.png)
Okay, so that title was pretty misleading. There is no “most effective cue” because every child is different. Every child has a different personality, a different learning style, and different goals.
But, there is one hint in particular does so many things in one go, it’s astonishing. It’s my go–to cue whenever a child needs a little assistance, or is having trouble looking for the right words.
It is… *drum roll*
…. the verbal, phonemic cue.
The cue explained
Verbal, meaning it is said. Phonemic meaning that a sound is said.
Translation :You can very softly and exaggeratedly say the beginning sound(s) of the word(s) you are looking for.
An example
So, if I really want a child to say “he went” instead of “he goed”, you can say something like, “Can we try that again? He….”
(PAUSE)
If the child cannot come up with “went” then you can mouth a very exaggerated “w”, accompanied by a very slight whisper of the sound.
“He... w…”
(PAUSE)
If the child still cannot fill in, then you can cue more letters.
“He we….” (PAUSE)
“He wen…” (PAUSE)
Eventually, the child will catch on and say “went.” If not, she will repeat.
So why is this cue so awesome? For five main reasons.
1. You’re not giving the child the answer
You’re having them think and work for it. This process of thinking about the answer before finding it will make the answer more memorable the next time it is needed.
2. You’re teaching the child the confidence to think for herself.
Branching off #1 – you are showing the child that if they keep at thinking of a solution, they will eventually find it. You are also making them more comfortable with getting out there, and trying different answers.
For example, a lot of times when a child guesses a word, she guesses wrong. But then she just gets another part of the puzzle. And she tries again.
3. You are training the child to look at your face.
Eye contact! The foundation of all social interaction. You are reinforcing this, and the art of reading social cues from others, at a very early age.
4. You are teaching a phonological awareness skill
Being able to identify the beginning, middle, and end sound of a word is an important predictor of reading success. You are subconsciously training this identification by hinting at words with the sounds they are made of.
5. You are training auditory discrimination
Your whisper of the relevant sound, remember, is very soft. The child has to really tune out the noise around him, and listen to the information he needs. This is training his auditory attention, his auditory processing, and his auditory memory skills. These skills are important for catching relevant information in class lectures, and in any directions, going forward.
So there you have it! Five reasons the verbal phonemic cue is amazing. Try it – if you use it, your child will be less frustrated when he is learning, or when he is stuck.
Plus, as a bonus, you’ll be working on 5 concurrent speech and language activities.
Happy cueing!
Disclaimer : Smarter Speech is a pediatric speech therapy / speech-language pathology practice for toddlers and children providing in-home and teletherapy services in and around Mountain View, CA and Los Gatos, CA. Smarter Speech Blog aims to provide free speech and language tips for parents educators and therapists. However, this post is not providing speech-language pathology services. This is general information, not speech -language pathology or speech therapy. This article does not assume or create a client – SLP relationship. The author is not liable for any losses or damages due to actions or failure to act based on the content in this article. If you need assistance with a child’s speech or language needs, please contact a speech-language pathologist in your area.
Comentários