One (or more) of the children in your care has been diagnosed with a Specific Language Impairment (SLI). Children who have SLI are experiencing difficulty learning to talk age-appropriately and, in some cases, also have difficulty understanding what others say to them. This delay in learning to talk (sometimes referred to as "late-talking") is present despite the fact that they hear normally and are of average or above average intelligence. There are several techniques that you can use when interacting with children who have SLI that will enhance their abilities to communicate effectively.

• Remember that the child can hear (increased volume is not necessary) and is intellectually typical--do not lower your expectations for appropriate behavior and achievement.
• Use short sentences, such as "Don't touch," rather than "Keep your hands off of that."
• When giving multi-part directions, such as "Go hang up your coat, sit down in your chair, and get out your crayons," break them into one-part directions as each portion of the task is completed.
• If you have made a request and the child has not responded appropriately, repeat the request using different words rather than repeating it the same way, as in "Get behind Jimmy," followed by "Get in line." It is possible that the child did not respond because he or she did not understand some aspect of the initial request (vocabulary, spatial concepts, grammar). Redundancy is very important when communicating with children with SLI.
• Use other cues besides speaking. Some examples are visual cues (turning the lights off to signal time to be quiet), concrete examples of projects such as crafts, and hand gestures and facial expressions to express praise or displeasure.
• During longer projects and assignments that lend themselves to working independently, monitor the child periodically to be sure that they understand what they are to do. It may be most helpful to ask the child to repeat the directions to you, rather than asking if they know what they are supposed to do. This increases the child's chances of success and in turn promotes self-confidence.
• Do not demand verbal performance, such as asking the child to count to ten in front of the class. Such tasks can be very difficult for children experiencing difficulty with language, and can foster negative feelings toward school and outside activities.
• If the child has said something that you do not understand, first ask them to repeat. If you still do not understand, ask them if they can show you what they mean. If you still do not understand, tell them that you are sorry you do not know what they mean, but you will ask again in a little while. Try again later.
• Children who have trouble communicating sometimes have difficulty interacting appropriately with peers. When interpersonal conflicts arise, such children may resort to physical means (such as hitting) because talking out problems is difficult. Although you should not lower your expectations for behavior, take the time to teach the child why their behavior was inappropriate rather than simply putting them in time out.

Heather Gillum, M.A., CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Child Language Intervention Program (CLIP)
(615) 936-5130