Transcript Document

Communication and Emergent Literacy:
Early Intervention Issues
Communication and Language
Interventions
Session 3
Early Intervention Training Center for Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute, 2005
Objectives
After completing this session, participants will
1. define communication form and function.
2. describe recommended practices for facilitating
early communication and language development.
3. describe the relationship between secure
attachment and early communication and
strategies for facilitating attachment and early
communication—contingent responsivity, turn
taking, providing choices, following the child’s
lead.
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3A
Objectives
After completing this session, participants will
4. discuss the importance of concept development
for early communication of children with visual
impairments and strategies for facilitating
concept development in infants and toddlers
with visual impairments.
5. describe evidence-based strategies for
communication and language intervention.
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3B
Objectives
After completing this session, participants will
6. describe strategies for facilitating early
communication and language development in
infants and toddlers as they move through the
seven levels of communicative competence and
acquire symbolic communication.
7. explain why some children with visual impairments
may develop atypical communication and describe
strategies for facilitating communication and for
addressing echolalia, pronoun confusion, overuse
of questions, and perseveration.
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3C
Objectives
After completing this session, participants will
8. define augmentative and alternative
communication (AAC) and assistive technology
and describe strategies to facilitate
communication in individuals who may benefit
from AAC.
9. describe the relationship of communication and
language to emergent literacy—that reading,
writing, speaking (augmented communication),
and listening develop concurrently and
interrelatedly.
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3D
Objectives
After completing this session, participants will
10. describe strategies and interventions that
promote communication, language, emergent
literacy (narrative knowledge, vocabulary,
listening comprehension), and metalinguistic
development (phonological awareness, syntactic
awareness).
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3E
Communicative Form
• Communication is any
behavior that an onlooker
interprets as an attempt
by another to convey a
message.
• Consistent caregiver
responses promote
intentional communication
in infants.
Dunst, 1978
Prizant, Wetherby, & Roberts, 2000
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3F
Communicative Function
Communicative functions include
• Behavior regulation – regulating another’s
behavior (e.g., wiggling to protest being held)
• Social interactions – actions that maintain
another person’s attention (e.g., greetings, social
routines)
• Joint attention – directing another person’s
attention to an object or experience (e.g., a boy
looks at his grandma while pointing to a toy)
Dunst, 1978
Prizant, Wetherby, & Roberts, 2000
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3G
Communicative Forms and VI
• Children with visual impairments may engage in
•
•
communicative behaviors that are socially
inappropriate.
Families and early interventionists provide
intervention to change the form of inappropriate
behaviors while promoting use of appropriate forms
for particular functions.
For example, hair pulling (form) may be used to
initiate social interaction (function). While the
function may be appropriate, the form is
inappropriate. Thus, the child should be
encouraged to seek social interaction in more
appropriate ways.
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Fazzi & Klein, 2002
Communication and Language Interventions
3H
Steps for Intervention
1. Distinguish the behavior that needs to be
changed (form) from the function that it serves.
2. Provide children with more appropriate
forms that serve the same or similar
functions.
For example, in order to provide an alternative to
hair pulling, the team provides the child with a Big
Mack switch that plays a recorded greeting when
activated. The family and early interventionist
respond immediately and interactively each time the
switch is activated.
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3I
Recommended Practices
•
Family-centered
practices
•
•
Team collaboration
•
Functional outcomes
within daily routines
and natural learning
opportunities
Appropriate functional
assessment
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3J
Family-Centered Practices
• Treating families with respect
• Being responsive and flexible
• Sharing information that facilitates informed
decision making by families
• Promoting family choice in program and
intervention decisions
• Collaborating with families
• Mobilizing and providing family supports and
resources
Dunst, 2002
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3K
Family-Centered Support
• Early interventionists should support families by
addressing their concerns and priorities for their
children within the context of daily routines and
natural learning opportunities.
• Early interventionists can assist families by
recognizing that caregiver-child interactions
provide the foundation for language and
communication, cognitive, and emergent literacy
development.
Dodici, Draper, & Peterson, 2002
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3L
Reading Subtle Cues
TVIs assist families in understanding and interpreting
children’s subtle communicative cues.
In order to communicate about actions, objects, and
people, young children with visual impairments and
multiple disabilities may use
• facial expressions,
• gaze orientation,
• body posture and movements,
• changes in muscle tone, and/or
• gestures.
Chen, 1995
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3M
Collaboration
Communication
interventions are most
effective when a
partnership exists
between professionals
and caregivers, and
caregivers are the
primary interventionists.
