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JohnTracyClinic
Preschool
Lesson1:InformalAssessment
Communication
One of the most important and enjoyable skills we learn in our lives is how to communicate with each other. Our ability to
understand each other and to make ourselves understood is the basis for most human interaction. You are going to be learning
how to develop spoken language with your child who has a hearing loss.
Language is the formal, organized method by which we communicate. It may be written, spoken or signed. But no matter how we
express ourselves, our language has a certain structure that makes us able to understand each other. For example, as you read the
words on this page, you understand the sentences because of the placement of the words. You understand written language.
Perhaps your child does not yet have a language system at all. Or your young child might understand and use single words. He
might use combinations of words. He may be using a formal sign system, spoken language or the two in combination. If you have
chosen to have your child learn to communicate using signs, it is important that you learn to sign too and that you and your child
learn a formal sign system.
Speech is one way of expressing language. If our speech is clear, our spoken language is more easily understood by others.
Children who have a hearing loss are usually not able to hear most speech sounds without hearing aids or a cochlear implant.
They will need your guidance to learn to listen to speech sounds. By talking to your child, playing games and interacting with him,
you provide his initial knowledge of speech sounds.
NonverbalCommunication
Although we communicate with each other verbally (with words), we also communicate nonverbally (without words). Nonverbal
communication takes place in a variety of ways. We communicate without words when we cry, groan or laugh. We use
communication when we fold our arms across our chest and look stern. We nod our head yes and move it from side to side to
indicate no. We use facial expressions when we smile and frown. We wave, point, shrug our shoulders. Nonverbal
communication is naturally used along with wordsas a kind of punctuation. It makes our verbal language clearer or stronger.
Before the development of a formal language system, almost all infants and children respond to their parents nonverbal
communication. A baby may not understand the words his parents say to him. But he understands the smile or frown on his
mothers face as she talks. He notices her gestures and body movements. He knows if they mean she is happy, sad or angry. And
he responds accordingly with his own nonverbal communication.
Hearing childrenand children who have a hearing loss and who have begun to talkcontinue to use nonverbal communication
even after they can use words. But, just as with adults, their nonverbal communications will be used in addition to language, not
instead of it. After the children have learned to understand and use words, nonverbal communication will no longer be their
primary means of communication.
SpokenorSignLanguage
Gestures, facial expressions, and tone of voice have limitations. A formal, spoken or sign language system will be needed for your
child to develop and communicate fully. Your child will learn to understand language before he learns to use it spontaneously. In
other words, before he uses the word ball, a child will respond to the word if he understands it. If you say ball, he will look for
https://pals.jtc.org/en/account/participant/classroom/lesson/print.php?csid=1
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it or go to get it even though he cannot yet say the word. Your childs response indicates that ball is a part of his receptive
language.
Receptive language is the first stage in his language development. Your childs beginning receptive language will probably
include the names of thingswords such as BALL, DOG, CAR, CAT, MOMMY, DADDYthe language with which your child will
identify familiar people and things in his world.
In order for your little one to build receptive spoken language, he needs to be on the receiving end of as much spoken language as
possible. This is why your role as speaker is so important, and also why it is important to talk as much as possible to your child.
This is true whether you and your child are using formal signs, spoken language or both systems together.
Expressive language is the language your child uses spontaneously to express himselfhis wants, needs and ideas. A childs first
expressive language is often language that causes something to happenwords such as OPEN, UP, PULL and OFF. This language
development occurs in exactly the same manner for children who have a hearing loss as it does for hearing children.
Hearing children spend the first year of life listening to the sounds of language, vocalizing and babbling. If your child with a
hearing loss has been wearing appropriate amplification for one year, he should be able to respond to speech sounds, vocalize and
babble, just as a oneyearold hearing child would. This is your childs hearing agehis age since he first received amplification.
For example, if he received hearing aids or his cochlear implant at one year of age, and he is now twoandahalf years old, his
hearing age is one and onehalf years. Therefore, he should be functioning at the 13to18 month age range. But dont think his
language development will always reflect this delay. With appropriate amplification and your time and effort in teaching him, your
little one can catch up. In fact, by the time he begins elementary school, you will probably find that he has made great progress.
TheImportanceofTalking
There is only one way for your child to develop receptive and expressive spoken language and that is for you to talk, talk, TALK to
him. You will find countless opportunities every day for a conversation with him. When your child looks at you, talk to him about
what he is doing. When he reaches for something, talk to him about what he wants. When he watches you, talk about what you are
doing. Make the most of each moment that you have your little ones attention.
When you talk to your child, he will learn best if you use everyday language and short phrases or sentences. For example, if your
child is playing with toy trucks and cars, you might say, Push the truck. Vroom, vroom! Push the red truck.
It is natural for children to imitate words that they hear in a context that is meaningful and interesting. Asking a child to repeat
words he does not understand or using flash cards with pictures in isolation will not help in real language development. It is likely
that the repetition is only copying sounds and no true learning is taking place. If, however, you point out cars that you see on the
street, and say car, your little one will soon learn the meaning of this word.
Tips
Getting down to your childs level when you talk to him is very important. Do a deepknee bend rather than bending at the waist. If your child is
relying on visual information for learning about spoken language, you want him to see you clearly. If he is learning basically through hearing, be at his
level and close to him. This provides the best opportunity for him to hear and understand your voice.
Using a natural voice is equally important. Exaggerated speech or a very loud voice creates distortion, and your child will only hear bursts of
unintelligible sound.
Get your childs attention auditorily at first, then visually, and then by touch to encourage your child to attend to the speaker.
Assessments
Its time to take another look at your childs speech, spoken language and listening skills. He may be using spoken language,
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formal sign language or Cued Speech. He is becoming a little communicator. Naturally, you want to be sure that his skills are
developing well. Is his language appropriate? How clear is his speech? Are his listening skills developing? Information from
informal assessments at home and formal assessments by professionals will provide answers.
Informal assessments include observations and checklists that describe your childs current level of functioning in many areas of
learning. You can informally assess his language development at home while you and your child are playing and having fun
together. During this time, you will gather information that will be useful for school and therapy.
Your child may also have an audiologist, early intervention teacher and/or therapist. Along with you, these professionals are your
youngsters team. Remember, you are an important member of this team. You will provide information that only you know from
seeing your child at home. You know how he interacts with the family; plays with friends; shares jokes with Grandpa. The
information you have from these experiences and from your informal assessments will make you a strong part of your childs
educational and hearingcare team. There is a lot you can do with the information you have.
One of the most important pieces of information is your childs unaided and aided audiologic test results. These are among the
formal assessments that will be done on your child. If your child has an implant, you probably have results of tests done after each
mapping. On the Audiogram of Familiar Sounds you can plot your childs unaided and aided test results. You will have an
indication of the sounds to which your child has access. You will probably refer to this page frequently as you progress through
these lessons.
Remember, the informal assessments listed in this lesson are meant to be done at home while you and your child are playing
together. You add them to the formal test results that you will receive from the audiologist, therapists and teachers. There is a lot
of information to gather! Save records in a binder or an electronic file. You can organize them in many ways, such as by date,
therapy or service. Include your own observations, too. Keep adding information and watch your child progress.
A)LISTENING
Observe your child's reactions to sounds at home.
ListeningSkills
Since spoken language is best learned through the sense of hearing, during all his waking hours your child will need to wear his
hearing aids or cochlear implant. In addition to wearing hearing aids or a cochlear implant consistently, it is important that the
internal settings of your childs device are appropriate. If your childs hearing aids are set correctly and his listening skills are
developing, he will probably turn when you call his name. If calling his name does not get his attention, stop all action, wait for
him to look at you and then speak. It is very natural and easy to reach out and tap your little one. If possible, though, try to get his
attention by using your voice instead. You want to encourage him to listen. Also, speak to your child when you want to say
something, and not just to test him. We learn to listen and respond to our names when we are called for a reason. If you
constantly call just to test your child, he will stop responding because there is no significance to your voice.
Your child needs to learn about everything that makes sound. You can help him learn to listen by consistently drawing his
attention to sounds around you. Even if you suspect your child cannot hear a sound, call it to his attention. Clearly indicate the
source of the sound and talk to him about it. Tell him you hear it. This practice gives him information and builds his
understanding of his world.
Remember that awareness of certain sounds may be very difficult for your youngster. However, if you know that he can hear the
soft sound, you will want to continue to bring it to his attention. At first, the sounds he notices on his own might be very loud.
With practice, he will not only notice a variety of sounds, but also recognize them and attach meaning to them.
There is a lot of information to gather! Now its time to make a notebook to fill with information about your childs listening,
language and speech accomplishments. It will fill up quickly, so you will want a big threering binder. This is a perfect place to
keep information for easy reference. Youll need a set of dividers for your notebook, too, so you can keep your records organized
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and easy to use. While we will offer a suggestion for organizing the notebook, the final decision is yours. It will be your tool, and
so it must work for you for the benefit of your preschooler.
The first section in your notebook could be for audiologic evaluations. Collect all of them and put them in chronological order with
the latest test on top. Be sure to notice which tests were reliable and which were not. As you will find in these lessons, a good
audiologic evaluation is the basis for good amplification, and therefore the basis for the development of listening and spoken
language skills.
YourAssessmentofYourChild'sHearing:TheLingSixSounds
Each morning your child puts on his hearing aids or cochlear implant as part of his routine. As part of your daily routine, you can
do the Ling SixSound Test. You will find that this is a good time to play a little listening game together. After doing all the Ling
Sounds, you might take a minute to sing a little song or say, I love you to each other as you and your child begin the day.
To do the Ling SixSound Test, you will say each of the six sounds, and your child will indicate to you that he hears them. Naturally, you do not want your
child to see you making the sounds, so you can cover your mouth or stand behind him. His response may consist of clapping his hands, putting a small
object into a bucket, or imitating the sound. As you do this test, you will know what frequencies of speech your child is capable of hearing. And you will
also be aware of sounds he is not responding to because of a problem with his amplification or a change in his hearing. It doesnt matter what your child
does, or even that he imitates the sound. All he has to do is indicate that he heard you. And it is most important that this is a fun game that you and your
little one play together each morning.
The sounds you will say are:
Ahh (as in father)
Ooo (as in moon)
Eeee (as in key)
Shhh (as in shoe)
Ssss (as in sock)
Mmmm (as in mommy)
If youve never done this before, heres what you can do. Tomorrow morning, place yourself directly at eye level and in front of your youngster. Have six
objects and a container into which he will throw them. Tell him, When you hear the sound, put the block into the bucket. Then show him. Hold his hand
with the block, saying Ahhh loudly, and help him throw it into the container. Tell him, Good listening, You did it, or Good job. Try it again coacting
with him until you are sure he can do it. If you need some extra help, an older sibling or another adult can serve as a model and do the activity while your
child watches. When he can respond easily on his own, step behind him so you are sure he cannot see you making the sounds. After youve finished doing
all the Ling Six Sounds, praise your child. Tell your little one what a great job he did listening to you, for any response shows a good effort on his part.
As your preschooler becomes comfortable responding to the Ling sounds, you can increase the distance so that you know how far away you can be for him to
hear you. Also try saying them in a whisper.
The second section of your notebook might be informal assessments of your childs daily responses to the Ling Six Sounds. Your child should respond to
the same sounds each day. If he stops responding as he has in the past, you need to determine why. Are his hearing aids or cochlear implant working well?
Does he have a cold or is he congested? If you dont know why he is not responding, its time for a hearing test and a hearing aid or cochlear implant check
as soon as possible. A critical factor in spoken language development is consistent hearing levels.
HearingTests
Normal hearing tests have become a part of your life now. Since spoken language is learned through the sense of hearing, learning
to listen to language is critical. If your child wears hearing aids, he has been tested both with and without amplification every six
months. You should have received copies of his audiograms for your own records.
One of the most important pieces of information is your childs unaided and aided audiologic test results. These are among the
formal assessments that will be done on your child. If your child has an implant, you probably have results of tests done after each
mapping. Here you will find a Audiogram of Familiar Sounds. Using your childs test results, plot them on this page. You will have
an indication of the sounds to which your child has access. You will probably refer to this page frequently as you progress through
these lessons.
Now take a look at the chart below and notice where each of the Ling Six Sounds are located. As you can see, they represent a
sampling of speech sounds across the frequency range from low to highpitched sounds.
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Now look at your childs aided hearing levels. Are those levels close to the level of the Ling Sounds? In other words, if your little
ones aided response is 40 dB at 500 Hz, he should be responding to /u/ when you say the Ling Sounds. If his audiogram shows
aided hearing levels of 50 dB at 4000 Hz, he probably isnt responding to /s/ when you do the Ling Sounds. This is very important
information for you to have in helping him learn spoken language. If your youngsters aided audiogram indicates that he can
detect these sounds and he does not respond when you present them, your child may need more listening practice.
Now glance back over all the tests and compare the results. You want to be sure that there are no changes in hearing levels, and
that the hearing aids are always providing appropriate benefit. Take a minute now to make that comparison.
You might want to draw a big audiogram and plot your childs hearing levels from the last three tests with and without hearing
aids. Use different colors of ink or markers. Are there any changes? If there are, it will be important to make an appointment to go
over the tests with your audiologist. You and your childs audiologist will have an important working relationship over the years
and its essential to become comfortable in talking together now.
You have plotted your childs hearing levels on the Frequency Spectrum of Familiar Sounds and considered them when you did the
Ling SixSound Test. Now you will think about them again as you consider all the speech sounds on this chart. Are your childs
hearing levels between 40 and 45 dB in the low frequencies so he can hear the /u/ or /m/ sounds? What about the /ch/ in the
middle frequencies or /s/ in the high tones? If your childs hearing tests indicate that he can hear those sounds, is he able to
recognize them during natural interactions with you? Is he trying to produce them in his own speech? Keep in mind that your
childs beginning attempts may not be perfect.
If your child has a cochlear implant, he should also be checked every three to six months. Usually the audiologist will test him in a
soundproof booth. Its a good idea to keep copies of those tests along with each new map or program change in your notebook so
you can compare results each time he is tested. You might find that a map or program done two or three sessions ago provided
better results than the current one. Having that information on hand will be very helpful as you talk to your childs audiologist.
And dont forget: you are the most important member of your childs team! Talk to your audiologist about any differences you
observe in your childs responses to sound or about changes in his speech production. Ask questions and share your thoughts. The
more you are involved, the more your little one will benefit!
B)LANGUAGE
Identify the words your child understands and uses.
Whatlanguagedoesyourchildunderstand?
Just like hearing children, your child will begin to understand language before using it spontaneously. Your preschooler may be
able to understand some words and phrases now. Perhaps he knows the names of family members. Maybe he knows what you
mean when you say, Time for bed or Byebye. He may even understand some simple, oftenused sentences. This is an exciting
time, for the language that he understands is the language that he will soon begin to use spontaneously. So, this is the time to
begin a list of your childs Receptive Languagethe language he understands without additional hints such as pointing, using
gestures or any other clues.
Lets look at an example. Perhaps you tell your child, Go get your shoes as you point to his shoes in the hall. Maybe he will
follow your direction. However, you dont know if he understands your words or if he is responding to your gesture. If you
eliminate any gesture and he responds appropriately, shoe is a word you can put on his list of Receptive Language. If he
doesnt respond by getting his shoes, you know he does not yet have an understanding of the word.
Here is another example. You are fixing dinner and you hear the car drive into the garage. Looking up from your work and
making no gestures, you say to your child, Daddys home. Does your child run to the door to greet Daddy? If he does, you know
that he has the receptive language to understand and to act on what you have said. Daddy can be added to his Receptive
Language list.
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No matter how much or how little receptive language your child has, this is the time to begin a record of it. Remember, you are
going to be meeting with teachers, audiologists and speech therapists as you plan these preschool years. They will have results
from formal evaluations, but only you will have this information.
AssessingReceptiveLanguage:EvidenceGaining
In terms of language acquisition, evidence is a reliable demonstration of the understanding of language alone. Evidence of your
childs receptive language is gained when he responds to the word or phrase you have said with no visual cues. Here is an
example. You are putting dishes away in the kitchen and you say to your child, Were going to the store. Go get your shoes. You
are giving no cues along with your words to help him understand. If he gets his shoes, you have evidence that he understood
you.
Evidence gaining is an ongoing process and it is not done during any special time. Every day, as you speak to your child, you are
gathering evidence of what he understands. At first, it might just be his name or short phrases such as, Byebye. Gradually,
however, the phrases will become longer until he might be able to respond to a sentence such as, Take the paper to Grandpa or
Where is your yellow truck?
