Behavior Supports at Home

Cool vs. Not Cool Sort- cut the pictures out and work with your child to sort through the behaviors.

Music and Movement at Home

Story Time at Home

Read a Book- The Life of a Seed by Kenna Khun and Grace Dennis

Please use your camera on the following QR code:

Other Activities at Home - Indirect Language Stimulation at home

Indirect language stimulation techniques are powerful, child-centered strategies to use with your children to help them learn and expand their communication skills. They are appropriate for ALL children (typically developing and those with communicative impairments or delays) and can be used in many different environments. The focus is on the child’s interest and what he/she is doing, seeing, and feeling.

Indirect Language stimulation works because:

• Requires no child response – so no pressure for child to answer
• Adult uses simple short phrases as models for the child
• Used during activities with your child (adult/child interactions)
• Follows the child’s lead
• Extends the child’s play
• Increases exposure to new vocabulary and ideas

Indirect language stimulation techniques include:

• Self-Talk
• Parallel Talk
• Description
• Comments
• Open-ended Questions
• Expansion and Expansion Plus
• Repetition/Recasting

Technique Highlights: Description and Comments

Remember one of the best ways to think about these strategies is to imagine yourself as a Commentator or Sports Broadcaster. You, the adult, will be reporting on what you and your child will be doing, seeing, and feeling during a shared activity or event. Your descriptions and comments will model new words for your child and increase his/her language skills.

Description

In description, you will describe the objects YOUR CHILD is using or exploring.

• FOCUS on the objects she/he is engaged with. First, take a moment to observe and listen. Ask yourself what is she/he seeing in the moment? Where is his/her interest? Use short phrases to describe what the child is seeing or using.

Example: When the child is helping you make the bed you can describe the objects such as: “This pillow is soft”, “This is a blue sheet” OR “Your bed is big.” If your child already has the common vocabulary for the object or activity, she/he is engaged in, description provides opportunities to model more advanced words: like feeling words and more complex adjectives.

Example: “Laying on a bed makes us feel sleepy” OR “Your bed is gigantic.”

Description can also be used when playing I Spy. For example, offer a description or clues and have your child identify what you are describing: "I spy something that is soft, and we sleep on it.” (a bed)

Comments

With comments, you are telling your opinion about something or someone during a shared event with your child.

• Focus your comments on why something is happening or why someone is doing something that your child is watching.

Example: During the obstacle course, your child may get stuck crawling through the box and you could say, “You got stuck. I think it is because you are too big”; “Daddy is coming because he thinks you need help.” Or “The box is falling over because you are stuck inside.”

Important Dates and Reminders

• Thanksgiving Break : no services (in person or virtual) Wednesday, November 25-Friday, November 27, 2020
• Winter Break starts Saturday, December 19, 2020; the first day back with in person and virtual synchronous services will be Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Reminder: your child’s teacher posts activities you can do at home and resources in their google classroom every week- if you do not know how to access google classroom you can ask your child’s teacher.

Technology Information

• If your family needs tech support resources can be found at https://www.fcps.edu/return-school/technology-support-families

Contact Info

Jessica Merrick - Virtual PAC @email 

Gabby Swientisky- Virtual ECCB AM @email 

Jenna Van Camp- In-Person ECCB PM @email 

Past Newsletters

October 2020