North East Metropolitan LDC Outreach Service
Exiting
Students Parent
Workshop
2014
Transitioning to a New School
Session Outline
• Past LDC Family: Experience & Advice
• Raising Awareness of Language Learning
Impairment: RALLI Campaign
• Engaging with mainstream schools
• Social Skills Development Strategies
• Reports & Documentation
• Accessing community health and private
Speech Pathology services
Nick, Kathy and Ray
Past LDC family talk about their experiences
Main messages from Nick (past LDC student):
Transitions were facilitated by:
• Having a friend at a new school
• Knowing how and when to ask for help
• Positive teacher relationships
• Entering a small school environment
• Having strategies to support comprehension  Contact teachers /
lecturers, re-reading, etc.
Other messages:
• The best teachers in primary and high school were the most easily
approachable, and took the time to explain concepts
• Comprehension was facilitated by explicit teaching
• Never blame your child for their language difficulties; acknowledge
difficulties and support
Nick, Kathy and Ray
Past LDC family talk about their experiences
Main messages from Ray & Kathy (parents of past LDC student):
• Get to know your child’s teachers
o Develop a strong relationship with every teacher through child’s
schooling
o Take LDC exit report to teacher/parent meeting at beginning of school
year
o Agree on a channel of communication, e.g. phone call, text, e-mail, etc.
o Establish protocol for contacting teacher after hours if your child
becomes distressed regarding school work (use only if urgent)
• Prepare your child for change
o Visit new places prior to transitioning
o Talk about upcoming changes
o Consider engaging in extra-curricular activities at the new place prior to
the transition
o “Change” includes going on holiday! Prepare your child for any
upcoming changes to routine
Nick, Kathy and Ray
Past LDC family talk about their experiences
Main messages from Ray & Kathy CONT’D (parents of past LDC student):
• Support your child’s friendships
o Children with language difficulties tend to transition more smoothly if
they have one “buddy” or friend
o Encourage and facilitate friendships by inviting peers for outside-school
socialisation / going on outings, etc.
• Ensure your child can experience success
o Support your child in understanding expectations of them & guide them
in achieving school/personal goals
o Use knowledge of your child’s individual responses to difficulties and
expectations to bolster their success; e.g. If you know that your child
has difficulty retaining and comprehending verbal instructions, ask their
teacher if they might send home written task instructions for school
projects, etc.
o Give your child every opportunity to do their best, whatever level that
may be
The RALLI Campaign – Raising
Awareness of Language Learning
Impairment
http://www.youtube.com/user/RALLIcampaign
The RALLI Campaign – Raising
Awareness of Language Learning
Impairment
Main messages re: RALLI campaign
• Ongoing project of language professionals, raising
awareness of individuals with language difficulties.
Collection of videos of parents, teachers of individuals with
language impairment, as well as relevant professionals &
the individuals themselves.
• Your child’s needs will change throughout their
development. A number of videos address strategies for
supporting children with SLI or language difficulties.
• In WA, there is no parent support program for parents of
children with language impairment. This web page is a
great opportunity for online parent support, as well as
contact with the LDC.
Supporting Children with Language
Difficulties: Likely Areas of Difficulty
Social/Emotional
• Transition – children need to be prepared for change.
Expect and accept that change will be difficult, and
support your child through transitions.
• Building relationships – this includes peers, teachers,
lecturers, and members of the school community.
• Self-esteem and self-confidence – children with a
language difficulty are more likely to have self-esteem
issues as self-consciousness develops. Allow your child to
participate in activities where they have natural talents.
Praise your children for trying things that are difficult for
them.
Supporting Children with Language
Difficulties: Likely Areas of Difficulty
Language & Literacy
• Spelling & Decoding (literacy)
• Listening comprehension, reading comprehension,
speaking and writing (language & literacy)
Keep monitoring your child’s language and literacy
performance. Often, synthesising all of the skills that a
child has learnt at the LDC can be difficult, and your
child may require support as they attempt more
complex language tasks (Year 3 onwards). Encourage
teachers who are unsure how to work with your child
to access LDC services (PD, class observation &
feedback, etc.).
Transitioning to a New School
Environment:
Social Skills
Workshop for parents supporting
exiting LDC Students
Social Skills
Social skills are the verbal and nonverbal skills
we use to interact, communicate and build
relationships with other people.