Sometimes you might wonder if he really understood your words or possibly just happened to do what you asked. Thats when you
will want to look for another occasion to say the same word, phrase or sentence. If he responds again, you have evidence. You
might want to write it in your notebook immediately. You dont want to forget any of these responses. Its a good idea to date
your entry, too. All of this information guides your work with your youngster.
As you are busy gaining evidence, be sure that your child is not feeling tested. Also be sure that there is a logical followup to
what you ask of him. In other words, dont say, Were going to the store if you are not really going. Dont say, Byebye just to
test him. As we all know, when a child feels that he is being tested or feels that you do not mean what you are saying, he will soon
begin to ignore you.
EvidenceGainingforTotalCommunication
If your child uses Total Communication, it is also very important to gain evidence of his understanding. This will be done in exactly
the same manner as for a child who is using spoken language alone, except both sign and speech will be used together. Again, it
is important that no cues are used except for the sign and the word or sentence. If you are using Total Communication, you are
looking for a response to your languageformal signs or speech or in combination. You may want to keep a record of the words
and phrases that your child knows in signs, and words and phrases your child knows through spoken language alone.
Its time to bring out your notebook. A new tab could be Receptive Language: Evidence Gaining. As you review your observations
from time to time, you will have direction for teaching new language to your preschooler.
ExpressiveLanguage:Whatdoesyourchildsay?
Your little one has heard you say, Byebye many, many times. Gradually he began to understand the meaning behind your words
and you happily recorded this in your section on evidence. Now your child spontaneously says, Buh buh while waving goodbye.
He is using expressive language.
His speech may not be clear, but when he uses those words consistently to express his thoughts, feelings or intents, they are
language. Remember that all children, with or without a hearing loss, do not usually pronounce their first words clearly.
Your childs language will consist of oneword utterances at first (for example, shoe). After he can spontaneously say 50100
words, he may attempt to produce some little sentences such as shoe off. When your child has acquired more new words, you will
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begin to hear threeword sentences like Daddy shoe off. Keep in mind that everyone may not understand these little sentences.
Remember, most hearing children are not understood by unfamiliar listeners when they first begin to talk. Every expression of new
language is cause for celebration as you watch your child grow in his ability to communicate with you. And, naturally, you want to
record as many of these expressions as possible.
C)SPEECH
Ju might mean juice. My ba might mean my ball. Your child has language that you have carefully recorded. Now its time to
listen to his speech. Are you able to understand him? Can others understand?
Language is what we express by the use of spoken words, signs or even writing. Speech is how we pronounce our spoken
language. We are not born knowing a language system, nor are we born able to make all speech sounds in our familys home
language. English has over 40 distinct speech sounds. Remember that hearing children need to learn to produce the sounds of
language over many years. Your childs language skills will develop in exactly the same way but perhaps with some delay. Request
our paper Stages of Speech and Language Development for more information.
Speech is made up of a wide variety of sounds that we combine in endless ways to use with meaning. Every language has a
combination of vowels and consonants. In addition, three ways in which speech sounds differ from each other are: duration,
intensity and pitch.
InformalSpeechAssessments
Earlier in this lesson, you were asked to plot your childs aided responses on the Frequency Spectrum of Familiar Sounds. If he is
not detecting speech sounds, it is important that you contact your audiologist or hearing professional to determine what
adjustments can be made to improve hearing levels. If those adjustments to hearing aids still will not bring your child into the
speech range, you might want to investigate other options.
Now, go back to the list of your childs vocabulary (expressive language). What speech sounds can he make? Do they reflect his
hearing level? Does he use a loud and a soft voice? Can he vary his pitch? In other words, can he use a singsong voice? Also,
can he vary the duration of speech sounds, such as ooooohhh and pop, pop, pop? Listen closely, for this will be very important
information to share with your childs therapist and teachers. Here are some easy things for you to listen for:
Duration
Duration is the length of time a sound is used in speech. In general, vowel sounds are used for a longer amount of time. They are
also lower in frequency (Hz) and louder (dB). Because vowels are lower and louder, they are the easiest for a child who has a
hearing loss both to hear and to produce. Consonant sounds are generally higher in frequency, softer in intensity and shorter in
duration. As a result, the less residual hearing a child has, the harder it is to distinguish between the consonants.
Intensity
Intensity, or loudness, is the second way in which speech sounds differ from each other. Say the vowel sound /o/ as loudly as you
can. Then say the consonant sound /th/. Didnt you find that you were able to say /o/ much louder? Now, look again at the
Frequency Spectrum of Familiar Sounds. As you can see, the vowel sounds are louder (between 40 and 50 dB) and some of the
consonants are much softer.
Pitch
We usually say that a sound is high or low pitched. For example, a birds chirping is a highpitched sound. Thunder is a low
pitched sound. Speech sounds are also high and low pitched. Many vowel sounds like /oh/ and /u/ are low pitched. You will see
them on the Frequency Spectrum of Familiar Sounds in the area of 500 Hz. Many of the consonant sounds are high pitched, such
as /s/ or /th/. If you look on the Frequency Spectrum of Familiar Sounds, you will find them between 4000 and 8000 Hz.
Duration, Intensity and Pitch also help convey information as we communicate with one another through spoken language. A rising
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pitch or intonation can help convey the idea that someone is asking a question. A soft, low voice tells people that you are sharing
something sad or serious. A quick, high voice can let someone know that you are excited or anxious.
Perhaps you are thinking of your little ones aided audiogram while you read this. Is he able to produce those loud, lowfrequency,
vowel sounds? What about some of the midfrequency and highfrequency speech sounds? Knowing what your child can hear is
very helpful in understanding what sounds he will most easily produce. It will be easier and faster for your child to acquire speech
skills if he is learning to listen with his hearing aids or cochlear implant.
SpeechTherapy:FormalandInformal
Not all children with a hearing loss need to receive formal speech/language therapy. The need for participation in formal, oneon
one sessions with a therapist will depend upon your childs needs as he develops his spoken language system. You may feel that
your child ought to begin formal work with a speech/language therapist as young as possible. Until your child is ready, formal
speech/language therapy may not be very beneficial. At a younger age, children learn exclusively through informal means.
Your child will learn by listening to you, his parents, as you talk casually and abundantly to him in everyday conversation. And,
listening should be fun. A therapist can be very helpful to you and your very young child in modeling some listening and language
learning games for you to use with your child at home during natural interactions.
When your little one is ready, you may want to look for a qualified therapist. This means a person who has been trained to work
with young children who have a hearing loss.
Your therapist may want to do some formal assessments or tests to determine your childs spoken or sign language level and
which speech sounds your child produces. When you have a copy of your childs assessment results, please send them along as
you report on your Correspondence Course lessons.
The purpose of assessments is to determine your childs ongoing speech and language development over time. You are with your
child more than anyone else and therefore you provide the language that he will learn. Even if a therapist or teacher is seeing him
each week, you have the main responsibility for your childs communication skills. Be consistent, then, in your informal
assessments of your preschooler by doing the Ling SixSound Test and Evidence Gaining on a regular basis.
And now, make another section in your notebook. If you dont have any of these reports yet, you will be receiving them. Formal
assessment results are important, too. Now you will have them all in one place.
VIDEOCLIP&IDEASFOREXTRALEARNING
View brief video clip celebrating the progress of JTC preschooler enjoying listening fun with a parent.
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View a video clip from an individual speech language session involving Ling Six discrimination
The games and activities that follow the lessons can be included in your daily activities. These activities are opportunities for
building your childs language. These games are for you, the parent. THEY ARE NOT TESTS FOR YOUR CHILD. Your child cannot
fail; YOU cannot fail. The purpose of the games is to suggest ways for you to involve your child in communicating with you, and to
give you examples of how to talk to your child.
Talking to your child sets the foundation for his language learning. Once you learned your child had a hearing loss, you may have stopped talkingor
changed the way you talkedto your child. However, it is even more important for you to talk to your childto talk to him naturally and surround him with
language. You may not get any response at first. Dont become discouraged! Every time you talk to your child, you are giving him language he needs.
Remember, it takes many repetitions of words for your child to understand and learn language.
Each Game Has a Purpose
Every activity in the lesson has a definite purpose. For children just beginning to develop language, the purpose of the games is mainly to encourage your
child to listen and understand some of the words that you say. This is the focus especially in the early lessons.
Your Childs Attention Span
Your child, like most young children, may not be able to sit for more than a few minutes at a time, depending on how interested he is in what he is doing.
Make the game period short and fun, keep it lively and end it before he loses interest. Try not to become too discouraged if you get little or no cooperation
in the beginning. You cannot expect much at first.
You will find you can lengthen the activities little by little as your youngsters interest and attention span grow. His interest will determine how long you can
spend on the games. Eventually he will come to look forward to this special time with you, and he will discover that learning can be fun.
DifferentStagesofLearning
Abilities of children differ greatly, especially at different ages. These lessons are written for parents of young children who have a
hearing loss. The games must work for a wide range of physical skills and language development stages. Your child is an
individual. You need to work at the stage where your child is right now.
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The games have variations for children at the beginning stages of language development as well as different levels of physical
readiness. Begin with the basic game. As your child learns the language of the game and learns what is expected of him, you can
try some of the Variations. When he is ready, introduce the suggestions under Advanced Language and Skills.
How to Begin
You may find that your child likes some of the games and activities and does not respond much to others. Dont become
discouraged if your child tires easily or shows little interest in particular activities. Rotate the games and activities to give more
variety. You can return again and again to those games and activities your child likes.
Your child may not be accustomed to giving you his attention. It takes time and repetition for him to learn that you expect him to
listen. Begin by trying a game or activity just one or two times. Try the game again another time, and you may get more response
as your child begins to understand what you want him to do.
Read through the outlines of the games and activities in this lesson. Choose one that seems easiest to fit into your daily schedule.
Decide what materials you will use. Think about when and where you and your child will play the game. You need to plan ahead
so you can naturally include these games and activities during the day. Planning and preparing ahead of time will make the activity
more enjoyable for you and your child.
Depending on your childs age and stage of development, introduce one or more new games each week.
LISTENING:EnvironmentalSounds
Purpose of the Game:
To expose your child to sounds which occur everyday
What You Need:
Vacuum cleaner, blender or another noisy appliance
When to Play:
Anytime you are with your child and you are going to use the appliance
What to Do:
1. Show your child the appliance you will be using and say, Time to vacuum. Lets turn on the vacuum. Have your child near you
as you turn on the vacuum cleaner (or other appliance). As soon as you turn it on, your child will probably look at you and you can
say something about the sound. Point to your ear and say, I hear that!
2. Talk about the sound of the vacuum cleaner and what he hears. You can say things such as:
Its loud!
Do you hear it?
I hear it!
3. Turn off the vacuum cleaner and talk about the lack of sound, using the language that naturally comes to mind. You might say:
I dont hear anything.
What happened?
Its off.
4. Turn the vacuum cleaner back on and again point out the sound. Repeat this activity a few times, as long as your child is interested. You might let him
help you vacuum for a minute. Keep encouraging him to listen to the sound.
Variations:
You can do this activity with a variety of household items. Any appliance that makes sounda hair dryer, washer, dryer or radiocan be used. In fact, any
object in your childs environment that makes noise can be used to help your child become more aware of environmental sounds.
As your childs listening skills develop, wait for his reaction to a sound before showing him the object.
LANGUAGE:GettingDressed
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Purpose:
To begin to learn the language associated with dressing
What You Need:
Your childs clothing
When to Play:
Anytime your child is getting dressed (or undressed) in the morning, after bath, before bed or when getting ready to go outside.
Even when you must hurry, your natural conversation is very important.
What to Do:
1. Get your childs clothing and hearing aids or cochlear implant together in one place. Take a minute to think about what you
would normally say to your child while getting him dressed.
2. Put on your childs hearing aid or cochlear implant so he will have the benefit of amplification throughout the dressing
process. Use natural language like:
Put your hearing aids on.
Lets get dressed.
3. Now put your childs shirt on him. Remember to talk about it before putting it on, while you are putting it on, and after it is on. You can say things like:
Heres your white shirt.
Lets button your shirt.
4. After you have finished putting your childs shirt on him, pause and say something about it again. You might say:
You put on your shirt.
What a pretty shirt.
5. Select another article of clothing and have a conversation as you did with your childs shirt: before putting it on, while you are putting it on and after it
is on. This will take practice and repetition for both you and your child.
Here are your red shorts.
Lets put on your socks. The socks are white. One, two! On they go.
You need a sweater. Heres a blue sweater. Put your arm in.
6. When time allows, encourage your child to help dress himself as much as he can. Talk to him as he does so and praise him for his efforts.
Variations:
1. Make a Book of Clothing. Cut out pictures of clothing and paste them in a book. Look at it with your child. Use the names of the pieces of clothing.
Talk about the color. Is it big or small? Do you wear it in the snow? Rain? At the beach?
2. Point to and talk about articles of clothing while reading a book or playing with a puzzle.
3. Dress a doll or a stuffed toy with your child. Talk about each piece of clothing you put on the doll or toy.
If Your Child Is Ready: Advanced Language and Skills
1. Have two appropriate articles of clothing: two shirts or two pairs of socks. Allow your child to choose which one he wants. Here is a sample
conversation you might have with your child:
Which shirt do you want? (Hold up two shirtsboth of which are acceptable to you.)
Do you want the blue shirt or do you want the red shirt? (Your child makes the choice. Encourage his use of language!)
You want the red shirt.
Initially you may be both asking the questions and providing the answers, especially in the beginning, until your child learns to respond. When your child
doesnt understand or just doesnt want to choose, make the choice for him. If your child has the expressive language, encourage him to answer your
questions.
At first let him choose between only two articles of clothing, such as his shirt and his pants. Have them out where he can see them. As he becomes
competent in doing this, you can gradually increase the number of choices.
2. If you think your child is beginning to understand the names of two pieces of his clothing, let him use this knowledge by pausing after posing a
question, such as:
Where is your shirt?
If he shows that he understands, you can encourage him by saying something such as:
Get your shirt.
Yes, thats your shirt.
3. After you have talked to your child for a while during dressing, forget an article of clothing, perhaps socks.
Ask:
What do you need? Look puzzled.
See if your child indicates socks. He may do this by pointing to his shoes and shaking his head, or glancing to where he knows his socks are kept.
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Encourage him to get them. Help him if needed. Say:

Mommy forgot your socks.
Get your socks.
If your youngster is using expressive language, he may respond by answering your question. Keeping in mind that his attempt may be an approximation,
offer praise and model the word pronounced correctly and used in a short and simple sentence. The conversation may go something like this:
What do you need?
Ock!
Right! You need your socks. Get your socks!
4. Begin to ask your child questions without showing him articles of clothing; for example, What do you want to wear today? If he does not understand,
you can ask questions such as, What do you want to wear, pants or shorts? Do you want the blue or the grey sweater? If he does not understand you, show
him the clothes and repeat the question.
SPEECH:LearningtoVocalize
To help your child learn that his vocalizations can make something happen and to encourage your childs spontaneous
vocalizations
What You Need:
Three or four small toy animals
A toy barn or
A cardboard box, such as a shoebox, with an opening in it for a door
What to Do:
1. Sit beside your child, with the box slightly to one side between you. Bring out one of the toy animals. Use language such as:
Heres the rabbit.
He wants to hop.
Ill put him in the barn.
Lets go, rabbit!
2. Put the animal down a foot or two away from the barn and hold it there. When you have your childs attention, say Hop, hop, hop, moving the bunny
each time you say hop. Continue making the sound as long as the animal is moving.
3. Model this with each animal as you walk, jump or run them one by one into the barn. For variety, change the speed or rhythm of your vocalizing. For
example, say a single short HOP, moving an animal a short distance at the same time. Suddenly stop moving and vocalizing, and pause for a second, then
proceed as before. Speed up and quickly produce two or three HOPs. Move the animal for each sound. Children love the suspense of a pause and will
sometimes spontaneously vocalize to help the animal move. If your child does this, have the animal move in imitation of your childs vocalizing: fast, slow,
stopping, continuous, briefly, etc. Praise him! Let him know that you think his vocalizing is very important.
4. Retrieve the animals from the barn and tell your child its his turn. Say, Its your turn. You help the animals move. Heres a cow.
5. Take an animal as before, hold it in position and look expectantly toward your child. Do not move the animal unless he vocalizes.
6. If your child does not vocalize at first, continue to hold the animal waiting in position and say, I dont hear you. If your child still does not vocalize,
model it for him again, moving the animal as before.
7. It may require several days of similar activities before your child begins using his voice this way. But all the while, he is watching and listening and
absorbing information.
Variations:
1. If your child enjoys playing with blocks, you can build a tower, stacking one block on top of another each time he says Up or Up, up, up. Or, you can
line several stacks of two or three blocks in front of him. Knock them over one at a time each time he says Down!
