Section 5
Think About It—What Does the Literature Say About Assistive Technology
Strategies?
Estimates suggest that 4% to 7.4% of young children have specific language impairment
during the preschool and early school years (Choudhury & Benasich, 2003; Law, Boyle,
Harris, Harkness, & Nye, 2000); (Toblin et al., 1997). When young children have speech
or language problems, speech-language pathologist (SLPS), parents, and teachers should
collaborate to embed speech and language strategies into home and preschool routines
(Owen & Robinson, 1997; Pretti-Frontczak & Bricker, 2001).
Adults can encourage speech and language skills during naturally occurring
routines so that children practice communication skills even when the SLP is not working
directly with the child. Parents and preschool teachers can model and scaffold language,
work on vocabulary development, create language-rich activities, or read storybooks
(Delney & Kaiser, 2001; Lederer, 2001; Saracho, 1997). For example, when a child and a
teacher are playing with blocks, the teacher can model color words (e.g., “red block”),
size concepts (“big block”), sentence structure (“it’s a block”), and plural markers (“I’ve
got one block; you have two blocks.”). The teacher can also scaffold language by
extending what the child says (e.g., when the child says “my block,” the teacher can
respond with “yes, your big red block.”)
Parents and preschool teachers can also use assistive technology with young
children to support early speech and language development and literacy-rich activities
(Beck, 2002). Assistive technology includes the variety of devices and services that
TAI section 5a-1
enable people with disabilities to participate in learning and social experiences (Kurtz,
2002).
Beck, J. (2002). Emergent literacy through assistive technology. TEACHING
Exceptional Children, 35(2), 44–48.
Choudhury, N., & Benasich, A. A. (2003). A family aggregation study: The influence of
family history and other risk factors on language development. Journal of Speech,
Language, and Hearing Research, 46, 261–272.
Delaney, E. M. & Kaiser, A. P. (2001). The effects of teaching parents blended
communication and behavior support strategies. Behavioral Disorders, 26(2), 93–
116.
Kurtz, L. A. (2002). Rehabilitation: Physical and occupational therapy. In M. L. Batshaw
(Ed.), Children with disabilities, (5th ed.), Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
Law, J., Boyle, J., Harris, F., Harkness, A., & Nye, C. (2000). Prevalence and natural
history of primary speech and language delay: Findings from a systematic review of
the literature. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 35,
165–188.
Lederer, S. H. (2001). Efficacy of parent–child language group intervention for latetalking toddlers. Infant–Toddler Intervention: The Transdisciplinary Journal, 11(3–
4), 223–235.
Owens, R. E. & Robinson, L. A. (1997). Once upon a time. Use of children’s literature in
the preschool classroom. Topics in Language Disorders, 17(2), 19–48.
TAI section 5a-2
Pretti-Frontczak, K., & Bricker, D. (2001). Use of the embedding strategy during daily
activities by early childhood education and early childhood special education
teachers. Infant-Toddler Intervention: The Transdisciplinary Journal, 11(2), 111–
128.
Saracho, I. (1997). Using the home environment to support emergent literacy. Early
Child Development and Care, 127–128.
Tomblin, J. D., Records, N. L., Buckwalter, P., Zhang, X., Smith, E., & O’Brien, M.
(1997). Prevalence of specific language impairment in kindergarten children. Journal
of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 40(6), 1245–1260.
Think About It—Language Arts Activities for Children in Early Elementary Levels
The activities suggested are some ideas to get you started in making the language arts
program interesting and meaningful for young children.
Expressive Language Activities
Speaking. Role playing enables the child to speak about things of high interest, in the
protected guise of “someone else.” Some examples of role playing are:

A policeman directing traffic after an accident.

A forest ranger finding an injured raccoon in the forest.

A mother losing her child at the fair.

A child missing the bus.

A teacher talking to two children who have eaten another child’s lunch.