Prizant, Wetherby, & Roberts, 2000
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3N
Potential Roles of Early
Intervention Team Members
• Families identify their
•
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
concerns and
priorities.
TVIs can assess the
impact of visual
impairments on
communication,
language, and
emergent literacy
development.
Communication and Language Interventions
3O
Potential Roles of Early
Intervention Team Members
• Speech-language pathologists can offer
information about early communication and assist
in assessment and intervention planning.
• Audiologists are helpful in assuring that young
children have normal hearing or are identified as
having a hearing loss.
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3P
Functional Assessment
• Routines-based assessments (RBAs) provide
insight into families’ concerns and priorities for
children’s communication and language
development and guide functional interventions.
• Families will be more motivated to implement
interventions in their daily routines if the
interventions address their concerns and priorities
and make it easier for the family to function.
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3Q
Developing Functional Goals
• Break large goals that the family and other
members of the early intervention team identify
as priorities into smaller, functional objectives.
• Children learn naturally from their caregivers
within naturally occurring learning opportunities.
• Communication and language interventions
should be embedded in routines.
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3R
Realistic Outcomes
• Families sometimes identify abstract
communication goals such as, “I want her to be
able to describe what’s wrong when she cries.”
• The early intervention team can assist the
parent by breaking this large goal into small,
achievable steps based on the child’s current
level of functioning.
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3S
Functional Communication and
Language Outcomes
Functional communication and language
outcomes
• promote and facilitate social interactions,
• promote the child’s active engagement and
learning, and
• promote the child’s ability to function as
independently as possible.
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3T
Facilitating Communication
in Routines
To be effective,
communication and
language intervention
for infants and toddlers
should occur within
social contexts in
naturally occurring
social routines and
events.
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3U
Attachment and Communication
• Attachment is the
formation of significant
and stable emotional
connections between
individuals, such as an
infant and mother.
• The attachment process
begins in early infancy as
the child bonds with one or
more primary caregivers.
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3V
Secure Attachment Behaviors
• Crying when separated
from parents
• Staying close by
parents
• Expressing joy upon
reunion with parents
• Social referencing or
“checking in”
• Reacting to strangers
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3W
Attachment and Early
Communication
Children who are securely attached are
more likely to
• cooperate with their parents,
• actively explore their environment,
• build stronger relationships with others, and
• be involved in communication and emergent
literacy events.
Dodici, Draper, & Peterson, 2003
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3X
Contingent Responsivity
The development of
attachment is related to
caregivers’ ability to
perceive infants’ cues
and to respond quickly
and appropriately
(contingently) to those
cues.
Fazzi & Klein, 2002
Warren & Hatton, 2003
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3Y
Nonverbal Communication
and Attachment
Early in the process of language
development, children’s
communication may be subtle
and expressed through
• facial expressions,
• eye gaze,
• body posture and movements,
• changes in muscle tone, and
• gestures.
Chen, 1995
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3Z
Attentive Stillness
• Attentive stillness, an act of staying motionless
to better attend to a situation, is a subtle
nonvisual communicative behavior observed in
some children with visual impairments.
• If the parent recognizes that the child is staying
still to better attend, the parent is more likely to
continue the interaction.
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3AA
Understanding Nonverbal Cues
Learning to interpret and
respond immediately and
appropriately to children’s
subtle behavioral and
nonverbal cues
(contingent responsivity)
facilitates attachment and
communication.
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3BB
Facilitating Secure Attachment
• Touch and hold the child.
• Respond to the child’s physical and emotional
needs promptly and appropriately.
• Follow the child’s lead.
• Consider the child’s interests and abilities.
• Provide the child with choices.
• Play turn-taking games.
• Establish and maintain consistent routines.
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3CC
Insecure Attachment
• Insecure attachment can occur for a variety of
reasons other than visual impairment.
• Parents and caregivers may have to examine their
own parenting behaviors and attitudes, often
rooted in childhood experiences.
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3DD
Concept Development and
Communication
As infants grow and are
exposed to new
experiences, they
develop more concepts
about themselves, their
world, and other people
that provide them with
topics about which to
communicate.
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3EE
Concept Development and Visual
Impairments
Visual impairments may affect what concepts a child
develops as well as how the concepts are
developed.
Most children acquire many concepts incidentally
through vision . Even when children use other
senses to develop concepts, vision is the unifying
sense that integrates information from the other
senses.
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3FF
Promoting Concept Development
To develop the concepts that are necessary for
communication, children with visual impairments
must
• actively engage in a variety of activities with people
and objects,
• learn through naturally occurring events and
functional tasks in the home and in the community
(e.g., baking cookies, physically exploring a fire
truck at the local fire station), and
• have opportunities to play.
