All Aboard: Creating an Inclusive Classroom

3 Clock Hours of Early Childhood Education

Supporting Students with Special Needs

Page 7

• ​Students with Speech Delays

When a child has a speech delay this means that although they are developing at a normal rate, their speech is developing a little slower. This is one of the most common developmental issues that we see in young children.

There are also speech disorders that can result from a number of issues including developmental speech and language disorder, hearing loss, intellectual disability, prematurity, auditory processing disorder, autism, structural issues in the jaw and mouth, apraxia of speech, and selective mutism. As educators, it is important to intentionally support language development just as we would with a child who has no delays or disabilities.

The following are some suggestions to assist with speech development:

Speak to the Students
​Talk to the students as much as possible throughout the day to give them opportunities to hear a variety of words and to immerse them in language.

• You can talk about what you are doing (example: “I am cutting out a square” or “I am going to sit down for story time”)
• When the child is doing something, you can talk about what they are doing (example: “You are putting glue on the paper”)

Prompt the Behavior 
Intentionally craft a scenario in which the child has to use words to ask for something.

• An example would be giving them a coloring book but no crayons or asking them to get an object that is out of their reach

Read as often as Possible 
​Books with rhyming words will appeal to them rhythmically and encourage them to enjoy language. For children with speech delays, choose picture books that you think they will enjoy. It is important to be animated and entertaining in order to keep their attention during story time.  

Label the Classroom 
It is also beneficial to label common items and areas around the classroom such as “Circle Time”, “Table”, “Blocks”, etc.  ​  

Click here to take notes.

• Speech and Language Delay Disorder, University of Michigan
• Delayed Speech or Language Development, KidsHealth, The Nemours Foundation

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