A child having her first big birthday party.
TAI section 5a-3
Story telling. Story telling can also develop naturally from the children’s role playing.
Have a child dress like an old timer spinning a sea yarn, a witch reviewing her favorite
scary experience, an old man or woman recounting earlier days. Ask children to use a
check list as they prepare and present a story-telling assignment:
1. Was my story appropriate for the age of the audience?
2. Did I use expression of face and voice?
3. Were the events of my story well planned?
4. Was my voice loud and clear?
5. Did I use simple props or costumes to make my story more interesting?
Reluctant Readers. Use a tape recorder for reluctant readers. Have the child record her
story, and later have someone write it down for her. It is her story, and she will practice
in order to read it as she said it and as it was written for her. Also have children use the
tape recorder for reading to hear actual voice level and pronunciation and to observe
speed and breath control. Record special radio plays for the class.
Story Telling Ideas. The following are some story telling ideas:

Telling stories both real and imaginary to class.

Beginning a story and letting children add to it as they have ideas.

Inviting individuals to tell stories by interpreting pictures.

Asking children to tell stories about their own paintings.

Helping children see stories in the things that happen around them.

Forming small groups for “pass-it-on” stories.

Letting children retell stories they have read.

Encouraging children to dictate original stories, poems, plays, and songs.
TAI section 5a-4

Telling original stories, having children anticipate the events, and incorporating
these into the story.

Playing a game of “Going Fishing” in which pupils choose topics and tell oneminute stories about them.
Fill in the Blanks. Have children write a set of sentences leaving out one word in each.
Then they exchange papers and try to fill in the appropriate words. Have each child bring
to the group one sentence encountered in her reading in which she did not recognize a
word but figured it out from context. The children share the sentences and discuss the
clues used to recognize the word.
In one box place strips with action verbs. In another, place strips with incomplete
sentences. The children take turns drawing strips from each box and placing appropriate
verbs in sentences. Children who complete the most sentences win. (The missing words
can be adjectives, adverbs, or nouns.)
Hilarious stories result when substitutions are made in key parts of a skeleton
story.
 She is a ____girl.
 She has ____eyes and ____ hair.
 She is very ____.
 She likes ____ ____and ____.
 One day a _____thing happened.
 She _____ _____ _____ _____ _____.
 (finish story)
TAI section 5a-5
Journal of Events. In the science center, set up an interesting experiment, pet, or display.
Children observe it daily and keep a journal of their observations. They may wish to draw
a picture of what they see each day, too. A personal journal may also be kept about
events in their daily lives.
Using Imagination. The teacher starts a beginning such as these: If I were president…., If
I were a pink kitten…., If I could go to the moon…., If I had three wishes…. Let the
children choose the one they like best and write about it. Remind them that in their
imaginations anything can happen. Other interesting beginning sentences are:

And To Think It Happened to Me!

You Wouldn’t Believe It!

And This Is How It Happened!

If I Had a Money Tree!
Spelling Toy Box. Select toys or small articles, the names of which have been introduced
in spelling, and place them in a small cardboard box. Tape a written list of the contents to
the bottom of the box. For example, the box might contain:

