for teachers

If you're a teacher working with children who have DLD here are some things that will help you help children like me.

• Less talking and more actions
• Being told what I need to remember and what is important
• Repetition
• Seeing the lesson journey - what we are doing and where it fits in- ticking off as we go along
• Print outs of PowerPoints from lessons so I can keep going over stuff at my own pace
• Silence when I am writing otherwise I cannot focus
• Use of whiteboards in class to show my learning eg. some words I can write but can't say in Science but I could still join in with answering questions
• Pictures- I find it hard to use words to describe something if I can't actually see it -I think in pictures not words
• Regular breaks- my mind shuts down after a while as it's overloaded
• Regular hw so I can practise what has been done in class so it can sink in
• Scaffolding and resources for hw e.g. Page number in text book , so I can do it independently
• Being given the scheme of work- so I know what I am doing and can practise vocabulary before or recap previous work at home

• Home school communications book- I can't remember everything that is said in the day, if it's important it needs to be written down
• Teachers who take the time to get to know me as a person - we can then have a conversation eg about Corrie and I am more relaxed
• Prompt cards - for sentence starters, for key words, for conversation starters, for memory aids
• Picture cards to help me express my emotions
• Using Makaton especially in primary to help me communicate
• Visual prompts for command words e.g., evaluate, describe
• Being given questions in advance - it is difficult to think on the spot when under time pressure
• Being given time to plan and prepare my answers in a relaxed atmosphere so I can express my own viewpoint
• Technology - Siri, voice memo, taking pictures, making videos
• Watching YouTube videos - I can pause and rewind
• PC programmes that allow repetition and layering of topics for over learning e.g. IXL
• 1:1 support - to help me keep up with the pace of the lesson
• Teachers and TAs trained by speech and language therapists
• Doing extra curricular activities e.g. Swimming, choir, dance as it allowed it me to be equal with others
• Helping hands- given a responsible whole school role in primary
• Learning to read music as it gave me rhythm and taught me to scan
• Listening to music - it helps calm me
• Colouring - it is relaxing - there is no right or wrong, I can see an end result
• PE - doesn't involve talking and I can mix with others my age