Communication

Developing ways of communicating naturally with children and young people with disabilities is key. It is rewarding, but can be challenging. These straightforward principles should help:

Speak clearly and slowly
Try to avoid ‘difficult’ vocabulary and jargon
Avoid too much spoken language (it can confuse)
Make it relevant to them – although their academic levels may be below average, their years of life experience are the same as their peers.
Let them know what is going to happen in the session.

Particularly for those children with visual and hearing impairments:

Make your face clearly visible – it is hard for people to lip read if your back is to light (don’t stand in front of a window), or your hands are over your mouth.
‘Busy’ clothing can make gestures and hand signs harder to distinguish.
If there is a loop system for those using hearing aids make sure it is turned on and that the child’s hearing aids are on the right setting – try to minimise background noise.
Place children with hearing and visual impairments towards the front.
Tactile things for children with visual impairments to feel could help them to join in.

Particularly for those children with learning difficulties/language and communication disorders:

Be BIG in your body language – exaggerate things.
Use lots of gesture.
If you can, use a few hand signs.
Music and especially action songs can work well – but think of age appropriate ones!
Use visual aids to accompany your spoken language – clear pictures, photos, objects, puppets, felt boards, magnetic boards etc.
For some children whose reading level is very low use pictures / symbols alongside written words.
Have one or two key points that you make in the session and use the time to ‘illustrate’ the point(s).
Avoid abstract concepts and metaphors – someone with autism might take quite literally the statement “Jesus is the light”!