2. If your child has a voiceactivated toy (one that lights up or moves when somebody vocalizes), your child can play by himself and receive immediate
reward for using his voice. You might find one of these toys in a large toy store or an electronic store.
3. Let your child have a turn moving the animal or puppet along as you use your voice. This change will help your child learn more about turntaking.
1. If your child has some expressive language vocabulary such as Move, Hot, Run, Walk, Go, etc., have him give you the commands as you move the
animal.
2. As your child begins to realize that vocalizations are purposeful, expect him to vocalize on certain occasions throughout the day. For example, if he
wants some juice and leads you to the refrigerator, wait before you pour the juice. Look at him expectantly. If he doesnt vocalize, ask What do you want? If
he still does not vocalize, give him the language: You want some juice.
AThinkingActivity:Goop!
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Purpose of the Activity:

To help your child understand changes in texture when materials are combined
To learn the language of textures
To encourage language as you and your child make Goop!
What You Need:
Cornstarch
Water
Waterbased paint
A small tray with sides (Styrofoam meat trays work well)
A brown grocery bag cut open to a flat piece of paper, or any other large piece of paper.
What to Do:
1. Place a small amount of cornstarch on the tray. Ask your child, What will happen when we add water? Then add the colored water until the cornstarch
becomes slightly thick. Ask your child, What happened?
2. Now play with the goop, talking about the different changes as it becomes more liquid in the warmth of your hands.
3. Use language such as sticky and wet. This is a chance to use lots of adjectives!
4. Make handprint designs on the brown paper as you talk about what you are doing.
5. Display the artwork so you and your preschooler can continue to talk about Goop fun.
Variations:
What else can you find in your home that changes texture? You can experiment with ice cream or jello.
E)SUMMARY
Use ongoing informal assessment to measure your child's learning.
LinkstoMore
Look here for additional ideas and information.
Language Samples
Speech and Hearing Milestones
GototheNextLesson
YES! You have completed readingLesson 1: Informal Assessment. Now try some ideas with your child. Consider sharing
questions and successes using theyellow box on any page. Your changing concerns and your childs increasing skills will be
saved in reports Ive sent. You can use these forms to show service providers or family and celebrate progress together. Then
proceed to Lesson 2: Reinforcing Behaviorso this course becomes an individualized guideor go back to thePreschool Course
contentto select another module.
To contact JTC use the yellow report/comment box on every page, upload a document to your enrollment form,
emailpals@jtc.orgor call2137485481.
Lesson2:ReinforcingBehavior
DefinitionofLanguage
Lets begin by reviewing what was covered in Lesson One.
Language can be defined as the formal method by which we communicate our ideas, thoughts and feelings. When you
communicate using language, it can be written, spoken or signed. Speech is an audible way of expressing language.
Lets look at an example of speech and language. Like most young preschool children, your little one probably loves to play with a
ball. Your child must first learn to understand the word ball before she learns to say or sign it spontaneously. If you say and
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sign, Go get the ball, she might immediately look for it. She understands the language you are using as you tell her to get the
ball. Later, she will attempt to express the word by saying or signing it.
At first your childs spontaneous spoken language attempts may sound like ba or bbb. Even though she is not saying the
word clearly, she still knows and understands ball and she knows the language used to name it. You will know what she means
by her speech sounds. Both you and your child understand the word even though her speech may not be clear. Her receptive
language (understanding the meaning of words) will develop before her speech skills (her ability to say words spontaneously and
clearly) catch up.
A)LISTENING
Notice your child's responses to spoken language.
Whenwillmychildtalk?
A child with normal hearing listens to spoken language for nearly a year before she expresses her first words. Your preschool
child with a hearing loss also needs to listen to language for many, many months before you can expect her to understand
and use spoken language. In order to be in touch with the sounds of language, she needs appropriate amplification. This
is why it is important that your child have access to the sounds of the human voice through hearing aids or a cochlear implant as
soon as possible.
If your youngster is not wearing aids or her implant during all her waking hours, this is your first goal. When your child jumps out
of bed in the morning, greet her with a kiss and her hearing aids or speech processor! While she is awake, she should always be in
a world of sound. The only time during the day that her amplification should be removed is when she takes a nap or when she is
involved in water play.
Even if your little one is wearing her amplification all day, there are still many factors that contribute to how soon she will begin to
talk. The first of these is the extent of the hearing loss. Does your child have a profound loss, or is it moderate in degree? The
next factor to consider is the use of amplification. At what age did your child receive her hearing aids or implant and so begin to
learn to listen? What does she hear with her amplification? Remember that with each child, responses to sound are different.
When did sound become meaningful to her? And an equally important factor is the amount of consistent language stimulation
provided by you. Have you been talking, talking, talking to your child? Think seriously about the extent of your childs hearing
loss, when she was aided, and how much consistent exposure to spoken language she has. Your thoughts will help you better
understand your childs current level of language and speech development.
B)LANGUAGE
Learn about the different communication options.
YourRoleasParents
Young children learn best informally, which is why it is important to talk about your youngsters interests during your daily
routines. If your conversation is about what interests her, your child is more apt to attend to what you are telling her. Take time,
then, to observe your child to see what she likes to do, what intrigues her, and what she is curious about. Look and listen to the
world through your childs eyes and ears. She lives in the presentthe here and now. Try to see and hear things the way she
does. Her world is full of wonders and new things to explore. It is all right there before her.
Your little ones world is continually exciting because it is filled with discovery. These are the times you want to capture as you talk
to your preschooler. Your little one will benefit much more from talking about these moments and her discoveries than from hours
of formal language lessons. We acquire language during daily routines and through interesting and meaningful communication.
Talking frequently to your preschooler will soon become very natural to you. Dont forgetyou are quite a bit taller than she
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is. You will find that getting down to your childs eye and ear level will bring your voice closer to her. If you are standing, you will
have to use a deepknee bend. Do not bend from the waist. When you do, your face is at an angle and she does not see or hear
you clearly. If your child is playing on the floor, sit on the floor with her. At mealtimes, sit at the table, so you are close to her
hearing aid or cochlear implant. This will allow the acoustic stimulus of your voice to be perceived by the brain in a direct and
clear manner. This is important for central auditory development.
You already know that the first words your child learns will probably be words to name objects and people and words associated
with actions. Words like up, no, more, byebye, cookie, car, Mommy, Daddy, down, fall, drink are common in vocabularies of
young children. You can help your child learn names of things by naming them for her. During mealtime, for example, talk about
this experience:
Mmmm, youre eating your cereal.
Uhoh! The milk spilled.
We need to get a spoon. Lets find the spoon.
Youre all finished. No more.
Talk about the actions you do such as pouring, stirring and cooking. Use phrases and sentences, such as:
Daddys pouring the water.
Youre helping! Youre stirring the pudding.
Im cooking carrots.
You will be repeating the same phrases and words over and over with your child, and this is exactly what you want to do. She
needs many opportunities to hear words through her hearing aids or cochlear implant before she will learn to recognize them.
Only you can provide this necessary repetition during natural, conversational interactions with your child.
Now you know the importance of talking and how to talk to your little one. But conversation goes two ways, and your preschooler
has a lot she wants to tell you. You will have to work hard as a listener because her communication skills are just developing. The
more effort you put into listening, the greater effort she will put into communicating. Remember how difficult it is for her. Help
her by being an active listener to all her attempts to communicate.
Often parents ask whether their child can learn spoken language by watching television or listening to the radio. Normalhearing
preschoolers learn language during their daytoday, interactive routines with parents and caregivers. While they do pick up some
language from childrens shows in which words are repeated often, these programs do not provide the necessary environment for
language development. In addition, a child with a hearing loss generally does not hear clearly enough, even with amplification, to
learn easily from a childs television show. Her learning will come from you as you talk to her about your daily routines, about her
toys and about everything that interests her. Language is best learned through interactive conversations with family and friends.
Children learn through the description of life given by their parents.
Now is a good time to stop and reflect for a few minutes about your childs language skills. Get your notebook and review her
receptive and expressive vocabulary lists. Can you add any new words?
CommunicationOptions
Naturally you want your child to develop the best communication skills possible. To do that, you will want to explore the various
modes of communication available to you. These might include: AuditoryOral, AuditoryVerbal, Total Communication, Cued
Speech and Sign Language of the Deaf Community. Lets briefly look at each of these.
A. If you choose the AuditoryVerbal approach to communication, your little one will learn spoken language exclusively through
the sense of hearing. You and your child will meet regularly with a Certified AuditoryVerbal Therapist (an LSLSAVT) You will be a
very important part of your childs therapy because the therapist will teach you techniques and strategies to create an auditory
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environment at home. When your child is ready for school, she will be in a classroom with hearing children. AuditoryVerbal
therapy will continue as she develops her listening and spoken language skills. Audiologic management and amplification
technology will be important, since it is through the very best amplification that your daughter will learn to communicate.
B. Like the AuditoryVerbal approach, AuditoryOral communication uses residual hearing as the basis for understanding and
developing spoken language. You and your child will also receive speech/language therapy and use spoken language in school.
She may attend a school or classroom with other children who have a hearing loss. A specially trained teacher may teach her on a
fulltime basis. She may attend this class parttime or she may be mainstreamed for some or all of her classes. In this
communication option, speechreading is accepted as part of the learning strategy.
C. If you use Cued Speech with your preschooler, you are learning formal, specific hand shapes that represent the consonant and
vowel sounds (not the letters) of your spoken language. These hand shapes are placed in different locations near the mouth and
throat, and they are presented along with spoken language to aid your child with her speechreading or lipreading. The Cues
themselves do not convey meaning. They represent the sounds of spoken language. Your child may attend a special class with
other children who have a hearing loss and a teacher who cues. Or she may be mainstreamed with a Cued Speech transliterator.
To learn this formal system, your family will need to learn Cued Speech in special classes or with a special teacher.
D. Total Communication is an approach that uses both signs and speech. In Englishspeaking countries, this may include a
formal system such as Signing Exact English, or using signs for many words while speaking. With older children and adults,
fingerspelling may be used, too. The goal of Total Communication is to give a child communication access through vision and
hearing. If this is the approach you choose, your preschooler should learn total communication both at home and at school.
Parents will want to ask staff how they provide Total Communication because sometimes it can be vary from program to program.
Families can learn Total Communication through classes and from deaf adults so they can use this approach fluently with their
child.
E. Sign language usually refers to the language used by the Deaf Community in that country. Countries each have their own sign
language, such as British or Spanish Sign Language. In the United States the language used is American Sign Language (ASL). ASL
is a full language with its own grammar, syntax and sentence structure and is not spoken. ASL and spoken English are not used
simultaneously. A child who learns ASL first will learn English later to use for reading and writing. If you have chosen the Sign
Language option, your child should use that language at home and at school. Families can learn sign language through classes
and from Deaf adults. Parents need to become fluent in sign to communicate fully with their children and support their language
acquisition.
MakingADecision
You will want to consider some important factors when making the decision about which method you will use with your child. One
of the most important factors is your childs needs and abilities. As you learn more about your child, you will see that one
method of communication is best for your child and your family.
Something else to consider is the availability of the communication mode in your community. Is it used in the school system? Are
there classes to help parents and other family members? While you are thinking about what option you want to choose for your
child, you will want to visit different schools and watch the classrooms. You will also want to meet adults who are deaf and who use
each method. It is important to be aware that many people with a hearing loss have learned spoken language.
Possibly a friend, another parent or community organizations will help you gather this information. However, you must make the
final decision, for you know your preschooler best. Whatever you decide, give it a 100 percent commitment! But remember, no
decision must be final and absolute. Later, if you feel that you need to make a change, you can, depending on your childs
chronological and hearing age. There are methods, such as oral communication, that are dependent on development during the
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critical period of a childs early years.
C)SPEECH
Your little one may have spontaneous spoken words in her vocabulary now. You want her to develop clear, intelligible speech, too.
Like any other child, there are specific developmental steps she must follow to develop her speech skills. First, she must absorb
spoken language by listening to you. At the same time, she must experiment with making sounds herself.
A hearing baby continues to refine her sounds because she loves the sounds she makes. This is why it is so important that your
child wear her hearing aids or cochlear implant during all her waking hours. When your child hears herself and when she is
encouraged by your attention and response to her voice, she will be motivated to continue to vocalize.
It is important for your preschooler to enjoy making speech sounds by babbling, jabbering or making sounds while she plays. She
will begin to listen to herself and increase the amount and variety of her vocalizations over time. Vocalizing and babbling are part
of the process of speech development! If your child babbles, encourage her to continue to use her voice by smiling and saying, I
hear you. What a nice voice you have. Imitate her sounds or offer appropriate language for the situation. For example, you might
respond, Ball! You want to play ball.
The next step is for your child to NEED to talk to you. Because you know her so well, you can probably meet many of your
youngsters needs and desires without her even asking. For example, serving fruit, you may not need to ask her, What do you
want? Do you want a banana or an apple? However, she needs you to ask her. When you do, she has this important opportunity
to use her voice to communicate. Her speech may not be clear, but her message will be unmistakable. You then respond with
appropriate words and actions to provide the reward for her efforts. For example, your child may tell you, Baa. As you hand
her a piece of fruit, you will provide a speech and language model: You want a banana.
Your response to your childs first attempts at speech is critical. Now is the time to encourage her to keep talkingno matter how
it sounds. Later you can help her improve how she says it. Your first and most important role is providing your good speech as
her model. As you encourage her to use her voice meaningfully, your expectations will continue to help her progress.
But remember, your preschoolers speech development will reflect her aided hearing levels. If she is able to hear her own voice,
she will begin to vocalize. By hearing your voice, she will attempt to imitate the sounds of spoken language, first in babbling and
jargon. Eventually she will attempt to use words she understands. The more speech sounds she can detect and discriminate, the
clearer her speech will be.
The quality of your childs speech and the time it takes to develop will depend on many factors. Among these are:
1. How much residual hearing she has
2. How early her hearing loss was diagnosed
3. How soon she received appropriate amplification
4. Whether she is wearing her amplification during all waking hours
5. How soon she receives special help to acquire communication skills
6. If there are other conditions which may slow spoken language development
7. How much linguistic stimulation you and the rest of the family provide during everyday experiences.
Behavior
StartwithRespectandaLovingRelationship
Like anything that grows, children grow from the roots up. The roots must be firmly planted in good soil: a warm and loving
relationship based on mutual respect. Your child is more likely to accept the limits you set for her if you recognize her as a person
with her own needs and rights. She will test the limits on occasion because this is how she learns. If you treat her with fairness,
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she will probably respond, in time, with respect for your authority.
BetweenYouandYourChild
The relationship that you build between you and your child is the foundation of good discipline. It is how you feel about yourself
and your child that tells you how to help her learn the things she must learn. It is knowing yourself and what you expect from your
child that gives you the strength to say No or Yes. It is recognizing her childlike nature, her curiosity, her need to test her new
found independence, and her desire to love and be loved that will put discipline in its proper place in the scheme of things.
Sometimes an orderly daily routinea kind of builtin disciplinewill eliminate many conflicts. Flexibility and at least some
childproof areas will help. But underneath all discipline, no matter how it is carried out, must be a foundation of genuine love.
FreedomwithinLimits
It is easier to set reasonable limits if you remember your childs need for freedom to explore, to learn, and to discover. Be careful
not to expect the unreasonable, nor to establish rules solely for your convenience. Naturally, adults need to be considered. But
the rights of children to play freely without too much adult interference and to learn by doing things themselves must be
recognized. Expect children to have their own way of looking at things and to have their own feelings. Then make an effort to
help them find satisfactory and acceptable ways of expressing them.
When you decide on rules or limits, believe in them. Have a good reason for establishing a rule. Its purpose should be to help a
child learn what she can or cannot do. Do not set limits for their own sake. There will be enough times when you must say, No,
Dont, Not now, or Not here, because something is not safe, because it is inappropriate, or because it infringes on the rights
of others. When you have faith in the necessity and fairness of a rule or limit and in your ability to set it and see it through, you
will be able to say No with confidence. Then you will be comfortable about helping your child accept it.
ChildproofingYourHouse
How can you comfortably allow your child the freedom and flexibility to play without too many restrictions? Try to make your
house as childproof as possible. While your child is still a toddler, remove breakables or fragile items. Closing doors to certain
rooms that are offlimitssuch as siblings rooms, your own room and bathroomsmay help avoid unhappy moments. Some
parents have found that expandable gates can help close off areas. What you need is to have an environment in which your child
can actively do many thingsinteracting with and exploring her surroundingswithout worrying constantly. This is important, not
only for safety reasons, but also to reduce the number of times you must say no. Your child wants to explore her environment
and she wants to please you. If your house is set up to allow her to explore, she can more easily do both.