Three-letter words—car, gun, jet, cap, fan, top, dog, hat

Blend words—flag, clock, brush, shoe, drum, wheel, spoon

Words containing “ar–or”—fork, jar, corn, yarn, scarf, barn, car, cork
Introduction: “I have put some toys in this box. The names of the toys are words we have
been studying in our spelling class. If you would like to practice these words in your free
time, you may take the box to your desk. Take out one toy at a time, and try to write its
name. When the box is empty, turn it upside down. A list of the toys is written on the
bottom of the box. You may check you spelling from this list.”
TAI section 5a-6
Rebus Story. Write a story on a 9” x 12” sheet of tagboard. Omit some words that are in
the children’s reading vocabulary. Draw a picture “clue” for each omitted word. Under
each picture cut a small triangular slot. Make 1” x 2” cards showing the missing words.
Put these cards in an envelope and clip the envelope to the tagboard story sheet. The
children take the word cards out of the envelope and lay them face up on their desks.
Next, they are to start reading the story. Each time they come to a missing word, they are
to find the card which says that word and place it in the appropriate slot.
Think About It—Science Activities to Try with Children
The following smelling and listening activities are fun ways for children to experience
science concepts.
Popping Corn
As the children are finishing some other activity, have someone begin popping corn. Be
sure that the children do not see the preparation or corn popping. The sound and the odor
should arouse their attention. Ask questions such as these: What do you think is
happening? What makes you think this is happening? What did you observe first?
Extending the Learning Experience. Encourage the children’s questions. You may want
to use analogies and comparisons during the discussion of their questions. The children
may be able to reason out answers to some of their questions as they participate in the
activities that follow:
TAI section 5a-7
1. Why is there a noise when the corn pops? Blow up a paper bag, and pop it with
your hand. The sudden release of pressure as the bag breaks produces a sound
similar to the sound of an exploding kernel of corn.
2. How much bigger does the corn get when it pops? Tell the children to line up ten
unpopped kernels in a row. Alongside this row, have them line up ten popped
kernels. Point out that this is one way of comparing the size of popped and
unpopped corn.
Bubble Fun
Young children love bubbles—and they provide many excellent science activities. Colors
are a natural topic, but air, soap, and water are other topics involved in bubble making.
To make good bubbles use a top quality brand of liquid detergent. Mix together
one gallon of water, one cup of liquid detergent, and 50 drops of glycerin, which you can
buy at the drug store.
Anything with a hole will make wonderful bubbles. The plastic holders that link
six-packs of soft drinks together make six big bubbles. Plastic berry baskets make lots of
little bubbles. For giant bubbles, use a hula hoop in a wading pool filled with bubble
liquid. The child steps into the hula hoop and, as you pull it up, she finds herself enclosed
in a bubble. For safety in the slippery soap mixture, put a towel on the bottom of the pool.
Smells around the School
Children can search for different smells around the school. Some are good smells. What
things give off good smells? What things have an unpleasant smell? Can any cause for
TAI section 5a-8
bad smells be found? Can any reasons be found to explain why some things smell good
and others do not? Does everyone agree on what smells good and what does not?
It is stimulating for children to compare their feelings with those of others. Are
leaves changing colors in the fall beautiful? Are flowers beautiful? What about weeds?
Can a cloud formation be beautiful? What about a rainbow? Is there beauty in a swing set
or a slide? Can a bicycle be thought of as beautiful? How many words can the children
think of that make them feel or see beauty?
Rock Creations
Rocks can be a creative experience for young children—both finding them and making
creations with them. Go on a rock hunt. Provide each child with a bag for rocks
discovered on the walk. Wash and dry the rocks. (Children love doing this!) Spend some
time studying each rock to see its creative potential. Use a magnifying glass for these
observations.
Some creative possibilities include:

painting designs on rocks with tempera paint.

gluing on felt features, wiggle eyes.

gluing on beads, seeds, feathers, or anything else that appeals to the child’s eye
and sense of design.
These rock creations make great paperweights. You might want to glue felt to the
bottom to prevent scratching other surfaces.
Bird Feeders
TAI section 5a-9
Treat a bird to lunch. Cut windows and doors into an empty milk carton or plastic soda
bottle. Decorate it in such a way that birds will want to visit. Paste on colored pictures of
big juicy worms! Glue on twigs, leaves, seeds, and other outdoor materials with non-toxic
glue. (Keep decorations to a minimum to avoid frightening the birds.) Tie it to a tree
branch and fill it with birdseed. Watch and see how many birds, and what kinds of birds,
use the feeder.
Choose one of the above activities to use with children. Describe your
experiences. What would you change the next time you use the activity? What would you
change to make the activity more appropriate for older children? Design some extended
learning activities for each of the suggested activities.
TAI section 5a-10