What do we mean by ‘communication needs’? Listening / paying attention

Understanding – verbal

Understanding – non-verbal

Understanding – reading comprehension

Vocabulary and word finding

Speech difficulties

Verbal expression

Written expression

Organisation

Social interaction

Communication difficulties, including ASD, is the most common form of SEN found in early years students.

In deprived areas up to 55% of 4 year olds have some kind of communication difficulty.

In secondary school 6-8% of students struggle with some aspect of communication – that is 2-3 per class and 1/100 students have ASD.

60% of the young people in the youth justice system have communication needs.

ACTIVITY 1

What happens when we listen and speak?:

The communication chain

Look/ attend

Interpret non-verbal communication

Listen/ hear

Remember

Understand the words

Understand the grammar

Understand the meaning –literal and non-literal

Choose the right words

Use grammar

Choose the right sounds

Speak appropriately = pragmatics

Have ideas and decide what to say

Speak fluently

listening

understanding expressive language

social use

Supporting listening and attention

What can we do to support listening and attention in the classroom?

Make eye contact with students when communicating and encourage them to do the same

Break activities down into chunks

Time individual activities

e.g. tell them that you will be back in 5 minutes and what you expect them to have done by then

Supporting understanding

菜单

鸡汤

火腿三明治

带皮马铃薯

面食

冰淇淋

水果沙拉

Supporting understanding

菜单

鸡汤

火腿三明治

带皮马铃薯

面食

冰淇淋

水果沙拉

Stick writing

Mind maps

Inference

The man walked carefully down the path.

What do we know? Help the child to identify facts.

What can we predict? Why might he be going carefully? What is most likely?

Are we right?

Supporting expression Modelling the correct use of language and correcting

their verbal errors

Give them plenty of time to respond

Provide task management sheets so that they (or you) can break down the task

Encourage mind mapping

Writing frames

Encourage all forms of communication

Don’t finish their sentences

Use a variety of questions or comment on what they say rather than question