IndoorPlayAreas
You may want to set aside certain areas that are especially designed for your childs play. If she wants to paint, for example, you
could set up an area where she can paint freely, and where it wont matter if some of the paint or water spills. Even at the age of
two or three, a child can learn that she can play with water or paint in one part of the house, but never in another. Given the
freedom to do what she wants in a particular area, she need not try constantly to do it elsewhere.
Routines:StructuringtheDay
It may make things easier for everyone in your family if you simplify the procedures and routines that structure your childs day.
Make mealtime, naptime, cleanup time, and bedtime into routines and keep them as consistent as possible. Consistency is the
key to good behavior and discipline. Its important not to be rigid, however, in a routine. Flexibility is always necessary since
there are often changes in our schedules. Set a few clear and definite rules, with as little need for additional instruction as
possible. The fewer Donts and Nos, the better. If your child knows what to expect and what is expected of her, you wont
have to tell her constantly what to do.
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Make transitions smooth by preparing your child for changes. Alert her shortly before one activity is to end and another begins. If
it is lunchtime, for example, let your child know several minutes ahead of time that she will have to stop playing soon. You might
show her a picture of the dining table so she understands that it will soon be time to eat. She will more readily accept stopping
what she is doing if she has had some warning. Setting a cooking timer might help prepare her for the change.
LookatYourSchedule
Take a careful look at your day and see if there are specific times when your childs behavior is difficult to handle. Sometimes
rearranging your schedule can eliminate these trouble spots. There may be times of the day when either you or your child is more
likely to feel pressured and become irritable.
If both parents work, and especially if your child must be taken to a sitter, mornings can be hectic. Doing as much as possible the
night before can help make the morning rush more tolerable. You can pack your childs things and even put them in the car, have
clothes laid out and ready for the morning, and set the breakfast table the night before. Even getting up a few minutes earlier may
help. Look at your day. Find the trouble spots. Try to reduce them.
TakingYourChildShoppingandonErrands
Part of your daily routine often will include taking your child with you on errands. If you are taking your child shopping or taking
her with you on other errands, there are ways to reduce possible behavior problems so the experience is more enjoyable for both
of you. Before you leave, take a minute to explain to your childwith words and perhaps with pictureswhere you are going. This
prepares your child and lets her know what to expect. Since you cant childproof a store, and you know your child will naturally
want to explore, use something to restrict your childs movement, such as a shopping cart or a stroller.
Let your child hold something in the store. It can be a purse, a picture of something on your shopping list (made from illustrations
on packages, labels or magazines). Or you can ask your child to help by carrying a purchase. Be sure it is not heavy, bulky or
fragile.
Keep the errand brief. Your childs attention span and patience are both short. She cant be expected to have the same tolerance
for running errands that an adult has.
If your child misbehaves, react as calmly as possible and without anger. Pick the child up and matteroffactly remove her from
the trouble area. If necessary, take her from the store as quickly as you can after completing your errand.
UnderstandingYourChild'sBehavior
YourChild'sBehaviorhasaMessage
When your child misbehaves, you might ask yourself: What is my child trying to tell me? What is it she needs? It may help, when
trying to understand your childs behavior, to look at the situation through her eyes. As you know, your child uses nonverbal ways
to make her needs and wishes known. Your childs behavior is a major way in which she communicates with you. Her misbehavior
is telling you something that she cannot express with words. If you take the time to listen to her message, she may not need to
keep repeating that same behavior.
RewardingGoodBehavior
When your child is behaving in an acceptable manner, give her some extra approval. No matter how brief this positive attention is,
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it is likely to bring more good behavior. Children want the love and approval of their parents, and they will often repeat behavior
that brings them praise.
Here is an example. Your child has been arguing with a playmate, but she is now playing quietly. Tell her, I like the way you are
playing. A reassuring pat on the back offers another reward. Or if your child has been fussing and pouting and is even
momentarily smiling, say, Oh, I like the way youre smiling! What a nice smile! When your child shares a toy, praise her. A few,
pleasant, positive comments to your child throughout the day might help her continue this good behavior. It will be a big boost to
your preschoolers selfesteem as well.
TemperTantrums
All young children become angry and frustrated at one time or another. Like other little children, your childs frustration or anger
may lead to an outburst of tempera temper tantrum.
If you understand that temper tantrums are common in young children, you may be less upset by her tantrums. And if you do not
react too strongly with anger or fear, the outbursts are apt to occur less often and not last as long. Sometimes a change in your
response to tantrums will help your child learn to meet frustrations and express her feelings in more acceptable ways. Remain as
calm as possible and let your child work through her emotions. After she has calmed down, a reassuring hug often helps.
AvoidHeadonCollisions
Sometimes you can avoid tantrums by understanding why they occur. Check the following list of possible causes of tantrums to
see if any of them apply to your child:
1. She may be demanding attention. Tantrums may have become a habit and she may have learned that they succeed in getting
her what she wants.
2. She may be reacting to too many rules and too much interference in her activities.
3. She may be resisting limits set by adults or resenting some form of punishment.
4. She may be overtired or hungry. Perhaps it has been an especially busy day.
5. She may be disappointed. Try to make things clear for her. Dont make promises that you may not be able to fulfill.
6. She may be teased into a tantrum by another child or even an adult.
7. She may not understand what is expected of her. For the child who is deaf or hardofhearing, misunderstandings should
decrease as she and you learn to communicate more easily and more effectively.
8. She may feel pushed beyond her limits. Adults may expect too much of her. Young children, for example, cannot sit still for
long periods of time.
9. Her natural frustration level may be low. Some children simply have a low boiling point. Extra care must be taken not to
push these children beyond their limits. But do not give such a child the feeling that you are afraid of her temper.
10. She may be imitating. Anger is contagious and children imitate the behavior of those around them. Parents must set an
example of selfcontrol and use restraint in expressing their own anger.
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Trytostopatantrumbeforeitstarts
n spite of all your efforts to understand, your child is likely to have some flareups of temper. Things dont always go smoothly,
and occasionally she is bound to show her temper. Accept her right to be angry, even if you dont like the way she shows it. It is
not wrong to have such feelings. You want to teach her how to handle them.
You may recognize the early signals that your child is beginning to get upset. Take a moment to think about ways you can avoid
an explosion. You might remove your child from one situation; you might help your child in another situation. Sometimes your
child will welcome your help in putting a toy together. Giving her part of her meal early may help her wait until dinnertime. Look
at the situation and see what you might do.
Dealingwithatantrum
Once a tantrum is underway, try to be as calm as possible. When your child has a tantrum, remove her from the situation, if at all
possible. This is not the time to reason with her, or to force her to look at you. On the other hand, dont completely ignore her
stay near your child to help her feel secure. She may be terrified by her own feelings and her inability to control them. Shaking her
or spanking her will probably only increase her fear.
Let her cry it outshe needs to release all of that emotional turmoil in some way. Dont let her hurt herself, break things or hit
you. You may need to hold her. If you remain calm, your child will calm down faster herself.
If the tantrum is in response to a limit you have set, let the tantrum finish but remain firm on the limit you were enforcing. Dont
allow the tantrum to sway your decision. If you do, your child may learn that tantrums are a way of controlling you, and you may
have more and more of them with which to deal. The less reaction you have, and the calmer you are, the better it will be for both
you and your child. You can reassure your child and comfort her after the tantrum is over.
SettingLimits
You know that you can help your child by structuring her physical environment so she can explore and play more freely. You know
the advantages of arranging your time and establishing routines. However, even when you have carefully structured your childs
environment, there will be times when you will have to say, No!
HelpYourChildLearntoGetAlong
Certain misbehavior should not be excused or accepted because your child has a hearing loss. As a member of the family, she
needs help in learning to respect the rights of all other family members. The idea isas is the intent of this entire courseto help
you meet your preschoolers needs both as a child who has a hearing loss and as a child. Because of her special needs, her
communication needs, it is all the more important that she share the activities of other childrenand that she learn to accept
necessary limits on her behavior.
Makea"LimitsBook"
As your child grows and begins to play with other children, it may help to have a visual and efficient means of explaining some
basic social rules. You might want to make a Limits Book which will illustrate typical situations. Follow this link for a PDF
containing pictures suitable for use in making a Limits Book. Use a scrapbook or notebook, and paste the pictures one to a
page. Add to the book as your child grows and new social situations arise.
Do not write on the pages. Rather, show the picture to your child and use language appropriate to her level. By doing this, the
Limits Book can grow with her language. Many opportunities for using social language that children need will come up naturally
with the Limits Bookexpressions such as: Im sorry, Dont hit me, and Stop it!
Consistent use of the Limits Book will cut down on problems because it will help your child understand what is expected of her.
Keep it handy so that it is ready when the occasion arises.
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View brief video clip celebrating the progress of JTC preschooler enjoying reading together with a parent.
Develop fun activities to encourage your child's language.
View a video clip from an individual speech language session involving discussing a book.
LISTENING:OnandOff
To help your child become aware of the difference between the presence and absence of the sound of music
What You Need:
A CD player or tape recorder
Music with a strong beat, such as a march
Scarves or other pieces of fabric
What to Do:
1. Bring out scarves that can be waved in the air. Have your child listen while you turn on the CD player. Point to your ear and
say, LISTEN!
2. When the music begins, say, I HEAR THE MUSIC! ITS ON. At the same time, wave your scarf. If possible, you can have a
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helper, perhaps a brother or a sister, turn the music on and off.

3. After a few moments, stop the music. Say, ITS OFF. Stop waving your scarf.
4. Again, tell your child to listen. Then, hand her a scarf. When the music begins, wave your scarf and encourage her to do the
same. If she does not know what to do, guide her hand. Show her you are enjoying the game!
5. Start and stop the music again several times. If you think your child is able, put your scarf out of sight and encourage her to
respond by herself. If she doesnt start moving her scarf as soon as the music begins, guide her hand. If she continues when the
music stops, again stop her hand. Let her see you start or stop the music each time. Offer her lots of praise when she responds
appropriately.
6. Give your child her scarf again, and help her wait for the music to begin. When it does, again encourage her to move her scarf
to the music.
7. When she is ready, put your scarf away and let her try to respond on her own. Give her help if she needs it.
Remember: This is to be fun for you and your child. In this, as in all games and activities, your praise and reinforcement of your
childs efforts are very important. Let her know your pleasure in her success. Let her know you are pleased when she is trying even
if she needs a lot of help. And let her know that you appreciate her doing her best!
Variations:
1. Use dolls or stuffed animals (especially if your child has a favorite) and have them dance to the music.
2. As your child becomes better able to respond by listening alone, you can use music with a less definite beat.
3. Substitute a piano or a drum or other instrument for the CD or tape.
1. Your child can clap her hands or dance to the music, stopping and freezing all action when the music stops.
2. You can play a variation of musical chairs in which your child marches when the music is ON, and sits down when it is OFF.
This response is particularly good when your child is able to respond by listening alone. As she marches, she is sometimes further
from the source of sound, which increases the difficulty.
3. Let your child discriminate between two different types of music, perhaps a fast march versus something slow. Ask your child
to make her stuffed animal dance slowly during the slower music and quickly during the march.
LANGUAGE:Mealtime
To expose your child to vocabulary associated with mealtime
To help your child enjoy mealtime with the family
What You Need:
You and your family
Food served family style
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When to Play:
Breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack time
What to Do:
1. Put the food for the meal on the table in serving bowls.
2. Just before serving a portion, pause a moment to see if you have your childs attention. If possible, dont serve your child
first. If you do, she will be interested in eating and not attending to the language you use as you serve other family members.
3. As you serve food to each family member, say something about the food. Even if she is not looking, keep talking. For
example, say things like:
Here are some beans.
Daddy wants beans. (While serving Daddy beans)
4. Serve your child small portionsalways a good idea with young childrenbut here it serves another purpose. Your child may
ask for more, providing an extra opportunity for using language. Your child will be most interested when it is her food you are
serving.
5. Dont be afraid to use questions. It encourages your child to make choices. You might say:
Do you want potatoes and carrots?
Do you want a slice of bread?
6. You can provide opportunities for your child to ask for food by occasionally forgetting to put something she really likes on her
plate. When she points, fusses or in some way indicates your mistake, say:
Oh! I forgot your potatoes.
Do you want some potatoes?
Here are some potatoes.
7. Repeat the routine as often as possible. Your child will have to hear the same language many times before she will understand
it and finally use it herself.
Variations:
1. Let your child help in some simple food preparation to reinforce names of different foods.
2. Make a scrapbook of pictures of food (after your child has had some experience with the real thing). With your childs help,
find food pictures in magazines or advertisements. Cut them out. Divide your pictures into categories, such as Breakfast Foods (or
Lunch or Dinner Foods) or Vegetables, Fruits, etc. Let your preschooler help you paste the pictures into a scrapbook.
3. Let your child help you set the table to reinforce names of things you use: forks, spoons, plates, cups, glasses, napkins, etc.
1. Mealtime is a good opportunity to expand your childs vocabulary. Many basic food names (beans, rice, meat, milk, etc.) may
already be a part of her vocabulary. Take what she knows and expand on it. Always combine new language with familiar
language. For example, if your child understands Heres your soup, you can introduce the word hot in a sentence such as Be
careful! The soup is hot! Potatoes can be used in a longer sentence as you say, Have some mashed potatoes or Lets put gravy
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on your mashed potatoes.

2. In the beginning, emphasize general categories of foods and utensils used in eating. When your child recognizes cereal,
begin teaching oatmeal, Wheaties, Cornflakes, etc. You may initially use juice to refer to all fruitflavored drinks. When your
child learns juice, begin to differentiate and teach lemonade, orange juice, etc. When your child learns spoon, teach soup
spoon, teaspoon, tablespoon, or big spoon and little spoon.
3. You can begin to ask her what she wants to eat. If she does not respond, you can give her choices. Do you want corn or
peas? While you ask, show her the food and give her an opportunity to use only her hearing. Remember that you have to model
the language correctly, but not expect her to use perfect speech as she says the word. If you constantly urge her to say the word
perfectly, she will stop trying. Little ones who are beginning to develop their expressive language will make errors, and they will
not be intelligible to people outside the family.
SPEECH:Blowing
To help your child develop her skills in blowing. This skill will be useful in producing a wide variety of speech sounds.
What You Need:
A wand and a soapy, bubbly liquid
What to Do:
1. Explain that you are going to blow some bubbles.
2. Pause a moment to get her attention. Blow gently. Make sure you have a natural breath stream. Dont move your body as you
blow, or your child might imitate your body movement rather than the blowing action.
3. Then hold the bubble blower or wand in the same position in front of your childs lips. Encourage her to blow the bubbles.
4. If she doesnt seem to understand what is required, blow on the back of her hand so she feels your breath. Encourage her to
imitate you.
5. Learning to blow takes practice. Be patient. Remember, this is a game, so have fun!
Variations:
After your child has gained some ability to blow, you can begin to add some voiceless speech sounds. Panting like a little doggie
can help get the h sound started. Pretend to be puppies and take turns! Stuffed animals or pictures to hold can be helpful here!
You can teach the fricative /th/ by blowing and then sticking your tongue gently through your teeth. Before bath time, and also
before taking off your childs hearing aids or cochlear implant, you can work on this sound. While the bath tub is filling, say to
your child, Look! Its bath time. If you have bubble bath, you can sit outside the bathtub and practice blowing the bubbles off of
your hands. After a few practice tries, help your child say, th by blowing first. When she can produce this sound, add ba. Now
associate it with getting into the tub. Its bath time!
Another voiceless speech sound might be sh, sh, sh.
Try to whisper this sound together. Then switch to a voiced sound and say it as loud as you can: BA!
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THINKINGACTIVITY:MakingPlayDough
To introduce language used in measuring, coloring and molding play dough and to provide your child with an opportunity to
explore and create
What You Need:
Large bowl
Measuring cups
Large mixing spoon
Washable paint
Tools: cookie cutters, rolling pin, garlic press, pizza cutter
Basic Recipe:
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
vegetable oil to moisten
water to keep the dough from crumbling
washable paint diluted with water to provide color
Alternate Recipe:
1 cup flour
cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon oil
washable paint diluted with water to provide color
What to Do:
1. Put the ingredients for making play dough on the table. Help your child measure the ingredients and pour them into the bowl.
Talk about each step of the mixing:
Take one cup of flour.
Add another cup of flour.
Pour the flour.
Where is the salt?
Pour in the water.
Mix it.
How does it feel? Is it lumpy?
Stir it.
Squeeze it.
Its squishy.
2. When the play dough is mixed, divide it into three parts. Count them with your child: One, two, three.
3. Let your child choose a color for the play dough. Talk about the color.
What color do you want?
