Page 32 - SEN113 SEN Magazine July-August 2021-V3

32 struggles with the sound “j” for “jump”, you can always try the sound “u” for “up”. This strategy can be modified for our verbal and older children, where we pair a word or phrase to an activity. For example, let us take the same example of the trampoline. If your child is able to imitate some words, we can always pair “j,j, jumping” and then “j,j, jumping u,u, up” with the activity. The idea behind pairing sounds, words, or phrases is that we want our child to pair the motivating activity with the sounds and words and then use these in a request. We often forget that many therapy strategies are also useful for children without a diagnosis and should be included when siblings join in the fun. Modelling behaviour from a sibling to your child with specific needs is another powerful tool that can elicit more spontaneous language. Keep activities fun, short, and interest-based to increase motivation from not only your child with specific needs but also his or her sibling, cousin, or friends. The more we normalize a bit of extra support, the more people will engage in this natural way of supporting people around them. “The use of visual choice boards is an excellent tool” Visual support boards I want to include one more and probably my favourite tool in increasing spontaneous and functional communication. As a parent of an SEN child, you probably have been recommended by therapists to increase the number of visual support strategies you have in your home or during outings. The use of visual choice boards is an excellent tool that is highly underrated in most therapies and homes. It is a simple setup where you laminate a poster and have some Velcro strips on it. You then print out some of your child’s favourite activities, toys, people, and items. It is a good idea to start with a limited amount, such as two items that are preferred, and work on increasing the number of choices. You can then ask your child what they want – they have to go to the poster, choose one, pull it from the Velcro strip and hand it to you – this is where the communication occurs. The message from the sender has been received by the receiver and you can then either label the item or your child can do this too if he or she is verbal and willing. As soon as your child is able to distinguish between various items, you can create different visual choice boards for different areas in the house. You can have one for the kitchen that has all of their favourite healthy snacks on, one for the sensory room with all the fidget toys they love, one for the front door with some of the outings they can choose to go on over the weekend . Only have the items or activities that are available on the choice board and I encourage you to keep track of the increase in your child’s frequency of requesting. We have found that once our children understand that there are various items, activities, people, or places they can choose from, they are more likely to do so. We have also found that this is usually followed by a verbal follow-up. Increasing communication Our goal should always be on increasing functional communication in a spontaneous manner and not in a rote, forced way. Our children will be encouraged to communicate with us when they know it is on their terms, in a way they choose, and which is focused on their interests. There are other ways to increase communication, but I have found that these are the most powerful when you want to see a change in your child that is not only positive but also long-lasting. After all, we all communicate more openly, in more detail, and for longer periods of time, when we know the receiver wants to hear what we have to say, when we speak of our interests and when we actually receive the outcome we want without being forced to say it in a certain way. Similar to me writing this article to you – I feel heard and I thank you for that! senmagazine.co.uk ■ Too loud! SEN113 Communication