Fazzi & Klein, 2002
Ferrell, 1996
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3GG
Naturalistic, Evidence-Based
Practices for
Communication and Language
Dunst and Roper identified seven naturalistic
evidence-based communication practices:
• Increased opportunity
• Child-directed activities
• Adult responsiveness
• Imitation
• Modeling
• Minimal prompting
• Participation
Dunst & Roper, 2003
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3HH
Naturalistic Intervention
• Naturalistic intervention is used to help children
generalize communication skills or to teach new
skills.
• These strategies have been found to be effective
with children with disabilities who engage in
nonlinguistic communication as well as children
who talk.
Sapp, 2005
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3II
Characteristics of Naturalistic
Interventions
Though there are many specific kinds of
naturalistic strategies, they all share the following
characteristics:
• involve brief interactions between a child and an
adult,
• occur in informal settings and activities,
• provide opportunities to learn new skills or
practice skills,
• are based on children’s interests,
• have naturally occurring reinforcers, and
• do not affect the natural flow of the interaction.
Sapp, 2005
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3JJ
Increased Opportunity
• Children are given
•
frequent and varied
opportunities to
communicate.
The experiences should
provide children with
opportunities to practice
current communication
abilities in meaningful and
functional activities.
Dunst & Roper, 2003
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3KK
Child-Directed Activities
• Child-directed activities involve following the child’s
lead and modeling language.
• Interviews with caregivers can be used to identify
child interests to increase active engagement and
facilitate communication.
• Interactive matching requires adjusting pacing and
communication to match the child’s communicative
level as well as following the child’s lead.
Dunst & Roper, 2003
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3LL
Adult Responsiveness
Responsiveness involves
“paying attention to a child’s cues, no matter how
subtle or unconventional, and responding
contingently to the child’s attempts to interact with
others as a means of increasing child production of
the behavior.”
Dunst & Roper, 2003, p. 221
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3MM
Joint Attention
Joint attention is a
communicative act in which
two or more individuals
interactively attend to the
same object, activity, or
person.
Episodes of joint attention
increase children’s communication, as evidenced by
behaviors such as meaningful words, pointing,
shared looks with adults, and showing toys.
Kasari, Freedman, & Paparella, 2001
Murphy & Abbeduto, 2005; Paparella & Kasari, 2004
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3NN
Responsive Parenting
Responsive parenting is
linked to optimal outcomes
in all areas of development,
including communication
and language development
and emergent literacy.
Dodici et al., 2003
Warren, 2000
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3OO
Specific Interventions
Based on Responsiveness
Responsiveness is also incorporated in other more
specific evidence-based interventions:
• Prelinguistic milieu teaching (PMT)
• Milieu language teaching techniques
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3PP
Prelinguistic Milieu Teaching
Prelinguistic milieu teaching is an adaptation of
milieu language teaching for children in the
prelinguistic period that also uses the following
strategies:
• Following the child’s lead
• Facilitating learning during social routines
• Arranging the environment
• Targeting individual behaviors
Warren & Yoder, 1998
Warren, Yoder, & Leew, 2002
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3QQ
Prelinguistic Milieu Teaching
Prelinguistic milieu strategies include:
• Targeting individual behaviors
• Using specific verbal and nonverbal prompts
• Using vocal and gestural modeling
• Providing specific praise
• Linguistic mapping
• Using natural consequences as reinforcers
Warren & Yoder, 1998
Warren, Yoder, & Leew, 2002
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3RR
Milieu Language Teaching
Milieu language teaching procedures
• can be used to implement individualized language
goals for young children during naturally occurring
learning opportunities,
• involve observing a child or playing beside a child
and making use of naturally occurring
communication opportunities
• use the mand-model and incidental teaching
procedures.
Warren & Kaiser, 1988
Warren, Yoder, & Leew, 2002
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3SS
Imitation
• Imitation enhances
communicative
competence.
• Imitative social
interactions
establish the concept
of turn-taking, which is
the basis for effective
communication.
Dunst & Roper, 2003
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3TT
Modeling
• Dunst and Roper (2003)
define modeling as “the
provision of appropriate
examples of target
sounds, words, or
phrases” (p. 222).
• Imitation and modeling
can be combined to
further develop
communication
(Paparella & Kasari, 2004).
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3UU
Mand-Model Intervention and
Incidental Teaching
• Mand-model intervention is beneficial for children
•
who rarely initiate interactions and for children who
need to expand their current communication skills.