Put in some blue.
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Mix it.
Look! What color is it?
4. Continue until all three parts are colored. If you are working on color names with your child, you may want to talk about the
colors, not only when you mix them, but later as she plays with the dough. If you are working on counting, emphasize the
numbers, one, two, three as you separate the dough and again as you color it.
5. Let your child play with and mold the play dough you have made together. She can roll it, cut it and shape it in a variety of
ways. Talk about what she does with the dough.
Roll, roll, roll it.
Heres a circle.
See. Its round.
Cut the circle.
You did a good job!
6. If your child is able to hear the sounds of speech, you can begin to give simple instructions and verify whether she is able to
understand the entire message or a key word.
Variations:
Smells Good Play Dough can be made with unsweetened powdered fruit drink by using the following recipe:
2 cup flour
cup salt
3 tablespoons oil
4 tablespoons of unsweetened powdered drink mix
2 cups boiling water
washable paint diluted with water
Have a conversation with your child about color and smell.
What does it smell like? It smells like a lemon!
Here is a lemon. Does it smell the same?
What color is the lemon? Is it the same color as our
play dough?
PLAYTIMEACTIVITY:PlayingwithBlocks
To present language in connection with a playtime activity your child enjoys
What You Need:
Blocks (Very young children may prefer small, hardrubber, plastic or wooden blocks that they can easily hold.)
What to Do:
1. Sit on the floor with your child in an area where you have plenty of room to play and build with blocks. Blocks are an excellent
toy for creative play because they encourage children to use their imagination in a variety of ways.
2. If you have the blocks in a containera box or a basketpick up the container and say something about them, such as, Here
are the blocks! Then dump them out on the floor in front of your child.
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3. Follow your childs lead. Let her choose what to do with the blocks. She may stack them, build with them, make towers, push
them around on the floor or drop them back into the container. Encourage her to try different combinations of blocks, and let her
discover what happens if she builds a tower too high or unevenly. She may think that knocking down a tower is the most fun of all!
4. Talk about the blocks and what your child does with them as the opportunity naturally comes up. You may say something
such as:
Its a red block.
Put it on top.
Give Mommy the block.
You might hand her the blocks, one by one, and say something such as:
Heres a block.
Take the block.
You took the block!
Heres another block.
Up, up, up goes the tower.
Uhoh! The tower fell down!
5. When you are done playing with the blocks, have your child help you with putting them away. You can make cleanup fun by
making it a game to put the blocks into their container. Talk about what you and your child do. You might say:
Lets put away the blocks.
Put them in the box.
Good for you!
Put in another block.
6. Begin to give short, specific suggestions through audition alone. If she does not understand, permit her to lipread and show
her what you want. Then immediately give her the suggestion auditorily again.
Variations:
1. A Block Train
Two and threeyearolds will enjoy using blocks to make a train which they can push across the floor. You can say,
Push the train.
Choochoo.
Its a train.
You pushed the train!
2. Stack the Blocks
Three and fouryear olds enjoy building with blocks. Help your child gain pride in her accomplishment by showing that you are
pleased with what she has built. Use language such as:
Put another block on.
Its getting high.
Oops, it fell.
Up, up!
Oh! Its high.
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3. Building with Blocks

Some fouryearolds and most fiveyearolds may build structures that really represent something. They may build houses, walls,
garages, or roads. Try to recognize what your child is building and talk about it.
4. The More, the Merrier
One of the many nice things about blocks is that there are usually many of them in a set. They lend themselves to play by more
than one child. Several children can play side by side with blocks, playing the same or even different gameseach building and
playing according to his or her age, interest, and ability. If your child has brothers and sisters, block play is a good way of including
everybody, and this naturally leads to lively conversation as you all play together.
5. Kindergarten Blocks
Children also like large kindergarten blocks. They will play with them in a variety of ways according to their age, interest and
inventiveness. No other toy will be of such lasting interest for your child, for she adapts blocks to her level as she grows. Your job
is to adapt the language to her interests as they change. These blocks can be made from scrap lumber (if you are skilled in using
hand or power tools) or they can be ordered from large mailorder companies or toy manufacturers.
E)SUMMARY
Determine your childs hearing age. Are her listening skills age appropriate?
Use the same words often, but in different sentences as you talk to your child.
Choose a communication method now and use it with your child. Verify the pros and cons of each method you consider. Give it 100% commitment!
Encourage your child to use her voice by babbling, jabbering or using beginning language. Give her a reason to communicate. Dont just ask questions
such as, What color is this? Instead, communicate naturally while playing together.
Reward your childs good behavior.
Set limits and stay with them.
LinkstoMore
Improving Behaviors
Beginning Social Skills
GototheNextLesson
YES! You have completed reading Lesson 2: Reinforcing Behavior. Now try some ideas with your child. Consider sharing questions
and successes using theyellow box on any page. Your changing concerns and your childs increasing skills will be saved in
reports Ive sent. You can use these forms to show service providers or family and celebrate progress together. Then proceed
toLesson 3: Sound Recognitionso this course becomes an individualized guideor go back to thePreschool Course contentto
select another module.
Lesson3:SoundRecognition
TheImportanceofGoodAmplification
For the last two lessons, you have been learning about language and speech development. As youve found, your youngsters
ability to hear the sounds of spoken language plays a critical role in this process. Before reading any further, you may want to get
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your notebook and open to the Audiology section so you can easily refer to your childs audiogram as you read.
Spoken language is learned most easily through the sense of hearing. Your preschooler is learning how important it is to listen for
sounds, especially the sounds of spoken language. As his parent, you are aware that his hearing aids or cochlear implant must be
set so that he can hear as much as possible in his world. Since every aspect of your childs spoken language development is based
on good amplification, lets take a minute to consider your little ones most recent, aided, audiologic test results.
If your child wears hearing aids, they should be set using speech mapping methods such as DSL. This method will assist the
audiologist in amplifying your child so that he has the best possible access to speech.
If your child uses a cochlear implant, he should also be tested in a soundproof test booth. This test will indicate that he is able to
detect sounds across frequencies. Responses will vary among children. In general, however, you will find that the test will show
levels of approximately 20 to 30 dB across frequencies after all mapping has been successfully accomplished.
Whether your child wears an implant or hearing aids, you should be checking his amplification every morning before he puts it on
for the day. If this is already part of your daily routine, you can skip to the section, Listening Environment on page six.
If you are not checking your childs amplification every day, this is the time to begin. Its easy to do and its critical to your childs
success in developing spoken language skills.
DailyHearingAidCheck
You will need a hearing aid stethoscope that can be purchased from your hearing care professional. Each morning, listen to your
childs hearing aid through the stethoscope at the volume your child uses. Digital hearing aids generally do not have a volume
wheel and you will listen through the aids, as they are preset. While you listen, say the Ling Six Sounds. You remember them from
Lesson One as:
Ahh (as in father)
Ooo (as in moon)
Eeee (as in key)
Shhh (as in shoe)
Ssss (as in sock)
Mmmm (as in mommy)
While you listen, be aware of sounds of static, crackling, hissing, distortion or rumble. The moment you hear any differences in the
Ling Sounds, immediately contact your hearing care professional to have the aid repaired. And when the audiologist confirms that
your childs hearing aids are functioning well, it is important to have an aided audiologic evaluation to determine the sounds your
child is able to hear.
You want your child to receive a strong, clear signal from his aids; so its very important to check the batteries daily, too. If you
have a battery tester, this is a quick and easy task. If you do not yet have one, you will need to check the aids four times a day to
be sure the signal remains clear.
If your child wears a cochlear implant, you will check it each morning using the device provided with the implant equipment.
However, because you cannot listen through this device, you will say the Ling Six Sounds to your child and observe his responses.
If there is any change, you will want to phone your audiologist immediately.
A)LISTENING
Change the distance to improve sound recognition.
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ListeningEnvironment
Whether your little one wears hearing aids or a cochlear implant, you want to be very aware of the listening environment that
surrounds him. Remember, even with appropriate amplification, sounds that are comfortable to you may be soft to your
preschooler. And since he is busy running and playing, he is not always focused on listening for sounds, especially a soft sound,
such as your voice from a distance. So it is very important that you are aware of background noise from the TV, radio or other
voices.
If you are at home right now, take a minute to listen to the sounds around you. Do you hear the hum of the air conditioner or
heater? The refrigerator also makes a humming sound, as does your computer. Is the TV on? Are you playing music? What about
street noise? You cant stop or even quiet all of these sounds, but you can be aware of the difference in your childs response to
your voice when they are present.
DistanceMakesaDifference
Distance Makes a Difference
When you see that your preschooler is not as responsive as usual, you need to take that extra time to get closer to him in order to
attract his attention and speak directly to him. Your Role as Parents in Lesson Two gives helpful ideas that you might want to
review before continuing with this lesson.
Why do you want to think about the distance between you and your child while you are talking to him? Each time you half the
distance between you and your preschooler, your voice becomes 6 dB louder. What does that mean? The average voice at a
distance of six feet is approximately 65 dB. If you are three feet from your little one, your voice will be 71 dB. At a foot and a half,
your voice is much louder. Naturally, as we come closer to each other, we soften our voice. In other words, the loudness level you
use at six feet from your child isnt the same level you would use at oneandahalf feet. But by keeping your voice at a
comfortable level and talking directly to your child, you will greatly help him hear your words. Be sure to do a deepknee bend so
you are at his level, too. What a difference distance makes for your child!
While you are at your childs ear and eye level, take a minute to observe his social eye contact. Does he look at you while you are
talking? As hearing adults, we naturally make eye contact when we respond to another persons voice. Encourage your child to do
the same when you speak to him. He may get some information about the spoken message by watching your facial expressions.
Keep talking whether he is looking at you or not. He can still be listening. Comment on what he is doing, thinking or trying to
communicate to you. Remember, it isnt necessary for him to maintain eye contact or for him to repeat everything you say. What
you are doing is reinforcing the idea of giveandtake (speaking and listening) in conversation, and you are making casual (but
meaningful) conversation a natural part of daily life.
This is why we asked you to spend a few minutes listening to the sounds in your environment. The hum of the furnace. The
chiming of the clock. The rumble of the dryer. The clanking of pots and pans. The buzz of conversations. The bark of your
dog. THESE are the sounds of home. THESE are the sounds you want your child to be aware of, but they are also the sounds that
can make it more difficult for him to hear your voice and so to listen to your conversation.
DoesYourChildHearVoice?
By now you have done the Ling SixSound Test with your child, and you have plotted his aided hearing levels on the Frequency
Spectrum of Familiar Sounds from Lesson One. If its in your notebook, turn to it now for easy reference as you continue reading.
What speech sounds does he hear? More importantly, what speech sounds does he not hear? Even with the very best hearing aids,
some children cannot hear enough speech to develop spoken language skills easily. The information you have now on the
Frequency Spectrum of Familiar Sounds will guide your efforts in working with your preschooler in meeting his needs.
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Now is the time to seriously consider your little ones amplification needs. Your audiologist will know about amplification options,
so ask questions. Possibly a cochlear implant would benefit your child. An FM system might give just a bit more power. Digital
hearing aids can provide more clarity of sound. This is the time to ask about anything and everything that might help your child.
Dont wait! These are the important years for learning to listen and for learning language.
DevelopingListeningSkills
After your child has his hearing aids or cochlear implant, he needs to learn to become aware of sounds. He can learn to recognize
sounds and know their meaning. This is auditory learning. It is learning to become aware of sounds, to recognize sounds and to
attach meaning to them. Your childs response to sound can improve, even though his hearing levels will not change. How can
you begin to help your little one develop his listening skills? You begin by teaching him that sounds exist.
SoundDetection
The first level in developing an awareness of sound is referred to as sound detection. Your child may not understand the
importance or meaning of sounds until you point them out to him. You must draw your childs attention to sounds around you and
help him notice them. Guide him in learning appropriate responses.
Along with the LISTENING games included in our lessons to help you with this task, there are many spontaneous situations that you
can use in teaching your preschooler. For example, a plane going overhead or a train rumbling by can be brought to his attention.
A neighbor calling across the yard is another unexpected sound you can help your child learn to recognize.
Develop the habit of calling your childs attention to sounds and, when possible, show him what or who makes the sound. If you
can, repeat the sound. Finally, respond appropriately. For example, you might get down to your preschoolers level, point to your
ear and say, I hear that! Its Mrs. Simon. She wants to talk to us. Lets go see her. After bringing his attention to the sound of a
train or bus, you might say, Its going byebye and wave to the people on board.
Be aware that even after pointing out the same sound to your child several times, he may not yet pay attention to it or recognize it
without your help. Each time you point out a sound, show your enthusiasm about hearing it. SMILE! Listening is fun!
The less hearing your child has, the longer it will take. It will take time and patience. Remember, this may be a hard job for him.
Sounds that are quite loud and obvious to you are much, much softer for him. Auditory learning is a process. So, helping your
little one to learn to listen may also be a hard job for you. But, it is worth every effort and every minute you take as you show your
little one the sounds in his world. (In time and with practice, your child may begin to show you he hears sound, too!)
We mentioned conversational sounds as among those you want to bring to your little ones attention. Dont forget the part he
plays in the familys interactions. Remember to bring his attention to the sounds of his voice by telling him, I hear you! You want
to play with your school bus. In other words, you want him to be aware of his own voice. When he can hear his own voice, you
should begin to notice an increase in vocalizations.
Discrimination
After your preschooler has become aware that sound exists, he must understand that a variety of sounds occur simultaneously and
that the sounds are different. He might be listening to music and suddenly realize that another sound existspeople are talking.
Or he might be listening to his mother talking, and suddenly he hears the doorbell ring. He might not understand the meaning of
these sounds, but he does know that they are different.
You can help your child develop his skills in discrimination by introducing new sounds. For example, you might ask him to
discriminate between the sound of the doorbell and someones voice by vocalizing and pointing to the sound he hears. See if your
child can tell the difference between sounds for which he cannot see the sound source.
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Another example of discrimination is the difference between voices. Your child can learn the difference between Mommys high
pitched voice and Daddys deep voice. You might make a little game by asking your child to tell you who is calling him. Is it
Mommy or Daddy?
Remember that discrimination takes time and practice. It is not always easy for a little child with a hearing loss to learn the
difference between sounds, especially the sounds of speech.
SomeSuggestionsandEnhancements
Acoustic enhancements are small changes we make in ourvoices during conversation as we vary duration, intensity and pitch
(suprasegmental characteristics). This enables young children to better understand what is being said.
All parents naturally talk to their children using a singsong voice, and this is one of the first acoustic enhancements which help
all little ones develop listening and language skills.
By speaking at a distance of six inches from your childs hearing aid or cochlear implant, you facilitate his listening abilities. You
can also whisper close to the microphone of his aids or implant. This is also an acoustic enhancement. Even though we might
think that using a loud voice will enable a child to hear better, this is not true. When we increase the volume of our voices, we only
make the vowels louder. Since consonants carry meaning in speech, words are then completely distorted.
You can also sit your child on your lap and talk about a story or a toy. Being close to his hearing aids or cochlear implant will
increase his ability to hear your voice, so try to move back a bit and determine at which distance your little one hears easily and at
which distance he experiences more difficulty.
It is easy to repeat words when your child does not understand, and many children develop the habit of asking for repetition
because its easier to ask than to focus on what is being said. Gradually your little one will become accustomed to focusing the
moment he hears speech, so that he understands what you are saying the first time. This will be helpful when he is in school or
playing with friends.
You can also help your child by giving him options and alternatives. If you notice that he didnt completely understand the
message or that he only understood part of it, you can add information just by saying a few more words. In this way he will more
easily understand the content of what you are saying.
When your preschooler understands a few words but is still unsure of what you said, you can reinforce his understanding by adding
words or phrases which confirm that he correctly understood the message.
Auditory closure can also help your child develop his listening and expressive language skills. If you are counting, try beginning
with one, two.... and then stop and wait for him to say three. Try this with songs or phrases that he knows so that he develops
the ability to complete what is being said by using his logic.
If your little one cannot easily hear your voice with amplification and uses lip reading to understand you, you can use your voice
first, and then provide an opportunity for your child to see your face to clarify what you are saying.
The more auditory abilities your child develops, the fewer acoustic enhancements he will need to develop listening and spoken
language skills. However, it is good to remember these enhancement ideas when you are in noisy places where he will have more
difficulty hearing.
B)LANGUAGE
Describe your actions when your child is watching you.
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Recognition
When your child associates a sound or word with an object or action, he has moved to the next level of auditory processing,
recognition. You are spending time associating specific toys, actions and activities with specific speech sounds. For example, each
time something spills or falls over, you say uh oh! Eventually, you can say this phrase and your child may imitate you, and look
for something that has spilled. Your child may babble and point to the family cat when someone says, meow. Or, he might be
listening to Moms voice and suddenly hears his little sister crying. He looks at his sister or attempts to say her name. He not only
understands that sounds are different: he recognizes the differences and associates the sounds with something specific. This is a
big accomplishment!
