BEWARE of the “Critical Language Period” Defense

At a D/HH conference this week, speakers were discussing the “Critical Language Development Period” during which language appears to develop naturally and with little effort by the child or family. To illustrate the urgency of capitalizing on this developmental period, the presenters included a dramatic graphic of a digital alarm clock. In bold red letters, the display on the clock blared: TOO LATE.

My hackles went up immediately. Too often I have heard professionals in Deaf Ed use the “critical period” as a reason for LOWERING EXPECTATIONS and DECREASING SERVICES for students who have passed whatever age is considered to be “the End” of that precious “Period”. Consider an 8-year old child whose family chose for her to learn spoken language. The child’s teacher asks the SLP why there are no specific articulation or syntax goals in the IEP, and the SLP said, “She has passed the critical language period.”

NO!

These students have entered a “Period” in which they need MORE SERVICES and they need families and professionals to WORK HARDER, not give up. LANGUAGE practice is now more CRITICAL. PERIOD.

If a family has chosen spoken language for their child’s communication, I can offer guidance, options and research. But I cannot ignore the family’s choice. Period. My obligation is to do my best to provide that child with the best possible outcome, given the choice made by the family.

Because, maybe, regardless of what the research says, and what the theories propose, it really is true that “When you’ve seen one deaf child, you’ve seen one deaf child.”

Why You Should Consider “I Don’t Know” as a Helpful Answer

I recently rewatched Rick Lavoie’s F.A.T. City video. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend you watch it — on a regular basis.

Among numerous bits of teaching wisdom he imparts, Lavoie advises teachers not to accept “I don’t know” as an answer because it gives students permission not to answer.

With respect to Mr. Lavoie, I haven’t noticed that effect in my classes over the years. At some point, I learned that “I don’t know” can be helpful to the teacher.

Teacher Challenge: Processing Time

One of the challenges of students who are deaf, using spoken language, is the need for more time to process language, including a teacher’s questions. Here’s a common exchange between teacher and student.

Teacher asks a question.
Teacher waits for student to respond.
Teacher continues to wait, allowing extra time for student to process the question.
Ultra-patient teacher restates the question and waits again.

This interaction can feel a lot like a game of chicken: each person waiting for the other to end the suspense. It often ends with the student giving an incorrect answer and feeling defeated.

If, after truly ‘looking for’ an answer, students are allowed to respond with “I don’t know,” then the teacher can choose how to proceed with less and frustration and less time lost.

How do you feel about “I don’t know,” as a student response?

P.S. Here is a link to the Rick Lavoie F.A.T. City video.

An Emergency Case of Catch-Up

With high quality support, students who are deaf can learn to use spoken language to communicate with anyone they choose.

That is the basis of this blog.

I think now I should be more specific and add: even with later-than ideal intervention.

For many reasons, some children who are deaf don’t come to receive support in learning spoken language until they are school-aged. These children are suffering from an emergency case of catch-up. So much language and vocabulary to learn and so many years lost.

Meh. Forgive the bad visual pun. I didn’t want to say ‘game’ of catch-up. It’s much too serious a topic for the flippant use of that term.

In my experience, children who begin a quality spoken language program at 11 years old can acquire language and speech that allows them to be successful communicators.

I believe this with all my heart –because I have seen it. And many others have witnessed these victories.

Yes, it’s true that not all children can make that achievement with a late start. But many can. And doesn’t that child – and that family – in front of you deserve the chance to thrive?

There are so many topics on my “To Write” list. But this one is crying out to be aired. I am working on a series I’m calling Belated Intervention to discuss how these children can be supported and perhaps to highlight those who have succeeded.

Do Deaf Kids Need to Hear Their Classmates Comments?

You are guiding a discussion about the results of a science experiment investigating the effects of gravity on the growth of plant roots. In all cases, the roots of the seeds grew downward. Students are offering responses about why this might have happened.

The student in your class who is deaf hears you (through the FM) pose the question. “What are some reasons the roots might be growing downward?”

“The oo ahh -ooee or a oa ee a,” she hears one student suggest.