These are essentially:
• The skills we need to get along with others
• The skills we need to communicate with
others appropriately and effectively
Typical Social Skills Development
Typical 3-7 Year Olds…
• Follow fun rather than friendship
• Egocentric  early stages of developing
empathy
• Constant changes in friendship  typically
don’t have a best friend
• Physical reactions to conflict resolution
Social Skills Difficulties for 3-7 Year
Olds with SLI
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Difficulties with turn taking
Poor awareness of listener
Difficulty staying on topic, initiating conversation / play
Tendency to talk over the top of others
Interjecting at inappropriate times
Using an inappropriate tone of voice
Difficulty reading the expressions of others or taking subtle hints
Frequently off-topic in discussions
Using inappropriate eye contact, body language, facial expression
or proximity when communicating
Conflict resolution difficulties
Passive / aggressive behaviours
These difficulties can result in…
Social and behavioural problems
• Frustration, difficulty developing peer relationships, lack of
confidence in communicating
• If unsupported, problems may increase over time (Redmond
and Rice, 2002)
Withdrawn behaviour
• Less likely to initiate conversation
• Playing alone
• Shyness in younger children
• Low self esteem in older children
• Higher rates of anxiety relating to communication, particularly
social phobias
With the appropriate social support, children can overcome social skills
difficulties and participate more actively in their school environment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTySmn_-X80
RALLI Campaign video demonstrating how Year 1 student with language difficulties
overcame behavioural problems with appropriate support.
Peer interactions are
“an essential
component of the
individual child’s
development…not a
superficial luxury”
Comments on Peer
Relationships
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Peer relationships have a significant impact on a child’s
transition experience.
Being able to form and maintain positive peer relationships is
critical for school-aged children for academic and language
development.
Facilitating the development of peer-to-peer relationships
encourages participation in all aspects of school life.
We can provide opportunities for peer interactions and
support these interactions, as this practice will help our kids
to learn how to make a friend.
Anxiety and Language
Impairment
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Some children with SLI can find change difficult to manage, and
these children may become anxious in the face of new experiences
Language difficulties may cause a child to become self-conscious
about his or her speaking skills
Children with SLI require often require understanding and support
when participating in social interactions
Change can be worrying for children with language difficulties,
and this can impact behaviour. It’s important to emphasise that
change is difficult for everyone, it can be scary, but there are
strategies that we can apply to ease this change.
Social Skills That Ease Transitions
• Self-esteem  a child with good self-esteem is more likely
to initiate social interactions and therefore, practice
relevant social skills
• Following directions  important for children to attend to
and respond to instructions in class
• Expressing and managing emotions  impacts peer
relationship development, as children are drawn to other
children who express emotions appropriately
• Greeting teachers and peers  initiating social interactions
supports relationship development
• Requesting help  children need to know how and when to
ask for help to participate fully in the school environment
• Joining in play  supporting positive peer relationships
outside of the classroom
Prepare your child for change
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
This will help to minimise feelings of worry relating to transitioning.
Visit the new school  try visiting on a weekend first to allow your
child to familiarise themselves with the environment without the
added pressure of having the rest of the school community there.
Then visit on a school day.
Talk about landmarks on the journey to school  Allow your child
to familiarise themselves with the route to school.
Meet your child’s new teacher
See the classroom
Play on the play ground  Encourage interaction with peers outside
of the classroom
Visit a playground / park near the school, and support your child in
interacting with new children  Likely that these children may
attend a local school
Take photos!
Strategies for Preparing for
Change
Your child’s needs around transition may differ from other children’s. Choose
one of the options below based on your child’s needs.
Make a social story  For children who require a higher level of support. SEE
TEMPLATE ON WEBSITE, “Going to a New School.” For further guidelines on
creating this story, contact your child’s year level speech pathologist.
“Social stories describe social situations in terms of relevant social cues and often
define appropriate responses.” (Dodd, 2005)
1.
2. Take a photo and talk about it  For children who require a lower level of
support
3. Draw a picture of your visit and
talk about it  For children who require a lower level of support
If you are unsure about the level of support your child needs, talk to
your child’s classroom teacher or their year level speech pathologist.
3. Practice over the holidays
Practicing any of the following skills based on your child’s
needs will support them through the transition process.
• Talk about and practice starting a conversation with
another child
• Talk about and practice joining in play with a group
• Talk about and practice discussing emotions
• Talk about and practice asking for help
Starting a Conversation
Practicing a few greeting phrases can help children to feel more
confident in starting a social interaction, which in turn can facilitate
peer relationships.
Model greetings with your child by making these phrases obvious to
the child (through your emphasis on words, gesture, etc.)
Greetings:
• “Hi! I’m
“
• “How are you?”
• “Let’s play
• “I like your ball / jumper, etc.”
“
Steps to Joining Play
At the LDC, we teach children that joining in with a group is
like reading a traffic light.
• RED LIGHT GROUPS: playing a game that looks tricky, don’t
smile / look at you, probably won’t let us join.
• YELLOW LIGHT GROUPS: playing a game that looks easier, a
couple of kids smile and look at you, might let us join.
• GREEN LIGHT GROUPS: playing an easy game, smile and
look at you, will probably let us join
• Look out for Red Light, Yellow Light and Green Light groups
in the playground.
Support your child in identifying these groups in a new play
situation.
Steps to Joining Play CONT’D
Once we’ve found a Green Light Group, we can try
the following steps to joining in. You might even like
to step through these points with your child to
facilitate a positive play experience.