You can help your preschooler recognize differences in sounds by talking to him about them. When he looks at his sister, you
might say, Sister is crying. Lets hold her. Or, when the cat enters the room, you can say, Heres the kitty. Hi, Whiskers. Meow.
Whiskers says, Meow. As you show your child all the sounds in his world, he will begin to recognize them and start imitating
them himself.
At the beginning of this lesson, we emphasized how learning to listen is a process. Its a big job for a little child. Guiding him
through the process is a big job for parents. When you and your preschooler reach this final level, however, you will know the time
and effort was worthwhile.
Comprehension
Your child now comprehends the meaning of a sound! He can respond with the appropriate language or act on what he has heard
correctly. For example, your child might be listening to your voice. Suddenly he hears his sister crying and he says her name,
immediately handing her a toy or her pacifier. He has recognized the sound of his sisters cry, and knows what it meansshe
wants something.
It will be helpful to condense all this information into one example of how you can help your little one develop all of these very
important skills. The best way is by showing him the many sounds in your home. After all, this is where he spends most of his
time, and so this is the best place for him to begin to learn. Lets focus on one room; for example, the kitchen. Much of your
familys life is centered around the kitchen: meals are prepared and served. Then comes cleanup time. In between meals, your
child might want a drink of water or a snack, and that means returning to the kitchen.
Since you are often in the kitchen and your child probably watches you as you work, you have the perfect opportunity to teach him
about sounds and provide the language that will help him understand them and then respond appropriately. Here are some ideas:
Preparing meals: Your pour, chop, open, stir, etc. For every task there is a sound and language to describe it. You can tell your
preschooler, Heres an egg. Crack! I hear that. Daddy cracked the egg. During your mealtime preparation, there will be many
chances to draw his attention to sounds.
During meals: You pour, scoop, slice and stir. And, of course, theres lots of family conversation! So many sounds to bring to
your childs attention. Plop, plop! Im pouring milk or Clink, clink. I hear Daddy stirring his coffee.
After meals: The dishes are cleared and placed into the sink or the dishwasher. You turn on the water or push a button on the
dishwasher. Tell your child, Listen. The water is running or The dishwasher is on. Do you hear it? Take him to the sink and let
him listen to the sound. Ask him, What is that? See, there are dishes in there! It will take a few times, but soon your little one will
be telling you that he hears the water and associates the sound with something meaningful.
We all learn language by experience, so give your child lots of auditory experiences each day. Fill all experiences with spoken
language as you talk, talk, talk. Your child will hear the same words over and over again while you talk about the stove and hot
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food, or the running water in the sink with the dishes. In time, he will begin to associate these words with the food and events in
the kitchen. With that understanding will come the expressive language to talk about what he now understands. Remember,
understanding comes before spontaneous expression!
Why dont you take a minute now to think of one room in your home and listen for all the sounds in that room? Then, plan which
sounds you will show your child and what language you will use. Remember to tell him the meaning of the sound, what is
happening and why.
C)SPEECH
If you have chosen spoken language for your child, you will want his hearing aids or cochlear implant to provide him with the
ability to hear all sounds of human speech. Even if your child has a severetoprofound hearing loss and wears appropriate hearing
aids, he can learn to recognize differences between speech sounds. He should learn to listen to all vowels and consonants.
As you will recall from Lesson One, much of the meaning of spoken language is carried through rhythm and intonation of our
speech. This includes characteristics such as pitch (how high or low a sound is), intensity (how loud or soft a sound is), and
duration (the length of the sound). These features of speech, such as the duration, intensity and pitch, can be detected and
recognized by almost all children with a hearing loss, even children with profound losses, who are using hearing aids.
Listening to speech patterns will not only aid your child in understanding others, but will be reflected in the quality of his own
speech. Lets look at some ways you can help your little one listen and begin to recognize and use these patterns in his own
speech.
Singing nursery rhymes or other songs of your culture or traditions with your child will give you both a delightful opportunity to be
close and to share some special time together. Do not be concerned that your child does not understand the words of the nursery
rhyme or songchildren love them not for the words (which most children do not understand) but for their strong, rhythmic
patterns. Here is a traditional English rhyme that you might enjoy together:
Jack be nimble,
Jack be quick,
Jack jump over
The candlestick.
Or you might have fun with this simple finger game:
Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Give a little clap.
Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Put them in your lap.
Clap, clap, clap your hands
As slowly as you can.
Clap, clap, clap your hands
As quickly as you can.
(Instead of clap you can substitute, roll, rub, wiggle your fingers, or even pound your fists.)
An alltime favorite for preschoolers:
The eentsy, weentsy spider
Went up the waterspout.
Down came the rain, and
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Washed the spider out.

Out came the sun, and
Dried up all the rain.
And the eentsy, weentsy spider,
Went up the spout again.
What songs and rhymes are traditional favorites in your culture or country? Enjoy these with your child. When you read or sing to
your child, make it a pleasant time for both of you. Encourage him to listen and take a turn singing along or pretending to read.
Use gestures and props! Be patient! Be enthusiastic! Have fun!
SomeFinalThoughts
Your child can learn to listen. At the beginning, a major step in listening development will be when your little one smiles or gives
his attention when you speak or sing to him. He will begin to show his awareness of sounds, and he will enjoy using his own
voice. In addition to playing with his voice, he is likely to enjoy producing his own sounds as he bangs pots and pans together or
hits blocks against each other.
What are some other signs that will show you your childs listening skills are developing? He may attempt to locate the source of
the sound he hears. He may begin to vocalize when spoken to and to turn when called from a short distance. He will begin to
recognize and respond to familiar sounds that have meaning for him. He may even respond to a No by stopping an activity.
With more and more listening practice, your preschoolers attention span will grow, so that he pays attention for several moments
when you are speaking to him. He may look from one speaker to another when more than one person is present. He may turn
when called from more than three feet away.
Be assured that your little child will become more aware of sounds, and with time he will take additional steps in the listening
process: He will let you know if his hearing aid or cochlear implant is not working properly. As his understanding builds along
with his listening ability, he will recognize the intonation patterns of questions. He may begin to understand and follow simple
directions, such as Come here, Get your coat and Open the door. He will learn to discriminate between words he knows which
sound very different, such as shoe and ball. And he will learn to expand that ability so he can tell the difference between
phrases and sentences which have key words he knows: Get your shoe or Throw the ball. If you have made the decision for
your child to develop his auditory perception, he will become aware of these phrases without the necessity of looking at you.
As your youngster advances in his understanding of language and with consistent auditory learning, he will learn to discriminate
between words where the first and last consonants are the same, but the vowel sounds are different, such as cup and cap. Or
he will be able to tell the difference between words in which the vowel is the same but the beginning consonant is different, as in
house and mouse. He will also learn to discriminate between similar phrases or sentences, such as A little red car and A big,
blue truck. And, he will understand the small but important differences in words within a sentence, such as in and on, or the
and a. Eventually he will understand and be able to repeat whole sentences of three to five words. Even if your child seems far
from this level now, keep talking, talking, talking. Show him the sounds in his world and be enthusiastic. You will be surprised
how quickly he begins to show you the sounds he hears.
ExperienceBooks
Each day you talk to your preschooler about activities in your family life. He is beginning to develop some language, but his ability
to anticipate and to express himself as he participates in them may still be limited. Preschoolers need to understand family life so
that they have a sense of what is going to happen to them. If the family is going on a vacation or just to the market, your child
needs to know why he is being taken away from his toys and put in the car. He also needs to understand the meaning of a
birthday party or the special events and celebrations that occur in your family. You can help your child understand and learn the
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language of everyday life by making your own experience books.

Experience books are based on an experience your child will have or an experience which he has had. They are made for a specific
purpose, such as preparing your child for an event. This might include a new baby, going to school, or going on a vacation. Also,
an experience book might teach behavior or a routine, such as toilet training or sitting at the table until your childs meal is
finished. Another use of experience books could be special moments. Holidays and birthday parties make wonderful little books
for your child. Experience books can also be a visual aid for teaching language. You can make a book about people in the family,
going to the grocery store or a book about feelings.
Take a minute to think about the people and events that are most important and familiar to your preschooler. His family, extended
family and friends come first. Also important are the routines of his life such as getting dressed, visiting grandpa, or going to the
market or to the doctor. By making a small booklet about these people and experiences, you can help your child learn important
language and understand what is happening in his world. And, your child will love the opportunity to see photographs, drawings
or objects that include him and the people that are part of his life.
The first experience book you might want to make will be of family and friends. To begin, take a photograph or draw a picture of
each member of your immediate family. This will include Mom, Dad, brothers and sisters, and the family pets. You can purchase a
small photo album or staple sheets of paper together to make a small book. (If you use staples, be sure to cover the ends with
tape so they wont hurt little fingers). It is important that this book be small enough for your child to hold easily and to turn the
pages.
Insert or paste each photograph on a page and write the name of the person below it. Now its time to talk to your child. Who is
this? Is this Mommy? Yes, this is Mommy! Point to yourself and hold the photograph beside your face. See, this is Mommy.
Now look at the picture of Daddy. Who is this? Is this Daddy? Where is Daddy now? Can you find him? Let your child take the
book and look for Daddy. Yes, this is Daddy! You found him. After your child is able to recognize his immediate family, expand
your experience book to include relatives, neighbors and friends.
Your next experience book might be about errands you and your child frequently run together. Again, you will want a small
scrapbook or a book you make with threeholed thick paper and rings or ribbon to hold the pages together. Begin this book with a
picture of your house. You can draw it or use an actual photograph. This is where you start when going on any errand. Then draw
a picture of the family car if this is the transportation you use. You can also use a photograph or even cut a picture out of a
magazine if that is easier. Now you will use a picture or object that represents the errand itself. If you are going to the post office,
you might want to use an envelope and a stamp. You can use one from mail you have received at home! If your destination is the
cleaners, use a picture of clothing that you cut from a magazine. Sketch the front of your destination, too.
Now its time to make the book. The first page will be the picture of your home. Then comes the picture of your car. Next is the
illustration for the type of errand and finally the one of your destination. Each time you run that errand, show your preschooler his
experience book first. Talk to him about what you are going to do. We are going to the market. See, first we leave the house.
Next we get in the car. Were going to buy groceries. And here is the market. Then we will go back home in our car. Lets go to
the store!
Let your child hold the book as you begin your errand. When you arrive at your destination, ask him, Where are we? What are we
going to do? Then look at the book with him and at the object or picture you have which represents your errand. We need milk,
bread and apples. We are at the market.
A vacation or weekend trip is the perfect opportunity to make an experience book. You can use this book to prepare your child for
the trip; to talk about your trip while you are there; and to talk about what you did after returning home. As always, begin the
book with a picture of your home since this is where your experience begins. Then use a picture of your type of transportation.
Next might come a picture of the people you will see, such as Grandma and Grandpa. Possibly you have a photo of their home also
that you can show your child. Paste each picture on a page of his experience book. Now you are ready to prepare your little fellow
for the trip. Were going on vacation. Were going to fly in an airplane. Who will we see? Yes, this is Grandma and Grandpa.
Here is their house. Were going to stay there and then go on the airplane again. See the airplane? We will fly on the plane and
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come home. You will use this book several times before the trip. Your child now has an understanding of this big event in his
life. Remember to take this book with you!
While you are at Grandma and Grandpas house, take a minute to look at the experience book again. Talk about leaving your own
home, going on the airplane and where you are now. If you brought a few pages to add to his book, you might paste on the ticket
from your flight or the luggage tag from his suitcase. Now he can show his book to Grandma and Grandpa. And remember that
you can model how to talk to your child when you are with family or friends.
While you are on vacation you will want to take photographs or collect small objects to add to his experience book. Complete the
book when you return home. Now its your childs turn to look at the pictures and tell you what happened. Help him with the
language he needs and praise him for his efforts to tell you about his trip.
As you continue to make these books, you might want to write a short sentence on each page to explain the picture or object. For
example, you are going to take the cat to the vet for a checkup. Tell your child that you are going to take the cat to the vet and
that he is going to help you make a book about it. He might not understand, but as you progress in making the book together, the
idea will become clear. You can even draw a stick figure of your cat and tell your child, This is the cat. He will immediately
understand. Under this picture, write the name of the cat. This is one way to introduce your preschooler to print. He knows that
what you have written is the name of the cat.
On the next page you might draw a stick figure of your child holding the cat and the vet standing by you. Again, you will want to
explain your drawing. This is you. You are holding Toby. The vet will take Toby. Under the picture, write something like Toby
goes to the vet.
Page three might be a drawing of a table with the vet and the cat. Again, keep the picture simple with only a short sentence written
under it.
When the book is finished, its time to take the cat to the vet. And, most important, be sure to bring the book so you and your
child can look at the pictures again as you talk about the experience. Afterwards, he can use it to show relatives and friends.
Take a few minutes to think about experience books you will want to make. Your subjects might include: Going to School, Time
Out, Summer Vacation, A Trip to the Zoo and A Birthday Party. Each experience book contains a story about your childs life. You
will want to make many of them; enjoy them often with your child; and keep them on a bookshelf that he can reach. Then, on
occasion, ask your child which book he would like to look at with you. If he is easily able to hear your voice with amplification, use
audition alone so that he develops his listening skills.
View brief video clip celebrating the progress of JTC preschooler enjoying singing together with a parent.
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Find and sort objects by sound, size and shape.
View a video clip from an individual speech language session involvingconversing in routines.
LISTENING:AuditoryHideandSeek
Purpose of the Game
To help your child learn to respond to and locate the sound of your voice
What to Do:
1. Hide behind a chair or large piece of furniture in a room while your child covers his eyes. When he uncovers his eyes, call his
name from your hiding place. Continue to call until he finds you.
To make it more fun, give your child a chance to hide. Sometimes this is the simplest way to teach the game to a child, and
provides encouragement for your child to use his voice.
Dont miss the opportunity to provide appropriate language:
Wheres Mommy?
No peeking!
You found Mommy.
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She was behind the chair.

She was next to the sofa.
Daddy was hiding in the corner.
Now you hide.
2. You can also hide other people in the family and listen for the sounds of their voices.
Variation:
Hide a radio or CD player (set loudly at first) and together with your child, search for the source of the sound. Once he is familiar
with the idea of the game, lower the volume to make it a little more challenging. Your enthusiasm for the game is important!
Language:LearningaboutBigandLittle
To expose your child to the language and concepts of big and little
What You Need:
Two very different sizes of shoes, sandals, slippers, etc. (You can use your shoes and your childs shoes, for example.)
When to Play:
Whenever your child is interested
What to Do:
1. Sit on the floor next to your child, and put all the shoes big and little in a box and mix them up.
2. Tell him that you are going to play with shoes. Explain that some are big and some are small. Speak naturally and do not only
focus on big and small, but talk about other subjects that relate to shoes. Select a big shoe from the box and say something such
as, Its a big shoe. Lets put the big shoe here. Place the shoe on the floor on one side of the box.
3. Take a small shoe out of the box and place it on the other side of the box, talking again to your child about the shoe as you
hold it. You might say, Heres a little shoe. Put the little shoe here. Take another small shoe and ask, What is this? Encourage
your child to use his known expressive language and answer your questions.
4. Let your child select any shoe from the box. Say something about whatever size shoe he holds up, such as Oh, you found a
big one or Thats a little shoe! Help your child place the shoe in the correct pile, and continue talking about the size.
5. Continue sorting until all the shoes have been put into the appropriate piles of BIG and LITTLE.
6. End the game with comments like:
All done as you show him the empty box. Gesture toward one pile of shoes and say, Here are the big shoes. Follow with, And
here are the little shoes. Lets put the shoes away. Together put the shoes back into the box. Make appropriate comments as you
do so:
Thats a little shoe.
Heres a big shoe.
You put the big shoe in the box.
All done! Good job!
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7. It is very important that he transfers these concepts to daily life so that this vocabulary is used spontaneously. Think for a
minute about situations or activities during the day when you can use this vocabulary in a natural and significant manner with your
child.
Variations:
1. Mix up the shoes in the box, as in the basic game described above. As you and your child take out each shoe, try putting it
on. Since your shoes will always be too big for your child, and his shoes will always be too little for you, you will have many natural
opportunities to point out differences in size and to provide appropriate language.
2. Read the story Goldilocks and the Three Bears to your child, pointing out and talking about what is big and little in the
pictures.
3. Let your child help while you are baking a cake. Save a small amount of batter and help him make a little cake as well. Or
make big and little cookies. Let your child decorate them.