Another student answers, and she hears something like “a i something something something ou.”

It happens. Several times every day. I’ve experienced it.

I have observed students who are deaf participating in general education classes. They probably hear the teacher rather well. The teacher uses an FM and instinctively uses a louder-than-usual voice when addressing the class.

But students don’t use a louder voice. Many, many times, students use a softer-than-usual voice when speaking out in class. Sitting at the perimeter of the room, I couldn’t understand what students said at this volume. I highly doubt that the student who is deaf understood them either.

Students should use the FM microphone so the D/HH student has access to their answers, questions and comments.

Best Practices: Pass the FM microphone for student questions and comments.

When teachers develop the habit of sharing the FM microphone with students, the student who is D/HH has access to ALL spoken language in the classroom.

It may seem awkward at first, but it can quickly become a classroom expectation. When a soundfield FM is used, all students benefit from access to the shared microphone.

Ask your educational audiologist about the availability of a pass-around mic, which limits the noise associated with handling the mic.

Repeating student comments and questions can benefit many students.

Teachers are modeling good public speaking skills when they repeat the comments and questions of ‘the audience.’ Teach this as a leadership skill and you will be contributing to the development of our next generation of audience-conscious speakers.

Other Strategies

Discuss with the D/HH student how he can let you know he didn’t hear or understand.

Self advocacy is an important skill for all learners and community members. In school, we learn to function as part of a cooperative group, but also need to advocate for our individual needs.

Students who are deaf need to know their own needs regarding communication and language. They also need to be aware of what the general public knows about their needs (answer: very little). They need to have specific language for explaining their needs. And the criteria for having those needs met.

Post prompts on the student’s desk.

Could you repeat that, please?

I didn’t understand the question.

Consider a private signal for students who can’t be encouraged to speak up. The signal will remind you to repeat what was just said.

Just like all students have the right to access the building where education takes place; so all students have the right to access all the information being presented. The student who is deaf or hard of hearing needs to know what classmates are contributing in addition to the teacher’s communication.

October Experience Story: Making a Mummy Doll

OoooooOOOooooooooo

It’s the perfect time of year to learn about mummies and to make your own mummy.

Here are directions with pictures and some language targets to make your planning easier.

The Mummy-Making Experience

Thank you to GainingMommymentum Mandy for the Experience idea!

Here’s the finished product.

Materials

a Barbie-type doll

cloth (cotton)

white school glue, like Elmers

plastic gloves (optional)

a craft paintbrush

scissors

a small plastic bowl

water

wax or parchment paper or plastic cover for your table

Directions

Cut the doll’s hair as short as possible.
Cut the cloth into strips about one inch wide.
Cover the table with wax paper or plastic.
Mix well equal parts water and glue in the plastic bowl.
Drag a cloth strip through the glue mixture. Then run it between your fingers to clear the extra glue.
Wrap the strip around an arm of the doll, starting at the armpit and moving down the arm as you go. Repeat until arm is covered.
Continue to wrap arms and legs of doll as described in step 6.
Wrap head, shoulders and torso until doll is completely wrapped.
Use the paintbrush to spread the glue mixture evenly (just spread what’s already on the doll.) IF necessary, add glue mixture to any dry spots.

If you want to you, can stop here. To make a more realistic mummy, continue on with steps 10 and 11.

10. Drag more cloth strips through the glue mixture as before. Wrap the entire body of the doll, pinning its arms to its body and wrapping both legs together. Repeat step 9.

11. Allow doll to dry. Finished mummy should be hard!

The Language Possibilities!

Structured/Repetitive Language

Noun-verb-noun

Mommy cut the cloth. Susie wrapped the arm.

noun-around – noun

Wrap the cloth around the ____ arm, leg, other arm, other leg, body, head.

possessive ‘s

Wrap the mummy’s _____. Hold the mummy’s ____. Put glue on the mummy’s ____ .

‘its’ 3rd person neutral possessive (not it’s as in it is.)

Cut its hair. Its hair is long. Its hair is short. Wrap its arms. etc.

