What is it?
A child may say words clearly and use long, complex sentences with correct grammar, but they may still present with a communication problem if they have not mastered the rules for social language.
What to expect?
In Year 7 and above (KS3 & 4) children will usually:
- Negotiate an agreement explaining other options and possible outcomes
- Manage and organise collaborative tasks with little adult supervision
- Realise when people don’t fully understand and try to help them
- Enjoy group games and explaining the rules effectively
- Switch easily between informal and formal styles of talking depending on the audience
- Understands sarcasm and irony
Information & advice
You can help by:
- Use clear, simple language.
- Be explicit about exactly what you would like the child to do, e.g. “listen to me, then it will be your turn to talk”.
- Teach new skills in a 1:1 setting with an adult initially, then start to add peers so that the child can learn to generalise new skills.
- When talking make sure you are face to face and make eye-contact
- Give the child plenty of time respond and try to avoid anticipating or completing the child’s sentence
- Use open questions, rather than closed to encourage more than yes/no responses
- Be honest if you have not understood the child; ask them to explain again. This develops self-awareness and gives them an opportunity to repair the conversation.
Activities
- Formal and informal- get student to practice using the different styles of language for different situations e,g in the park vs work experience interview
- Active listening- get the children to take turns playing roles and point out what was good or bad about the different conversations
- Explanations- Children to develop a new game/app and have to explain what its for and how to use it etc.
- Give children topics of conversations or get them to think of topics and then ask them to discuss which topics are appropriate to discuss with friends, family and acquaintances.
- Debate- split students into two groups ask them to formulate an argument for and against an idea given. E,g. students should not have to wear school uniform.