1. When your child seems to understand the concept of big and little, introduce the concept of big, bigger and biggest. You
might do this using different sized shoes as in the basic game described above.
If your child is ready, you can also begin to expose your child to the words big and little in print. You might print the words on
separate cards and place them on the floor to go along with your big and little shoes game.
SPEECH:SingingTogether
The carryover of speech sounds into meaningful language
What You Need:
Something to use as a microphone (a spoon, a sponge ball on a stick, or even your fist).
What to Do:
1. Sit next to your child on the floor, on a couch or at a table. Hold the microphone near your face. Sing the beginning of Old
MacDonald Had a Farm, EeIEeIO. Hand the microphone to your child and encourage him to vocalize. Smile and show him
that you are pleased if he does so.
2. Take the microphone back and repeat the vowel sound, EeIEeIO again, even if your child makes no response. Then give
him another turn with the microphone.
3. At first, accept and reinforce any sound your child makes, as long as the voice quality is good. When your child is able to give
a consistent response, you can model a pattern for him to imitate. If you say, EeI, encourage him to respond with two sounds.
If you say, EeIEeI you will expect four sounds. You may help him by lightly tapping the right number of syllables on his arm as
you speak.
4. Sing and then stop and encourage your child to continue without you. Is he able to follow the tune and rhythm?
Variations:
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1. Another song you can sing is Bingo. Begin the song with:
There was a farmer who had a dog
And Bingo was his nameo!
BINGO
BINGO
BINGO
Now repeat the song and when you spell the name, replace the first letter with a clap:
ClapINGO
ClapINGO
ClapINGO
Again repeat the song and when you spell the name, replace the first two letters with a clap. Encourage your child to vocalize,
even if he cannot pronounce the speech sounds. Continue replacing sounds until finally you clap rhythmically 15 times in a row
and sing the final line with gusto!
ANEVERYDAYACTIVITY:SortingLaundry
To provide an opportunity for your child to learn language while being your helper
What You Need:
Laundry to be sorted and folded
What to Do:
1. Sit next to your child, with the clothes to be sorted in front of you. Take a minute to think about the kinds of things you will
be able to talk about with each article of clothing: names of the clothing, colors, sizes, textures, designs, and to whom each piece
of clothing belongs.
2. Take one piece of clothing out of the basket or pile in front of you. Say something about it. You might say:
Heres a shirt. What is it? Its a shirt.
What do you have? Is it a shirt?
Lets fold the shirt.
3. Adjust the language to your childs level. If he is learning the names of colors, talk about the colors of the clothing:
What color is the shirt?
Give me the blue shirt.
Where is the red shirt?
4. If your child is learning to count, you can take the opportunity during laundry sorting to count things. You might say:
We have two socks.
How many buttons?
Count the buttons.
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5. Continue talking naturally, saying something about each piece of clothing as you sort and fold it. Ask questions and comment
on whatever your child says. Keep the conversation flowing. Putting away the laundry after it is sorted and folded will help to
reinforce the language you have used.
6. Each time you have an opportunity, remember to integrate this activity into reallife situations. If your child is able to hear
most speech sounds, use audition only to help develop his auditory perception.
Variations
1. Sorting laundry can be an opportunity for your child to match things. Pick up one sock in a pair and see if your child can find
the other. Talk about the socks being the same.
2. Use names of articles of clothing while dressing and undressing your child or a doll. These words can be used while looking at
magazines, books or catalogs and while shopping. If you are emphasizing the name of one particular article of clothing, look for
opportunities to use it during the day:
Your shirt is dirty.
Lets find another shirt.
Do you want the red shirt or the blue shirt?
You tore your shirt.
1. When your child is beginning to recognize and understand the names of some articles of clothing, you can give him a chance
to use his understanding. For example, if he understands the word shirt, ask him to hand you one. You can say, Give me a
shirt, and then pause, providing an opportunity for your child to demonstrate that he knows what you want. If he hands you a
shirt, reinforce his understanding of the language by saying, Yes, thats a shirt. Good listening!
2. Let your preschooler have a turn telling you which article of clothing to fold. After folding a piece of laundry, ask, What shall I
fold? Give Daddy a shirt.
If he doesnt understand what you want, repeat the phrase or use a similar one such as I need a shirt. Then help him find a shirt
and try again.
3. When your child clearly understands the word shirt, you can gradually introduce concepts such as: Tshirt, sweatshirt,
dress shirt. Try to use audition instead of letting your child look at your face if he is able to hear the sounds of speech.
PLAYTIMEACTIVITY:Puzzles
To provide an opportunity for your child to learn about sizes and shapes
What You Need:
Singlepiece puzzles (Each puzzle piece should represent a single object. Puzzles made of wood or sturdy material are best.)
What to Do:
1. Sit next to your child. Take the pieces out of the puzzle and put them in front of you. Put the puzzle board in front of your
child. Take one puzzle piece, pause a moment and say something such as:
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Heres an apple.
Put the apple in.
Where does the apple go?
2. Your child may need some assistance in placing the piece into the correct place so it will fit. Help him, and talk to him. You
might say:
Do you want some help?
Ill help you.
Turn it.
The apple goes here.
Push.
3. After the piece is in the puzzle, praise your child and reinforce the language you have used. You can say:
You put the apple in.
Good job!
4. The puzzle you are using will determine other kinds of things to do, for example:
Animal puzzles are good for vocal play using animal sounds: roar for the lion, bowwow for the dog, quack for the duck, meow for
the cat. You may find your child trying to imitate your sounds, but do not force him to do so.
Transportation puzzles provide an opportunity for vocal play using sounds made by different vehicles. As you did in Lesson Ones
SPEECH game, you can use, Choochoo for the train and Vroom vroom for the car.
An ideal followup to fruit puzzles is making a fruit salad. Have a little conversation:
Where is the apple?
What shall we put in next?
What shall we do with the banana?
Variations:
1. Vary the game by varying the puzzles. Whenever possible, choose puzzles containing things that are familiar and of interest
to your child. A puzzle with a lion, zebra, elephant and tiger is a good preparation or followup for a trip to the zoo. If your child
enjoys helping you set the table, use a puzzle duplicating a table setting with plate, cup, fork, knife, etc.
2. Your child can enjoy matching shapes and sizes in other sorting toys such as a sorting box, ball or rack. These toys have
objects which fit through holes of a matching shape. There are a variety of them available for purchase at many toy stores.
After your child has had many successful experiences using singlepiece puzzles, you can try more advanced puzzles which
require two or more pieces to complete the picture or shape. Remember to talk naturally throughout the activity.
E)SUMMARY
Be on your childs level when you talk to him.
Point out sounds to your preschoolereven very soft sounds.
Use your everyday activities to teach your preschooler listening, speech and language skills.
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Sing and enjoy nursery rhymes together every day.
LinkstoMore
Everyday Sounds
Early Listening Questionnaire
GototheNextLesson
YES! You have completed readingLesson 3: Sound Recognition. Now try some ideas with your child. Consider sharing questions
and successes using theyellow box on any page. Your changing concerns and your childs increasing skills will be saved in
reports Ive sent. You can use these forms to show service providers or family and celebrate progress together. Then proceed to
Lesson 4: Meaningful Interactionsso this course becomes an individualized guideor go back to thePreschool Course contentto
Lesson4:MeaningfulInteractions
A)LISTENING
If you are working with your child on developing spoken language, you naturally want to know that she will speak clearly and be
understood by others. In each lesson we emphasize the need to check your little ones hearing aids or cochlear implant. In order
to learn to speak well, your child must be able to hear as much as possible. Your child also needs good audiologic evaluations and
consistent followup. You will then always be sure that she is able to hear and respond to speech as well as possible. This is the
basis of your childs spoken language skills.
Your child also needs followup with her physician to check for ear wax or middle ear fluid. Wax can cause a significant decrease
in hearing levels, especially in the low frequencies. Ear canals create wax to push out foreign objects, so it is natural that there will
be more wax in an ear canal with an ear mold. If your child easily develops wax, you will want to have her ear specialist wash it out
frequently.
Middle ear fluid or infections not only cause a drop in hearing levels, but also can cause your little one to be uncomfortable
wearing hearing aids. Your ear specialist must treat middle ear infections very aggressively so that your childs hearing levels
remain as stable as possible. If your child has an ear infection, you might find that her speech becomes mushy or that she begins
to leave off the beginnings and endings of words.
Its time to pull out your notebook again. Take a look at your preschoolers last audiogram. Was it done more than six months
ago? If so, give your audiologist a call to set up an appointment.
Now look back at your Frequency Spectrum of Familiar Sounds. You have plotted your little ones unaided and aided hearing levels,
and now you need to look carefully at the speech sounds that she is able to hear. These speech sounds are only an approximation
of their exact loudness levels, so you are just using them as a guide.
With amplification, is your child responding to sound at least at 50 dB in low, mid and high frequencies? If so, she will be well
aware of voice sounds. She will also be able to hear her own voice, so you might find that she begins to make sounds as soon as
her amplification is turned on. Depending on her hearing levels, you might find that her spontaneous vocalizations consist of
louder, lowpitched sounds such as, aaaah or bababa. She might babble these sounds repeatedly while she plays.
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If your youngster is able to hear softer, highfrequency sounds, you might find that she spontaneously combines sounds using
/h/, /sh/ and /p/ along with vowel sounds. She will probably be jargoning. This means that she will use inflection as she raises
and lowers her voice in a slight singing manner as she babbles and vocalizes. She might make her voice loud or soft as she plays
with sounds. And she will use long and short sounds. If your child is jargoning, it sounds like she is having a conversation using
nonsense words. This is lots of fun for beginning talkers!
B)LANGUAGE
As you talk to your child, she will develop her language skills. Then she will put her speech skills into her language. In other
words, she must be able to express herself with word approximations first. It doesnt matter how those words sound, but only that
she is able to make a sound, which signifies what she wants to express. Then you can work with her to make those sounds into
clear speech.
Books can be your most effective method for informal language and speech teaching. Whether your child is at the beginning
stages of word approximations or combining words into phrases or sentences, speech skills can be gained as you read together.
How do you learn speech and language skills with books? The story of The Three Bears might be an example. What do the bears
say? How do they speak? Practice the words first and then try to use a low pitch for Papa Bear, a mid pitch for Mama Bear and a
high pitch for Baby Bear. Reading and telling stories to your preschooler are excellent activities for informal speech and language
lessons. And its fun!
As you listen to your preschooler combine words, you might feel concerned because they are not clear. Think about a particular
speech sound you want your child to learn. It might be /sh/. Several nursery rhymes include the word sheep. Put them to good
use as you enjoy them with your child. This is a great way to practice /sh/!
Think about your childs interests. Maybe she loves boats. Expand her language, then, to ship. Find a book or draw pictures to
be your springboard for using ship in a story.
A book about a baby sleeping will give you a chance to talk about the baby. Shhhhh, dont wake the baby. Does she understand
this concept? If she does, you can begin to work on speech skills. Repeat the sound. Make it close to her hearing aid or cochlear
implant. No matter how your child makes the sound, praise her for a job well done, for every attempt will bring her closer to
success. And be patient. Snuggle up together as you tell the stories to each other. This is a special time for both of you.
Always remember that you are very important in helping your young child develop her speech. Your love and support are as
significant as any help a trained professional can give her. As you expose your child to your good model, you help her understand
that your speech is meaningful and that speech is used for communication. As you first encourage her to play with her voice and
then begin to use it meaningfully, your expectations will continue to help her progress from the earliest foundation you have built.
C)SPEECH
By now, you probably have a SPEECH section in your notebook. Parents observations of their children are revealing and
important. If you havent brought your notes about your preschoolers speech development up to date, now is the time to do so.
And its such fun to listen to your little one as she experiments in using her voice. Whether she is babbling or jargoning, you will
want to listen carefully. What sounds does she make? Does she combine these sounds? Is her voice loud or soft? Take some
notes and write the date. Next month, take more notes. You might be surprised at the changes you hear.
DevelopmentofSpeechSounds
Many parents expect their child to imitate every speech sound she is able to hear. However, some sounds are very difficult for a
small child to copy. In fact, children with normal hearing continue to develop their ability to make correct speech sounds up to
eight years of age. The vowel sounds come first and your preschooler may be saying all of them now. Consonants for normally
hearing children develop in this order:
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Age 3: p, m, h, n, w, b
Age 45: k, g, d, f, v
Age 6: t, n, g, r, l
Age 8: s, j, sh, ch
Now its time to think about your childs hearing age and the sounds she is able to hear. You considered hearing age in
previous lessons. Lets think about it again. If a child is three years old and has been wearing amplification for one year, her
hearing age is one year. Oneyearold babies generally use a variety of vowel sounds with ease. She should also be babbling with
consonants such as /m/ and /b/. This child should have these sounds, and because she is physically three years old and better
able to control her muscles, she will soon add more and more sounds. If her amplification is appropriate and she can hear most
speech sounds, she will begin to catch up to her chronological age development in speech.
A child with normal hearing who is learning to talk often needs to repeat her words so that you can understand her. Sometimes
only family members understand a childs beginning words, or she may make errors in her speech patterns. Your child with a
hearing loss will need time to learn to talk, too.
Informal Speech Testing
InformalSpeechTesting
The work of a teacher or therapist trained to work with children who have a hearing loss is important. However, remember that
you do the best and most important speech teaching in the world during your natural routine and home activities. If your child
develops listening, speech and spoken language informally, her need for formal therapy is reduced by a significant amount of time!
You informally teach your little one while you talk and sing to her in your home environment, run errands together, play together,
visit Grandma and Grandpa or have play dates with other children. Everything you do with your child gives you an opportunity to
provide her with a small, informal speech lesson. How is this done? Here are some ideas
Possibly you have stairs in your home and you and your child are walking up them. You can say, Up, up, up. Lets go up! Up, up
we go! Stop about halfway upstairs. This will probably get her attention. Say, Up, up, up once again and then add, Your turn!
Up, Up! Wait to see if she will try to imitate this and practice making speech sounds. Immediately respond with actionclimbing
up the stairs.
You might be cooking dinner in the kitchen and you are ready to peel carrots. Count them together as you take them out of the
refrigerator. Let your voice linger over the sounds as you say, One, twoooo, threeee
Singing together is one of the best methods of developing good speech. An alltime favorite of little children in the United States
is Old MacDonald Had a Farm. This is a great song to sing to and with children who have a hearing loss. It has a wonderful
variety of sounds. And, of course, for those who are Englishspeaking, the Alphabet Song will give your preschooler all the
sounds of the alphabet. It doesnt matter if she understands the concept of the alphabet at first. Most children dont. Its just
plain fun for a youngster to try to produce the rhythm and intonation of the song. This is true whether a child has normal hearing
or if the child has a hearing loss. What are some of the favorite songs of preschoolers in your country or culture? These will be
just right to enjoy with your child, too!
How can you help your child increase the speech sounds she is able to make? You can play vocal games with her by imitating the
sounds she makes and adding a few new sounds. Remember to keep this time fun so she will associate it with a meaningful
interaction with you. For example, if your childs hearing age is one year, you might say, Bababoo. Repeat these sounds a few
times as she watches you and then listen for her to imitate. Later you might add a new sound: Gagagagoo. Playing with
sounds such as this is fun for a child, so make this a special time. Laugh together and enjoy the sounds you both make!
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VoiceQuality
Voice quality refers to the degree of naturalness in your childs voice. If she is using her hearing well, her voice quality should
sound similar to that of any child her age. Listen to your little one carefully and you will soon realize how her voice quality changes
in different situations. Most importantly, you will be aware of the effect on her speech when her hearing changes as a result of
colds, allergies or wax.
SpeechQuality
In Lesson One we talked about basic assessment of duration, intensity and pitch. Now we want to give you ideas to help you help
your preschooler develop these important speech qualities. Before continuing, you might like a quick review. If so, turn back to
Lesson One.
Here are some ideas for using everyday activities to work with your child on duration, intensity and pitch.
If your child is just beginning to develop spoken language, you will want to use vowel and consonant sounds in association with
actions. For example, when you are serving a favorite food like ice cream, you might say, Mmmmmm. Ice cream. This mmmm
sound will be somewhat long (duration), louder than most consonants (intensity) and have a deep, more bass sound (pitch).
Playtime is a great time for working on your childs skills. Make a list of your preschoolers favorite toys. Maybe she loves puzzles
or cars and trucks. Stop and think about what sounds might be associated with these toys.
The car might go, Beep, beep, beep. Now you have short duration, somewhat loud intensity and higher pitch.
A favorite puzzle might be of an airplane. As you put it together, you can hold a piece and fly it into place as you say,
Wheeeeee! This is the perfect sound to end the activity, too. All done! Its an airplane. Wheee!