Special Cases of Language

Questions – Questions can be practiced two ways: the child ANSWERS the question or the child ASKS the question.

The child should be able to answer the question before she asks it. To answer the question, she must be able to understand it.

For an experience story, you can make the question your text in the book, and when reading the book, the child answers the question.

*Who ____ed? Who wrapped the ____?*

Who cut the hair? Who wrapped the first arm? the other arm? the leg? the other leg? O the tummy? the head? Who wrapped the mummy again?

until

Until is a higher language structure that kids don’t pick up naturally, but try to use in many different contexts.

One way she will be excited to use until … ___ days until Halloween.

In this activity, you can say things like “Wrap the arm until it is covered” might be a target for your child in this activity. “Let it set until it dry” is another.

While diving into the Mummy-making experience, here’s a Reading Rainbow selection that you can use to talk about the real mummies of Egypt. Aliki’s text uses simple language, but a discussion of the afterlife can be a tough one for language learners. I think you’ll bring this book out year after year, having ever more informative discussions about Egypt and its mummies.

How to Use Experience Stories

Experience stories are a fun and easy way to practice language. They can be created and enjoyed both at home and school and are helpful for any child with language goals.

WHAT IS AN EXPERIENCE STORY?

An experience story begins as an activity that an adult shares with a child. After the activity, a story is created, targeting language that the child needs to practice. The result is a homemade book that includes photos taken during the activity and the child is the main character. It is read together often, providing repeated practice with the target language.

STEP ONE: PRE-PLAN

Of course, you should start by deciding what your activity will be and what language you will target.

You might have an activity in mind (baking cupcakes for the cat’s birthday, washing dishes, a craft project – almost anything will do.) If not, there are plenty of places to find activities online.

To plan the language you will target, imagine you and your child actually doing each step of the activity. What language can you practice when you look at the photos and discuss it afterward?

Plan the sentences you can use in your book. That way, you’ll know when to take pictures during the activity. How many sentences you plan (or actually use) will depend on your child’s language level and ability to sit with a book.

Here are some examples for A Chocolate Milk Experience.

noun-verb-noun (Mommy opened the milk. Susie poured the milk. Mommy squeezed the chocolate. Susie stirred the milk. Mommy and Susie drank the chocolate milk. Yum!)
noun-preposition-noun (We put the glasses on the table. We put the milk on the table. Mommy poured the milk in the glass. Susie squeezed the chocolate in the glass. Mommy and Susie stirred the milk in the glass. The milk is in our tummies. Yum!)

STEP TWO:

PARTNER PLAN, USING FUTURE TENSE

As mentioned, Experience Books can practice all verb tenses. When the adult and child plan the activity together, they use the future tense to discuss what they will do.

If your language target includes a verb, this is where your child will practice using future tense. If there is no verb target, you can use this step to expose her to future tense — she will hear it, but isn’t expected to understand or repeat it.

You’ll need something physical on hand to talk about. This can be a finished example of what you’re making, a photo of what you’ll make, the written instructions (with illustrations) for your activity or all the items you’ll use in your activity.

Your goal is to have your child produce all of your target sentences in future tense. Here are some examples for our Chocolate Milk Experience. The language targets are underlined. These are the words we want the child to say at the very least.

noun-verb-noun (Mommy will open the milk. Susie (I) will pour the milk. Mommy will squeeze the chocolate. Susie (I) will stir the milk. We will drink the chocolate milk. Yum!)
preposition-noun ( Susie (I) will put the milk on the table.Mommy will pour the milk in the glass. Mommy will squeeze the chocolate in the glass. Susie (I) will stir the milk in the glass. We will drink the milk. Chocolate milk will be in our tummies. Yum!)

STEP THREE:

EXPERIENCE THE EXPERIENCE

There are two important things you need to accomplish during the experience.

Have FUN!
Take pictures

FUN: The fun will keep the child motivated for future experiences. We certainly don’t want a language experience to become a time when the child feels the pressure of saying everything exactly the way you want it said.

