Many students with complex needs have had limited exposure to print and literacy instruction and are considered “emergent readers”. This means that they are still developing an understanding that print has meaning and are learning how print and print conventions work. They are not yet able to read books independently and may still be developing intentional or symbolic means of communication.
One way to engage emergent readers in literacy is through an activity called “shared reading”. This is a way to read books with the student with a focus on communication and the interaction with the student. Use the student’s interests when choosing books, especially if they have not had many opportunities to engage with books in the past. It can be helpful to use interactive and repetitive books that use a high amount of core vocabulary such as go, stop, want, more, etc. When you read the book, you will be making comments about what you see in the story, drawing their attention to something on the page, connecting the story back to their own personal experiences, etc. As you are making your comments, you will model core words or key vocabulary on their communication system or a core board if they do not have a communication system set up.
A teacher reads “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?” with a Kindergarten student. The teacher says, “Look, I see the red bird” and models “red” on the student’s AAC. “What colour do you think we might see next?” The student may select a colour on their AAC device, and the teacher would respond to their selection. If the student makes no response, the teacher can model a response such as “I wonder if we will see something green next?”
For students with motor difficulties, you may need to consider books that can provide alternative access. Options to consider include physical books with “page fluffers” (i.e., any tool that makes it easier to turn the page in a book such as popsicle sticks as tabs, paper clips, Velcro, foam stickers, etc.), board books, books on an iPad where a student can turn the page with a single touch or swipe, books on an eye-gaze device where a student can turn the page using his or her eyes, and books that have been adapted to be switch accessible. You can encourage participation in the book by using cause and effect interactions with books by using a switch to turn the page, make a sound effect, or say a predictable and repeated line of text in the book. You can add “hotspots” into books on an iPad or eye-gaze device using an app such as SnapScene that a student can activate either by touching the screen or looking at a particular point on the page.
A student using an eye gaze device can activate words or sounds in an interactive digital book.
Another student with limited motor control can turn the pages by touching the screen of the iPad.
Think about ways to make letter and sound awareness multisensory. Use different types of letters that students can engage with tactilely such as magnetic letters, foam letters, letters made from pipe cleaner, letters drawn in sand, wooden letters, etc. The options for creating a tactile alphabet are vast! Incorporate music and movement into letter and sound learning. Listen to alphabet songs, learn movements or gestures that can be paired with the sounds, and make alphabet learning fun! Provide AAC supports for phonics activities. If a student has a high-tech AAC device, pull up the alphabet page. It can be useful to have a page that says the sound of the letter when you activate the button as well as a page that says the name of the letter. Both letter names and letter sounds are important when learning the alphabet. If a student doesn’t have a high-tech AAC device, ensure that you provide them with a low-tech alphabet board or way to access all the letters of the alphabet.
One student who is learning letter sounds selects the corresponding letter on their AAC app after hearing the sound of the letter.
Another student traces tactile letters while listening to the corresponding sound being spoken by their teacher, EA, or a speech generating device.
Emergent writers will benefit from structured, interactive opportunities to write using alternative methods. These methods include:
- Predictable Chart Writing: The teacher writes a repetitive sentence starter and, for example, students complete the sentence using AAC, symbols, or drawing. The class reads the completed chart together. Students contribute words using AAC devices, gestures, or partner assisted scanning and the teacher models on a whiteboard or digital tool the AAC contributions.
- e.g. A student using an E Tran board selects a topic for a group story and then peers help build the story by adding words and pictures.
- Play-based Literacy and Peer Engagement: Students with complex needs will need additional exposure and practice with literacy concepts compared to most of their typically developing peers. Literacy is not a separate subject like Language Arts and it’s important to embed literacy learning into daily routines, play, and social interactions throughout the day whenever possible. Find ways to make literacy learning fun – use the student’s interests, be silly, and include peers!
- e.g. Having students do a dramatic role play activity based on the characters from a book the class is reading together enriches the experience for all the learners.
- Peer-assisted Reading and Writing: Pairing students with peers to read books together can be a motivating way to engage with books during reading time in class. Peers can also be encouraged to use the student’s AAC device to make comments and talk about the book to make it more of a shared reading experience. Students can also share their own Pictello stories or a favourite book with a classmate by using the voice output built into the app.