Incidental teaching can address a broad range of
goals. When children frequently initiate interactions
and are engaged in motivating activities,
responsive caregivers scaffold the child’s
experiences to help facilitate the development of
new skills.
Sapp, 2005
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3VV
Mand-Model Procedure
The adult asks the child a
question that requires a
response other than yes or
no, and then waits
expectantly for a response.
When the child speaks, the
adult expands slightly on the
response and continues the
interaction.
Wolery, 1994
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3WW
Mand-Model Intervention Steps
1. Identify communication goals.
2. Identify times and routines that provide loosely
structured activities.
3. Ensure that the routine/activity has toys or objects
that will engage the child.
4. Allow or help the child play with the toys and
objects.
5. Play alongside the child and respond to the child’s
communications.
Sapp, 2005
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3XX
Mand-Model Intervention Steps
6. When the child is playing and is receptive
a. Ask a question or make a statement that will
give the child the opportunity to use the
targeted communication skill.
b. After asking the question, look expectantly at
the child.
Sapp, 2005
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3YY
Mand-Model Intervention Steps
6. When the child is playing and is receptive
c. If the child responds with a communication
behavior, expand on it.
d. If the child does not respond, model a
response at the child’s communication level
and look expectantly at the child.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 several times throughout
the activity.
Sapp, 2005
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3ZZ
Special Considerations for
Mand-Modeling
• Children with visual impairments may not
understand the facial expressions and body
language of the expectant look. Cueing children by
stating their name or touching them lightly on the
arm may be necessary.
• Children with visual impairments may have
difficulty playing with toys, so select toys and
objects that are meaningful and that children enjoy.
Sapp, 2005
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3AAA
Incidental Teaching
• The adult waits for the child to initiate an
interaction, then asks the child to elaborate by
saying, “Tell me more” or “What about ___?”
• The adult further elaborates on the topic or models
how to elaborate for the child.
Wolery, 1994
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3BBB
Incidental Teaching Steps
1. Identify communication goals.
2. Identify times, activities, and routines in which to
use the procedure.
3. Adapt activities and materials to encourage
children to communicate.
4. Be available and wait for children to initiate an
interaction.
Sapp, 2005
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3CCC
Incidental Teaching Steps
5. When children initiate, decide if the interaction
offers a good teaching opportunity.
a. Ask children for more elaborate language (i.e.,
the communication goal), using a simple
phrase children understand such as “Tell me
more,” “What about ____?” or “Use your
words.”
b. Wait for children to produce the more elaborate
communication while looking expectantly at the
child.
Sapp, 2005
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3DDD
Incidental Teaching Steps
5. When children initiate
c. If children use more elaborate language, (a)
praise them, (b) expand on children’s
statements, and (c) respond to the content (i.e.,
do what children asked).
d. If children do not produce more elaborate
statements, provide a model of the more
elaborate communication, then wait expectantly
for children to imitate. If they imitate, respond to
the content of the communication.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5.
Sapp, 2005
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3EEE
Tips for Incidental Teaching
• Children must frequently initiate interactions for
this intervention to work.
• Certain situations can be arranged to encourage
children to initiate. Children are not going to ask for
a favorite toy on a high shelf if they cannot see it.
Sapp, 2005
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3FFF
Minimal Prompting
• Minimal prompting is also
known as a nondirective or
facilitative style of interaction.
• Caregivers who use a
facilitative style of interaction
follow the child’s lead,
encourage a variety of child
contributions, and use
nondirective prompts.
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Communication and Language Interventions
3GGG
Promoting Facilitative
Interactions
Strategies for facilitating interaction include
• allowing conversational lags,
• encouraging children to initiate 2/3 of topics,
• initiating topics without direct questioning,
• using direct questions no more than 25% of the
time, and
• requesting clarification from children to expand
the topic.
Wetherby & Prizant, 1999
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3HHH
Participation
• Participation is likely to
increase if interventions are
based on children’s and
families’ motivation and
preferences.
• Many children are motivated
to interact and communicate
during daily social routines.
Prizant et al., 2000
Warren, Yoder, & Leew, 2002
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Communication and Language Interventions
3III
Additional Guidelines
for Intervention
• Use comprehensive assessment results
• Provide activities that encourage social
interactions
• Provide meaningful contexts for communication
development
• Consider differences in development
• Model rich language
Easterbrooks, 2003
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3JJJ
Additional Guidelines
for Intervention
• Take advantage of teachable moments
• Develop new information that builds on previously
acquired information
• Make language experiences fun
• Develop interventions that are appropriate for the
child’s developmental level
• Use natural learning opportunities
Easterbrooks, 2003
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3KKK
Seven Levels of
Communicative Competence
• The levels of communicative competence can be
used to analyze children’s communication to
facilitate scaffolding that will promote the next
level of competence.