Steps to Access Play:
1. Move close and smile (don’t say, “Can I play?”)
2. Stand close, watch, listen and WAIT for a space
3. Say something nice about the game
4. Join in… don’t wait to be asked!
5. Go with the flow and have fun
Talking About Feelings
• Children aged 3-7 years often require adult support to recognise and manage
emotions.
• Transitions & changes can result in feelings of:
• Worry
• Fear
• Sadness
Helping our children recognise and talk about these feelings will facilitate
positive school experiences and participation in all aspects of school life.
Talking about these feelings and labelling them will give your child the
opportunity to learn to express the emotion verbally, i.e. “I can see your
eyebrows slanting up, your eyes wide and your mouth frowning. Your face is
telling me that you’re feeling worried.”
Use a “feelings stick” or “feelings bear” to link discussion around feelings with a
visual support, i.e. the child knows that they have the opportunity to debrief
about emotions when holding the feelings stick / bear.
Asking for Help
• It’s ok to get stuck!  Emphasise this to your child. Talk
about how everyone has things that are easy, and
things that are difficult for them.
• When we’re unsure, we can ask for help.
Model asking for help with your child to someone else in
the home environment, or simply ask your child! This will
help to bolster self-esteem.
• Model a consistent functional phrases:
• “Excuse me, could you help me?”
• “I need some help!”
• “I’m stuck!”
Supporting Children with
Language Difficulties
Workshop for parents supporting
exiting LDC Students
Supporting Children with Language Difficulties:
The New School
Early identification
• Identify your child’s difficulties and encourage teacher / school
representative participation in the 2015 Transition Teacher
Workshop
• Meet with the teachers, Principal, SAER coordinator, literacy
support teacher, school psychologists, etc. Form positive
relationships with the school
• Individual Education Plan
• Encourage the school to access the Outreach
Service or other Professional Learning Institute
PD on how to support children with
language/literacy difficulties
Supporting Children with Language Difficulties:
NEMLDC Outreach Service
• Based at West Morley NEMLDC site
• Speech Pathologists and LDC teachers
• Provide professional development and
training to school staff on how to support
children in language and literacy
development
• Brochure with details  see exit report
package.
• Encourage staff members at your child’s new
school to access Outreach Services. Key
Language Leader training particularly
relevant.
Supporting Children with Language Difficulties:
Speech Pathology Services
The following services can be accessed throughout your child’s
schooling:
• Community Health Services – Child Development Services
• http://www.pmh.health.wa.gov.au/services/child_development_service/index.htm
• Multidisciplinary services available, including occupational therapists,
psychologists, speech pathologists, etc. Likely your child will be reviewed and
assessed annually / biannually, and you will be provided with strategies to support
language impairment
• Private Speech Pathologists Association of WA
• http://www.pspawa.com.au/
• Most important factor for success is the rapport that the therapist builds with you
and your child. Click on “Find A Speech Pathologist” on the above link. Choose a
speech therapist who specialises in the appropriate area for your child, and don’t
be afraid to change therapists if your current therapist’s specialist area does not
align with your child’s needs.
Supporting Children with Language Difficulties:
Speech Pathology Services CONT’D
The following services can be accessed throughout your child’s
schooling:
• Speech Pathology Australia
• http://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/
• Click on “Find A Speech Pathologist.”
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PRIVATE SPEECH PATHOLOGISTS:
– Sole practitioners  work by themselves or at home. Ensure that sole practitioner
has a minimum of five years experience OR receives regular supervision from an
experienced senior speech pathologist.
– Part of a team of speech pathologists OR multidisciplinary team (with other allied
health professionals). If your child has a range of needs, check that allied health
professionals in one location are working under the same company & can share
information.
– Look for someone who can offer a range of services, i.e. home and school visits, and
is passionate about regular communication with the teacher. See someone who is
family centered, and that you can be involved with the therapy.
Reports & Documentation
• NEMLDC Early Exits (K & PP)
In your report package, you will receive:
• Academic Report
• Language Grids
• Speech Pathology Exit Report
• NEMLDC Year 1/Year 2 Exits
In your report package, you will receive:
• Academic Report
These strategies will be
helpful to your child’s new
• Summary of Oral Language Skills
classroom teacher.
• Language Grids
• Speech Pathology Exit Report
• Support Strategies Handout
• Pass on reports from other Health Professionals
• Meet Seb
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bemLJzDXOl
k&list=PL4E07992D8E22363C
RALLI Campaign video showing a 16 year old boy
from the UK with language difficulties, and how
he has managed these difficulties over time.
NEMLDC Staff
Ph: (08) 9275 5511
F: (08) 9275 5319
Principal
Rosemary Simpson
E: Rosemary.Simpson@education.wa.edul.au
Deputy Principals
Sharlene May and Denise Grassi
Speech Pathologists
Laura Glisson (Year 1 - West Morley)
Cindy Stirling (Year 1 - North Balga)
Anna Taylor (Kindergarten)
Lauren Koch (Pre-Primary)
North East Metropolitan LDC Outreach Service
Thank You