/en/childirectory
Resources: Language Development
Books• Early Communication Skills for Children with Down Syndrome
– Libby Kumin, 2012
• Helping Children with Down Syndrome Communicate Better– Libby Kumin, 2008
• Teach Me to Talk!: The Therapy Manual– Laura Mize, 2011
• It Takes Two to Talk: A Practical Guide for Parents of Children With Language Delays– Jan Pepper and Elaine Weitzman, 2004
• Social stories http://carolgraysocialstories.com/social-stories/– Caron Gray, 1991
• Zones of Regulation http://www.zonesofregulation.com/index.html
• Social thinking curriculuum https://www.socialthinking.com/– Michelle Garcia Weiner
Resources: AAC
• Boardmaker Achieve website– www.boardmakeronline.com
• SET BC website– www.setbc.org
• Free sign language videos– www.signingsavvy.org
• AAC RERC (Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centre) website– http://aac-rerc.psu.edu/index.php/pages/show/id/44
• Touch Chat app: web resources, manuals, and training videos– https://touchchatapp.com/
THANK YOU!
� Consider skill profiles
• Capitalize on strengths to target challenges
� Goals should focus on long-term functionality
• But go step by step
� Contact an SLP for individualized recommendations and strategies
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References