• Although specific strategies are suggested for
each communication level, some strategies can
be applied across most communication levels.
Rowland & Stremel-Campbell, 1987
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Level I: Preintentional Behavior
• Children engage in behaviors in response to their
internal state (e.g., hunger) without any intent.
• Caregivers should create a highly responsive and
predictable environment to help establish
intentional behavior (e.g., predictable routines).
• Caregivers can also develop social routines that
involve turn-taking such as peek-a-boo or pat-acake.
Rowland & Stremel-Campbell, 1987
Warren & Yoder, 1998
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Communication and Language Interventions
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Level II: Intentional Behavior
• Children intentionally engage in behaviors such
as moving their bodies without the intent to
communicate a message.
• Caregivers can help children become aware of
the communicative impact of their behaviors by
responding to the behaviors as if they were
communications.
Rowland & Stremel-Campbell, 1987
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Communication and Language Interventions
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Level III: Nonconventional
Presymbolic Behavior
• Children understand that their behaviors can
influence the behaviors of others and that actions
and vocalizations represent people, objects,
actions, and events.
• Caregivers should model more conventional
means of communication, respond quickly and
appropriately (contingently) to more conventional
communication behaviors, and scaffold
communication attempts.
Crimmins et al., 1995
Rowland & Stremel-Campbell, 1987
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Level IV: Conventional
Presymbolic Behavior
• Children develop more
conventional gestures such
as pointing, kissing, waving,
nodding head, and begin
to use intonated sound
patterns to express needs
similar to Level II.
• Caregivers can add language to the
gestures to
facilitate symbolic communication.
Rowland & Stremel-Campbell, 1987
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Communication and Language Interventions
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Level V: Concrete
Symbolic Behavior
• Children begin to pair concrete symbolic
•
representations with specific referents in the
environment, such as making the sounds of a toy
car (“Vroom, vroom”) and depictive gestures (i.e.,
gestures that look like what they mean, such as
“mine,” “come here,” and “sit”).
Caregivers should add language and respond to the
symbolic representations.
Rowland & Stremel-Campbell, 1987
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3QQQ
Level VI: Abstract
Symbolic Behavior
• In abstract symbolic communication, children use
abstract symbols or one-word utterances to
communicate.
• Caregivers can expand on the child’s comments.
For example, when the child says “Ball,” the
caregiver can say, “Yes, the big ball.”
Rowland & Stremel-Campbell, 1987
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Communication and Language Interventions
3RRR
Level VII: Formal
Symbolic Behavior
• Children begin to understand the semantic and
•
syntax rules of formal language. They combine two
or more words to communicate, rearrange words to
change the meaning of a sentence, and ask
questions to communicate more sophisticated
intentions.
Caregivers can facilitate language development by
providing increased opportunities to practice and
refine their language, asking open-ended
questions, modeling descriptive language, and
expanding on children’s statements using more
complex syntactic structures and new vocabulary.
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Rowland & Stremel-Campbell, 1987
Communication and Language Interventions
3SSS
Differences in Communication
• Some children with visual impairments display
differences in their communication and
communication development.
• Any distinction between the development of
children with visual impairments and that of
typically developing children should be interpreted
as differences, not as deficits.
Warren, 1984
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3TTT
Transactional Interactions and
Communication
• Communication and language development result
from reciprocal relationships and interactions
between children and the caregiving environment.
• The responsiveness of caregivers influences the
child’s language and communication development
and vice versa.
• Children with visual impairments may not have
access to environmental information that would
prompt them to communicate.
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3UUU
Transactional Interactions and
Communication
• Children who do not initiate interactions appear
•
•
unresponsive, and caregivers may not be
motivated to interact with them.
Children with visual impairments often use subtle
and atypical communicative cues that may not be
easy to interpret.
Consequently, parents may not respond to
communicative attempts, prompting children to
use crying or inappropriate behaviors to secure
attention, or children may simply stop trying to
communicate.
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3VVV
Caregiver Responsiveness
Responsive caregivers
• read children’s cues and respond contingently,
• adapt the environment so that it is accessible and
stimulating,
• reinforce appropriate communication and
language,
• use rich, developmentally appropriate descriptions
of the focus of children’s attention and relate those
topics to the child’s experiences, and
• avoid exclusive use of directives.
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3WWW
Echolalia
• Echolalia has two forms, immediate and delayed.
•
Delayed echolalia may occur days or weeks after
children hear the words or phrases.
