Language Difficulties in the Classroom
The start of the new school year has finally commenced, so I thought this would be the perfect time to talk about how our child’s language development can impact them in the classroom and school settings.
Language difficulties impact on every aspect of a child’s life, but sometimes that impact can be felt most intensely in the classroom. Why? Language demands in the classroom are much higher than in other environments. The language they need to be able to understand is more complex, and there are fewer opportunities for instructions and lessons to be given one-on-one or repeated. Children will also need to be good at obtaining new vocabulary at a rapid rate for learning, and will be required to express themselves in more detail than ever before.
There’s also the secondary impact of things like background noise, distractions and being required to sit still and focus for long periods. For children with language delays, this can be a big challenge.
So what effect can language difficulties have on a child’s experience in the classroom?
1. Overall Learning
The biggest concern when it comes to the impact of language delays and disorders for school aged children is their overall learning. If a child is experiencing difficulty comprehending what is said and communicating in the classroom, they are going to be significantly limited in what they are going to be able to learn.
2. Academic Performance
Academic performance is likely to be effected by both receptive and expressive language difficulties. Many academic measures are based on the child’s output, and this may mean a child with adequate receptive skills but difficulty with expression can fall behind in their academic performance based on testing.
3. Literacy
Reading and writing are forms of communication. Children with language difficulties will often experience difficulty learning the alphabet and sounds, decoding words (for tasks like identifying sounds in words, sounding words out, hearing rhyme, etc.), understanding what they have read, spelling, using appropriate sentence grammar and more.
4. Numeracy
We often think of numeracy as separate from the language subjects like English and literacy. However, numeracy is taught using spoken and written language. Without age appropriate language abilities, many children will also experience difficulty in learning numeracy.
5. Social Experiences
Social experiences may also be more challenging for children with language delays and disorders. Finding it difficult to understand or have a turn in a conversation with peers can make forming strong social bonds and friendships difficult.
So, What Can We Do?
What can we do to make school a more academically and socially successful place for children with language difficulties?
Collaborate with your child’s teacher.
Communicate with your child’s teacher from the beginning of the school year about their difficulties. This will help them to best support your child.
Collaboration between your Speech Pathologist and teacher, as we can work with your child’s teacher to identify strategies and tips that can help your child achieve their best.
Credit: http://www.childsplayspeechpathology.com.au/language-difficulties-in-the-classroom/