What role does communication play in enabling children with delays or disabilities to participate fully in the learning environment? Identify and explain at least two types of effective communication strategies teachers can use to encourage participation.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Communication plays an important role in children’s engagement in their learning environment. How well a teacher communicates with a child can shape a child’s ability to interact with others or engage in particular activities. Student answers will vary, yet they should be able to identify effective communication strategies such as using simple vocabulary and shorter sentence structures, varying vocal intonation and rate of speech, and using contingent responses, and scaffolding. For example, one communication strategy might be to use simple instructions that are at or slightly above a child’s comprehension level rather than using complex statements or sentences. A child who is just learning how to tie his or her shoes will benefit from short, simple directions such as, “first, let’s grab one shoe string in our right hand,” rather than a statement such as “grab both shoe strings and cross them over one another.” A second communication strategy is to vary intonation and rate of speech to match a child’s current level of understanding. A teacher may vary his or her intonation when announcing that they will be working on tying shoes. A teacher who sounds enthusiastic about this activity will likely prompt a child’s interest in that activity. Also, varying how slowly or quickly instructions are given can help a child understand a prompt or command better. Using a slower rate of speech may be more beneficial for children who need more precise cues for tying shoes.