Researchers now recognize functional uses of
echolalia. It may be used
for
as
 turn-taking
 directives
 verbal completion
 declaratives
 protesting
 yes responses
 calling
 requests
 providing information
Prizant & Rydell, 1993
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Communication and Language Interventions
3XXX
Developing Echolalia
Into More Advanced Language
Antecedent strategies
• Change the
environment
• Change the
communication styles
of the child’s partners
• Provide relevant
language as a model
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Consequential strategies
• Respond to the
communicative intent
while providing a simple
model of appropriate
language
• Provide positive
reinforcement for
appropriate language
Communication and Language Interventions
3YYY
Strategies for Children
With VI and Echolalia
• Provide additional environmental information to
expose children to rich language and concepts.
• Expand on the child’s language to model the next
step in language use.
• Don’t talk constantly—give children time to listen
and process.
• Include a third person in the conversation to serve
as a model of appropriate language.
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3ZZZ
Pronouns
• All children initially make mistakes in using
pronouns.
• Children with visual impairments may experience
prolonged difficulty mastering correct use of
pronouns.
• Adults should model appropriate use of
pronouns.
Erin, 1986, 1990
Fazzi & Klein, 2002
Harrell, 1992
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3AAAA
Questions
• Children with visual impairments often overuse
questions in their conversations.
• When children use questions inappropriately,
model more appropriate language use.
• Avoid asking too many questions.
• Help children listen to the answers to appropriate
questions.
Erin, 1986, 1990
Fazzi & Klein, 2002
Harrell, 1992
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3BBBB
Perseveration
• Children with visual impairments often
perseverate on topics of interest.
• Additionally, children with visual impairments
often do not express interest when new topics are
introduced.
Anderson et al., 1993
Fazzi & Klein, 2002
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3CCCC
Decreasing Perseveration
Strategies for decreasing perseveration include
• involving children in daily activities to build
concepts and interests,
• modeling the expression of feelings and helping
children put their feelings into words, and
• redirecting children when they interrupt or
inappropriately change the topic.
Anderson et al., 1993
Fazzi & Klein, 2002
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3DDDD
Augmentative and Alternative
Communication (AAC)
AAC is the use of devices or techniques to facilitate
children’s expressive or receptive communication.
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3EEEE
Augmentative and Alternative
Communication (AAC)
• When children have delayed speech, AAC can
increase overall communication and speech
production.
• AAC includes unaided modes of communication
such as body language, gestures, sign language,
and facial expressions; and high- or low-tech
devices that require children to use their bodies to
activate a tool for communication.
Bozic et al., 1995
Reinhartsen et al., 1997
Rowland et al., 1995
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3FFFF
Assistive Technology
Assistive technology refers to any item, piece of
equipment, or product system, whether acquired
commercially or adapted, that is used to increase,
maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of
children with disabilities (IDEIA, 2004).
AAC is a type of assistive technology.
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3GGGG
Expressive Communication and
AAC
According to Rowland and Schweigert (1998),
children with visual impairments and multiple
disabilities may communicate expressively through
• vocalizations and speech,
• motor responses and gestures,
• tangible symbol systems, or
• high-tech systems.
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3HHHH
Tangible Symbols
• A tangible symbol is a type of concrete symbol—a
symbol that has a direct relationship to the
referent.
• Symbols are used to represent objects, activities,
people, locations, food, etc., and can be used to
refer to something that is distant.
• Tangible symbols can be three dimensional
(objects) or two dimensional (pictures).
Rowland & Schweigert, 1998
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions 3IIII
Tangible Symbols
Tangible-symbol systems should
• have a clearly understood relationship to the
activity, object, person that they represent;
• be permanent;
• be easy to manipulate;
• be easy to select with minimal motor skills;
• be identifiable by touch; and
• be used within daily routines and activities to help
individuals who cannot speak make choices and
communicate with others.
Rowland & Schweigert, 1998
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3JJJJ
High-Tech Systems
High-tech systems
• use electronic features in combination with
textures, objects, words or phrases, pictures, or
letters to make it easier for children to send
messages to others or to make it easier for others
to understand the communication.
• vary in input, how the child uses the system to
communicate; and in output, the manner or form
in which the message is conveyed to others.
Rowland & Schweigert, 1998
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3KKKK
Receptive Communication and
AAC
• AAC can also be used to facilitate receptive
communication in children with visual impairments
and additional disabilities.
• Tactile cues and calendar systems may be used to
help children who may not understand speech
develop another method of receptive
communication.
Rowland & Schweigert, 1998
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions 3LLLL
Tactile Cues
• Tactile cues include
 manual signing,
 touch cues, and
 object cues.
