(Part 3: Structure for Success) This is the third part of my series on managing difficult
behaviors in language impaired children. I encourage you to read both the Introductory Post and Part 2: Create Routines for some background information in this series on managing
difficult behavior in your classroom or speech therapy room. In this post, I am want to outline 3 ways you can structure
your speech room for success.
1. Eliminate Unnecessary Visual Stimuli
As much as I love colorful and stimulating classroom decor,
some of our special needs students just cannot handle the visual stimuli. In a
recent study by Carnegie Mellon University,
kindergarten students in brightly decorated classrooms were found to spend more
time off task and made less academic gains than those in
sparsely decorated classroom. For special needs students, systematic
structure, visual schedules, behavior charts and anchor charts for learning can
be useful decorations. Think about your speech room, is your classroom decor
structured for success? You can download my Wh-Question Anchor Charts FREEBIES HERE.
2. Adjust Your Schedule
Sometimes you just have to switch things up a little. What
may have worked for the first few months of school, may not work anymore.
Groups may need to be adjusted and students switched from one group to another.
I reprint my speech schedule at least once a month. I currently have a large
number of first graders on my schedule that receive speech and/or language
services. Their needs have changed throughout the year. They have matured at
different rates, some have learned to read quickly, while others struggled. I
have added students, dismissed students, updated goals at annual review
meetings, and changed direct service times. In the past, I've also moved
students from the morning to the afternoon. Be flexible and be willing to
switch students around in order to structure for success.
3. Collaborate with Others
Communicate regularly with classroom teachers, counselors,
and other special education staff that interacts with your students. Use
cohesive language when referring to behavior. Talk to other professional about
simplifying language for your language disordered students. Be available to
draw and/or write social narratives to address skills that need to be learned
(asking permission, sharing materials, rules for the restroom, etc.).
Collaboration creates structure for success.
If you
have found ways to structure your speech room for success, I'd love to hear
from you. Send me a message and sign up to
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Lisa, SLP
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