While one of the benefits of Experience Stories is practicing all verb tenses around one experience, I suggest that present tense not be practiced during the first experience. During the first couple experiences, the child will be learning how the process works. She’ll be listening, following directions, using tools and so much more. Delaying the fun of pouring stuff into a bowl until the language is produced might be too much. But when some of those participation skills have been developed, the child should be expected to imitate the language that you planned in Step One.

For every experience, from the very beginning, the adult should be narrating the activity, using the present tense and highlighting any new vocabulary. The child should repeat the adult’s language, including as many words as possible, in the correct order, with her best possible speech. You can try to correct or improve her language, but if three attempts don’t achieve that goal, then model the correct language once more and go back to having fun.

Here’s the present tense noun-verb-noun language for the Chocolate Milk Experience. (Great name for a band!)

Mommy is opening the milk. I am pouring the milk. Mommy is squeezing the chocolate. I am stirring the milk. We are drinking the chocolate milk.
Yum!)

While this can be an opportunity to practice present tense, the most beneficial language practice comes with the book. The experience itself is the memory upon which the language is built.

TAKING PICTURES: During the experience, pause for a few candid and a few posed pictures. Your child can see the picture and use the present tense sentence again. The pictures are for your Experience Book. It’s what makes the book personal and supports comprehension of the language. But fear not. If you were so caught up in the fun of the experience that you forget to snap a shot for each of your target sentences, you can always ‘stage’ the shots in a re-enactment. Or make your drawings to evoke the memories.

Remember: the experience must always be .

STEP FOUR: CREATE THE EXPERIENCE BOOK

The materials you use to create the book are up to you. You can tape the pictures into an everyday notebook that holds several experience stories. You can print it out on the computer and staple it. (Tape over the backs of the staples to prevent scratches.) Use a photo album or brag book. Use Ziploc bags and duct tape. A hole punch, index cards and ring.

I like to have the child’s handwriting on each page. A good way to start is to have her write her name and names of family members every time they appear. Provide the traditional primary lines to encourage good penmanship.

Books based on true experiences should be written in past tense – because the experience happened in the past. This reinforces the meaning and usage of past tense, which can be challenging for kids who are deaf.

Here’s the final noun-verb-noun version of the Chocolate Milk Experience.

Mommy opened the milk. Susie poured the milk. Mommy squeezed the chocolate. Susie stirred the milk. Susie and Mommy drank the chocolate milk.
Yum!)

A topical non-fiction book, while not really an “experience story,” can still repeat the same language. This one repeats the pattern “Do (chipmunks) have spots? No! (chipmunks) have stripes!” to practice present tense for plural verbs and “Do” questions.

STEP FIVE: USING THE BOOK TO PRACTICE LANGUAGE

The Prime Directive:

Experiences & Experience Books Must Always be FUN.

This promotes the enjoyment

of more experience stories,

love for language and love for books.

First readings should be about becoming familiar with the book, appreciating the pictures and remembering the experience.
When the book itself is familiar, the purpose becomes to practice language. Repetitive reading of the book will promote language learning.
When the language is more familiar to the child, use post-it notes to cover the target language (for example, the preposition) to require the child to think about what word belongs there.
Ask questions that require the child to use the target language in her answer. For example, “Who poured the milk?” to have her answer, “Mommy poured the milk.” “What did you squeeze?” “I squeezed the chocolate.”
When pronouns are a language target, change the names in the book to pronouns when reading it. For example the child and the child’s activity partner say “I” and “you” to replace their own names. For others’ names, they use “he” and “she.”
For beginning readers, have the child point to certain words.
To practice listening and auditory comprehension, the adult says a sentence from the book and child finds the picture for that sentence. Have her repeat the sentence back to you for extra language practice.

SHARE THE BOOK

Some suggestions:

Share the book with extended family, babysitters and teachers. They help promote carryover of the language into their time with your child.
It can be fun to put an extra page at the end and have others write comments about the story.
Keep your Experience Books as a collection and a memory of fun activities and language growth. When language or vocabulary from a previous activity needs to be reviewed, you can read that book again. Or read it again just for fun!