• All of these cues are used to help individuals who
do not understand language anticipate events
and activities.
Rowland & Schweigert, 1998
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions 3MMMM
Sign Language
• Various forms of sign
•
language can be used
with children who have
visual impairments.
Children with multiple
disabilities can use
sign language to
communicate simple
needs, such as
“more.”
Prickett, 1995
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3NNNN
Sign Language
Sign language can be adapted for children with
visual impairments by adjusting the distance
between the signer and the child, slowing the
speed of the signing, reducing or increasing the
size of movements, and using tactile signing in the
child’s hands.
Prickett, 1995
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3OOOO
Touch Cues
• Touch cues are used in early receptive
communication development and are made
directly on children’s bodies.
• Touch cues should be used consistently by all
individuals who interact with the child.
• Touch cues immediately precede an event and
cue the child to the activity.
• Children should eventually anticipate an activity
in response to touch cues.
Rowland, Schweigert, & Prickett, 1995
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3PPPP
Object Cues
Object cues are everyday objects that represent
activities in daily routines and are used to facilitate
expressive and receptive communication.
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3QQQQ
Picture Symbols
• Picture symbols are used for expressive and
receptive communication by children with low
vision.
• Picture symbols can be used one at a time.
• For more advanced communication, several
pictures can be used to communicate a need or
express simple sentences.
• Color, contrast, size, distance, angle, and
complexity of the picture symbols should be
considered for children with visual impairments.
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3RRRR
Calendar Systems
• Use objects that are related to daily activities to
help children anticipate events and activities,
thereby facilitating receptive communication
• May use a sequence of objects arranged on a
shelf or in a box that represent the sequence of
activities
• Help children to transition from one activity to
another
• Help children to understand the order of their day
• Help children begin to acquire concepts about time
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3SSSS
Assistive Technology
• For very young children, switch toys are often
•
effective means of choice making, an early form of
expressive communication.
Simple one- and two-switch systems may serve as
simple high-tech methods of AAC and allow
children to
 call or greet someone,
 make a choice, or
 indicate “more” or “finished.”
Bozic et al., 1995
Reinhartsen et al., 1997
Rowland et al., 1995
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3TTTT
Assistive Technology:
Recommended Practices
• Using toys with voice output and simple switches to
help children communicate wants and needs
• Using picture or object systems to select activities
or to prepare children for transitions
• Using simple switches to greet family or peers
• Adapting writing implements with easier grips so
children can create drawings or “letters”
• Using switches with animated toys to assist in the
development of cause-and-effect concepts
Stremel, 2005
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Communication and Language Interventions
3UUUU
Communication and
Emergent Literacy
• Language provides
the foundation for
reading and writing.
• “Listening, speaking,
reading, and writing
abilities (as aspects of
language—oral and
written) develop
concurrently and
interrrelatedly, rather than
sequentially.”
Teale & Sulzby, 1986, p. xviii
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3VVVV
Emergent Literacy and Literacy:
Whitehurst and Lonigan
Whitehurst and Lonigan found
• relationships between oral vocabulary size and
phonological awareness in younger readers
without formal reading instruction (preschoolers)
and oral vocabulary and language
comprehension in older readers (1998).
• that the relationship between oral language and
reading is indirect and is mediated primarily by
phonological awareness (2002).
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Communication and Language Interventions
3WWWW
Sénéchal’s Theory of Literacy
According to Senechal et al., literacy develops from
three separate, but related, categories of skills
• Emergent literacy
 Conceptual knowledge
 Procedural knowledge
• Language
• Metalinguistic skills
Sénéchal, Lefevre , Smith-Chant, & Colton, 2001, p. 448
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Conceptual Knowledge
Emergent conceptual knowledge about literacy
includes
• knowledge about the acts of reading and writing,
• knowledge about the functions of literacy,
• self-perception of learning to read, and
• emergent reading in context.
Sénéchal et al., 2001, p. 448
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Communication and Language Interventions
3YYYY
Procedural Knowledge
Emergent procedural knowledge about literacy
includes
• preconventional spelling in different situations,
• letter knowledge,
• letter-sound knowledge, and
• word reading (with help).
Sénéchal et al., 2001, p. 448
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Communication and Language Interventions
3ZZZZ
Language and Metalinguistic
Skills Constructs
Language
• Narrative knowledge
• Vocabulary
• Listening
Metalinguistic Skills
• Phonological
awareness
• Syntactic awareness
comprehension
Sénéchal et al., 2001, p. 448
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Communication and Language Interventions
3AAAAA
Communication and
Emergent Literacy
Sénéchal and colleagues theorized that
• children’s conceptual knowledge of literacy is
related to children’s language, whereas children’s
procedural knowledge is associated with
phonological awareness and reading acquisition;
and
• vocabulary development and phonological
awareness are closely related.
Sénéchal et al., 2001
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3BBBBB
Facilitating Communication and
Language Development to Promote
Emergent Literacy
• Shared storybook reading
• Storybook preview
• Storybook sounds
• Conversation
• Dialogic reading
• Decontextualized dialogue
• Listening games
• Play
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3CCCCC
Shared Storybook Reading
• Mothers use richer and more varied language
during shared reading than during other daily
routines.
• Young children who actively participate in
storybook readings both comprehend and produce
more words.
• Active participation involves pointing to illustrations
of novel words, labeling novel words, answering
questions, and discussing the story.
Sénéchal & LeFevre, 2001
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3DDDDD
Storybook Preview
• Storybook preview is the shared exploration of the
content of a book without consideration of the
storyline.
• Children are given the opportunity to label or
describe the illustrations of interest, ask questions,
and make comments to increase narrative
knowledge and vocabulary.
• The caregiver’s role is to identify and scaffold
children’s communicative attempts.
McCathren & Allor, 2002
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3EEEEE
Storybook Sounds and Rhymes
Promote phonological awareness and listening
comprehension
• During shared storybook reading, point out
rhyming words or initial sounds. If children are
interested, make up little games to reinforce
phonological concepts. Developing rhyming
stories together can also increase phonological
awareness.
• Rhymes in songs and poetry also facilitate the
awareness of sounds in speech
McCathren & Allor, 2002
Parlakian, 2004
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3FFFFF
Dialogic Reading
Shared-reading technique in which the adult assumes
the role of an active listener and the child learns to
become a storyteller
In dialogic reading, the caregiver
• asks questions,
• adds information,
• expands language, and
• provides encouragement through praise and
repetition.
Whitehurst et al., 1988
Whitehurst & Lonigan, 2002
Early Intervention Training Center for
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Communication and Language Interventions
3GGGGG
Conversation
• Children learn new words
from participating in
meaningful conversations
among children and
between children and
adults.
• When conversing with
children, do not limit
vocabulary to words they
already know. Children
learn new words readily.
Bardige & Segal, 2004
Early Intervention Training Center for
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FPG Child Development Institute
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Communication and Language Interventions
3HHHHH
Conversation Among Children
During conversations with other children,
children can:
• learn new words,
• practice the words they know,
• exchange ideas and information,
• issue orders and invitations,
• negotiate sharing and turn taking, and
• plan and act out imaginative play scenarios.
Bardige & Segal, 2004
Early Intervention Training Center for
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3IIIII
Rare Words and Open-Ended
Questions
• Many young children enjoy learning rare or
•
•
unusual words, such as dinosaur names or the
names of storybook and cartoon characters.
Open-ended questions challenge children
intellectually and facilitate conversation by
encouraging children to tell their stories.
Open-ended questions can’t be answered in just
a few words.
Bardige & Segal, 2004
Early Intervention Training Center for
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August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3JJJJJ
Decontextualized Dialogue
Conversation about subjects beyond the immediate
context:
• the past
• the future
• distant places
• imaginary worlds
• things that “might have been”
Bardige & Segal, 2004
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3KKKKK
Decontextualized Dialogue
Decontextualized dialogue can be used to
• expose children to concepts and experiences that
they do not have direct access to,
• teach children words that indicate time,
• help children remember events,
• help children ask or respond to open-ended
questions, and
• help children learn to problem solve.
Bardige & Segal, 2004
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3LLLLL
Facilitate listening comprehension
and phonological and syntactic
awareness through
• listening games,
• storybook sounds,
• rhyming games (e.g.,
rhyming in songs and
poetry, creating rhyming
stories),
• syllable games, and
• modeling rich and
complex language.
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3MMMMM
Play
• Children learn through
play.
• Children learn the most
from activities and
experiences they enjoy.
• Adults can promote
exploration,
conversation, and
imagination during play
to help children become
avid learners.
Bardige & Segal, 2004
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3NNNNN
Settings for
Conversation and Play
Collaborative play areas encourage conversation
among children:
• Sandboxes
• Forts, playhouses, lofts
• Theatrical stages and puppet stages
• Bulletin boards
• “Block areas” with blocks for building imaginary
worlds
Bardige & Segal, 2004
Early Intervention Training Center for
Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments
FPG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
August 1, 2005
Communication and Language Interventions
3OOOOO