If your child is saying words and short phrases, you will model duration, intensity and pitch with the words she knows and uses.
Possibly after lunch, your child puts her leftover food in the garbage can. You say to her, Throw it away. She responds, Toh
wa. Now you will repeat your phrase, but stress the duration and pitch. Make the phrase sound a bit musical as you change the
pitch. Lengthen the words to stress duration. Throw it awaaay. Your little child will probably think this is all one word, and
thats fine. Right now she needs to know the meaning of this phrase and the sound of it. Later the clarity will develop.
You can also imitate your childs words and create a speech feedback loop. Its 5:00 PM and your little daughter has been
looking out the window waiting for Daddy to return from work. As the car comes into the driveway, she might say, Daddy home.
Your response could be, Daddys home. Daddys home. Emphasize the intonation, make it songlike and let your voice reflect all
the happiness you both feel as this special person enters the door. Soon your childs use of this phrase will reflect her developing
sense of pitch, duration and intensity.
Whispering(asubskillofintensity)
Even if your little one cannot easily hear a whisper, she can learn this skill. When you whisper close to her hearing aid, she will be
aware of your voice and the difference in its sound. Show her by your facial expression that you are whispering. Then you can play
whispering games.
Choose a word that she knows and whisper it while sitting in front of her.
You may like to pretend that you are putting a doll or stuffed animal to sleep. Then tell her to whisper a word to you.
It will take lots of practice, but this can be a good game for places like a waiting room or a bus. You can also play it while baby is sleeping. (Baby can be a
sibling or a favorite stuffed animal or doll.)
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Rhythm(asubskillofduration)
Our speech is based on rhythm. There is a rhythm in the number of syllables in each word and in the way we use words in
sentences.
Its easy to teach your preschooler about rhythm in speech. Phrases such as, I seee you, and Oh yeaah? can be
exaggerated a bit while your child learns their rhythm. Think of phrases that you say in a variety of rhythm patterns. Choose one
or two and find opportunities to use them with your child every day.
Of course, singing is the best practice of rhythm. In Lesson Three we talked about nursery rhymes. If your child is a bit older, you
might want to find a few childrens songs that she will enjoy. One song that U.S. preschoolers especially enjoy is Bingo. Your
child can have fun with this one, too!
There was a farmer who had a dog
Bingo was his nameO
BINGO
BINGO
BINGO
And Bingo was his nameO
After your child is having fun singing this song, you can substitute handclaps for the letters in the dogs name. For example,
clapINGO, followed the next time with clapclapNGO and so on until you and your preschooler are clapping five times.
MonitoringHerOwnSpeech
It is important for your child eventually to be able to monitor her own speech without relying on corrections. The more practice
she has using her speech, the more memory she will acquire of how to produce each sound. She does this by remembering how
she hears the sound, and also how she feels it. Gradually her speech will become more automatic and natural, and producing
sounds wont require concentration and thought from her.
Until this happens, you will want to encourage your child. It is important to let her know that you do understand what she has
said, but that you just dont understand her speech completely. You can simply be honest and tell her, I understand. You want an
apple. Say it one more time. Apple. I want an apple. Give your preschooler the opportunity to repeat your model of the word or
phrase just once. If your child is able to say the word again much better, you will want to respond with lots of praise. However,
even if she cannot make the word any clearer, she should still be praised for trying: Thats a good try! Heres your apple!
When you give your child the opportunity to attempt the word just one time, its essential to respond with the appropriate response
words and/or actions immediately. When her efforts to communicate by using her voice are rewarded, she is motivated to keep
trying. Practice is essential, for perfecting speech is a gradual process.
FormalTeaching
Not all children with hearing losses need formal speech and language therapy. However, support is needed with early intervention
specialists to provide guidance to the family as they help their child to develop language skills. Children should receive
intervention at birth and this can lead to formal therapy when a child is ready to sit and listen (usually around three years of age).
If a child is two years old and does not have the spoken language skills of a hearing twoyearold child, speech therapy is
necessary to bring him to his chronological age level.
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The games and activities that you are doing with our lessons will help you give your child the foundation she needs for these
formal sessions. Your informal, playcentered interactions are still important and should continue even after formal therapy
begins.
Speech sounds must be developed in conjunction with a spoken language system. In other words, your child will need to have
some spontaneous spoken words that she uses during meaningful interactions with others prior to the formal development of
individual sounds. Be sure your therapist is working on spoken language development at the same time she is developing new
speech sounds.
FormalTherapy
What can you expect from a therapist? Your childs therapist needs to have special training on how to develop speech and spoken
language with children with a hearing loss. Ask your childs therapist about her training. While the therapist will encourage your
preschooler to use her residual hearing, her listening skills, and all the other communication skills that you have been developing
with her informally, this work will be done in a more structured, oneonone setting. In formal therapy sessions, she will be
working on spoken language development at the same time she is developing new speech sounds.
Your childs therapist will begin with a formal assessment of your childs language, speech and listening skills. There are some
excellent assessment instruments that have been developed specifically for children who have a hearing loss. Ask your therapist
which assessments will be administered. Ask her to explain the assessment tool to you. As a vital member of your childs team,
you should be able to observe this process. You should have the chance to make valuable contributions about your childs current
level of functioning.
Following the assessment process, the therapist should develop shortterm and longterm speech, listening and spokenlanguage
goals and objectives for your child. There are ways to develop each and every speech sound. Your childs auditory system is the
fastest and most efficient way to go about this. There is also a wellestablished order for the development of speech sounds for
children with a hearing loss.
A question that will probably come to mind is, How do I know if a therapist is right for my child? As we mentioned, your childs
therapist should have specific, clinical training in working with children who have a hearing loss. The therapist should:
be knowledgeable about hearing aids and cochlear implants.

be knowledgeable about the development of speech and spoken language using audition.
use a wide variety of interesting, childcentered activities that challenge but do not frustrate your child.
avoid touching or manipulating your child to achieve results.
guide you in correcting your youngsters speech.
include you and keep you well informed about your preschoolers sessions and progress.
Progress will be made over time and substantiated through ongoing assessments. Be sure to request copies of all assessments and keep them in your
notebook!
Speechreading
Parents often ask how to teach speechreading to a child who has a hearing loss. There are many situations in which your little one
will naturally watch and develop skills in speechreading. Specific times that she cannot wear amplification might occur when she is
swimming or during bath time. If she wears an implant, she will remove it to play on plastic toys where electrostatic discharge
(ESD) may be an issue. Or, her amplification might be broken and you cannot obtain a loaner device quickly. Often children have
ear infections and cannot wear hearing aids. During these times, your child will rely on speech reading, which means she will
watch and follow the movements of the speakers lips as well as watch facial expressions, eyes and any nonverbal clues she has to
understand a spoken message.
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Remember that you can help your child by doing a deep kneebend so you are at her height, and repeat words when necessary
because it is difficult to understand every word when she is only looking at your face. In fact, only 33 percent of speech is
understandable through speech reading so your child will need all the information you can give her.
Also, it is important to realize that it is difficult for a child to understand changes in conversation when using only speechreading
to understand you. So if you tell her that its raining outside and then change the subject to Grandma coming tomorrow to visit,
your child might think you are telling her that Grandma is outside in the rain. Take a little extra time to be sure she understands.
As she becomes older, she will be able to focus on a conversation for a longer amount of time and have less difficulty following a
conversation.
Technological advances have helped many children who wear hearing aids to understand speech, and it is important for you to
give your child every opportunity to learn by audition. In fact, there will be times when you want to only focus on listening
because your little one will learn to listen by practicing a lot. Your child can listen to the sound of the computer or the person
outside or overhearing her sister on the telephone. Natural listening is important. However, learning to understand speech by
looking at your face also plays a role in your childs communication skills.
View brief video clip celebrating the progress of JTC preschooler enjoying vowel fun with a parent.
Teach sequencing through stories and tasks.
View a video clip from an individual speech language session involvingidentifying objects.
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LISTENING:AConditionedResponsetoSound
To help your child learn to make a response to sound as she listens and looks, and then through listening alone .
To prepare your child for a hearing evaluation, where she will be asked to make a response to sound.
What You Need:
Four or five blocks (or any small object)
A box
A helper
What to Do:
Be sure to check your childs hearing aids or cochlear implant before playing this or any game!
1. Say a word or phrase such as Go or Put it in as your child watches. Have your helper drop a block in the box immediately
after voice is produced. Do this two or three times.
2. Then have the helper hold your childs hand and help her drop the block in the box immediately after you speak.
3. After several times, your child will learn to wait and listen and then respond herself. If she is very young, it may take a while
for her to learn to respond. Be patient. Help her when she needs help and praise her when she succeeds.
4. As soon as your child consistently responds while listening and looking, try saying the word or phrase where she cannot see
it. (Dont move yourself too great a distance from your child, just conceal yourself from her vision.) If she is unable to respond
through listening alone, go back to listening and looking.
Variations:
1. Let your child be the teacher and say something while you drop the block in the bucket.
2. Vary the response items. Use checkers, large buttons, or clothespins instead of blocks; a bowl, basket or muffin tin in place of
the box.
3. Language: There is additional language to use during this game. Here are some examples:
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Listen!
I heard that.
Wait. Its my turn.
Its your turn.
Put it in the box.
Drop another block.
If Your Child Is Ready: Advanced Listening Skills
1. Spend an afternoon at the park or nearby school. Let your child enjoy going down the slide by herself while you encourage
her. Then teach her to sit at the top of the slide and slide down when you say, Go!
2. You can also play with blocks, building a tower and knocking it over when you say, Go!
3. This activity can also be played with music. You can play the childrens song Pop Goes the Weasel, marching while the song
is played and then jumping when you hear the word, Pop!
LANGUAGE:WhereDoYourToysGo?
To introduce the concept of sorting objects (toys) into different classifications
To develop your childs sense of responsibility
What You Need:
Your childs toys
Places to put the toys
What to Do:
1. Get ready by organizing places to put away your childs toys. You might use containers boxes, large paper bags, plastic
dishpans or crates or even sections of shelves. Paste or tape pictures of the types of toys on each container or shelf where the
toys will be placed.
Have separate places for balls, blocks, dolls, puzzles, toy animals and toy vehicles. You may start with only two containers for two
types of toys. As your child catches on to the activity, add additional ones. This activity will provide opportunities for you to
reinforce the words your child is specifically learning.
Use several pictures on one container or shelf to show that several types of things will go there. For example, a box which is meant
to store different toy vehicles such as cars, trucks and airplanes might have pictures of a car, an airplane and a truck on the
outside.
2. Start by picking up a toy a car, for example. Say something to identify what it is, such as Heres a car. Point to the picture
of the car on the container and say, Thats a car. Hold the toy car next to the picture of the car and say something such as, Its
the same. Put the car in. Help your child put the car into the correct container.
3. Take another car and give it to your child. Say something to her about what you want her to do such as, Put away the car, or
Where does the car go? Pause for a moment to see if she can put it away by herself, then help her find the right container.
4. Pick up another toy, perhaps a book this time, and go through the same process of matching the object to the picture on the
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container, and then putting the toy away.

5. Continue talking about each toy every time you and your child do this activity. Your child may quickly catch on to the idea of
putting toys in containers and matching the kind of object to the picture on it, but she still needs a lot of practice to learn the
vocabulary that describes these objects. Conversation becomes important now. You might say, What do you have? When your
child tells you, respond with, You are right! Its a car! Where does it go? Will she tell you, Inside or Up here?
6. If your child has good listening skills, try to do this activity using audition alone as you sit beside her so that she cannot easily
see your face. Do this after she is comfortable with the activity and knows the language you will be using.
Variations:
Your child can help you put clean silverware and dishes away. Silverware is especially good for young childrenoften it is kept in
sorting containers and the child can see the forks, knives (no sharp knives) and spoons each in their own little section.
1. A more advanced child can learn about paired objectsthings that commonly go togetherby getting, using or putting them
away. Your child can learn cup and saucer, knife and fork, and salt and pepper, while helping to set the table. During cleanup
or bathtime, she can learn soap and water. Be sure to keep the conversation going. What shall we put on the table? Youre
right, a knife and fork! Where are they? Yes, they are in the drawer.
2. Your child can help you put away household items as you straighten or clean up the house: Daddys shoes go in Daddys
room, glasses go in the kitchen, a blanket on the bed or couch.
3. Your child can help you put away groceries after a trip to the store: canned goods and boxes on the shelf, cold food in the
refrigerator, laundry products in the laundry room, soap and toothpaste in the bathroom.
SPEECH:TellingaStory
To help your child learn how to relate past events;
To use voice in telling a story
To begin to understand that print with pictures can tell a story
What You Need:
A simple scrapbook or notebook
Photographs from your camera, or
Your own simple drawing of an experience (stick figures are fine)
What to Do:
1. Think of a simple activity you can share with your child. Possibly you will water flowers together or bake cookies.
2. Draw simple pictures to illustrate your activity or have someone take three or four photos. You might have a picture of the
flowers, the hose, and the water from the hose on the flowers.
3. Place each picture on one page of your book.
4. Write a brief sentence under each picture. Your child will not be able to read it, but she will understand that your writing has
meaning.
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5. Sit beside your child and talk about each picture.

Here are the flowers.
We used the hose.
We watered the flowers.
6. Now its your childs turn to tell the story. She does not need to use perfect speech, but she can approximate words and use
her own sentence associated with the activity.
Variations:
Let your child read her experience book to someone else. Grandparents, aunts and uncles are often very good listeners. After
listening, they can ask questions and have a little conversation about the activity.
What color are those pretty flowers?
Where did the water go? Is it in the ground?
Show me the flowers outside!
Try to read stories to your little one every day. You can repeat the stories she enjoys, for children like to look at books and videos
over and over. It is also useful to establish routines with each book and encourage communication with questions, such as:
What happened to the piggy?
Who do you think left the house?
What animal do you think followed him?
The child is verrrrry lit. Wait for your child to finish the word.
Reading can be a relaxing experience. An hour before bedtime is often a perfect time to read a book, but any time of day can
provide a good shared reading experience.
ANEVERYDAYACTIVITY:BrushingTeeth
To expose your child to language used during brushing her teeth
To help her listen to the sound of running water
What You will Need:
Your childs toothbrush
A small stool
What to Do:
1. Place a small stool in front of your bathroom washbasin so your child can stand on it and be able to turn on the water faucet.
2. Let your child turn the water on and off. Call her attention to the sound of the running water. Talk about the water.
Lets turn the water on.
Listen! The water is running!
Is the water cold?
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3. Talk to your child while she brushes her teeth.

Where is your toothbrush?
Put on the toothpaste. Do you want some help?
Brush your back teeth.
Brush the teeth in front.
OK, rinse your mouth. Where is the cup?
Variation:
Washing hands is another time when water is turned on and off and is hot and cold. Hands can be dirty or clean.
Lets wash your hands.
Where is the soap?
What will you do next? Dry your hands.
Where is the towel?
THINKINGACTIVITY:Cooking
To develop sequencing skills
To understand cause and effect
To learn new language associated with food preparation
To practice premath skills
What You Need:
Ingredients for chocolate milk or pudding
What to Do:
If your child is two to three years old:
1. Have a carton of milk and some chocolate on the counter top. Be sure to have a stool so your child can easily reach the
ingredients.
2. Tell your child, We are going to make chocolate milk.
3. Help her pour milk into a plastic cup while you say, Lets pour the milk. Good! You are pouring the milk. Even if your child
is not looking at you, she will be aware that you are talking.
4. Help your child put a spoonful of chocolate into the milk while you say, Lets put in the chocolate. Now stir the chocolate.
5. Be sure to tell her what she made. Look, you made chocolate milk! Is it good? Taste it. Yes, its good! Its good chocolate
milk!
If your child is three or four years old:
1. Gather pictures to demonstrate how to make pudding using either a mixer or a bowl and spoon. You will need a picture of a
measuring cup, a carton of milk, the package of pudding and the mixer. These pictures can be found in magazines, or you can
draw them if necessary.
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2. Put the pictures in order: measuring cup, milk, mixer and pudding package. Tell your child that she is going to make
pudding.
3. Show her the first picture and say, First we need the measuring cup and the milk. Help her pour the milk into the cup while
you talk to her. Pour the milk. Good for you! You poured the milk into the cup.
4. Show her the bowl and tell her to pour the milk into it. Again talk about what she is doing. Pour the milk into the bowl.
5. Now give her the package of pudding. Ask, What do we do now? Encourage her to tell you that the package needs to be
opened. Talk about it. Yes, we need to open the package. Can you do that? Do you need help?
6. Show her that the pudding needs to be put into the bowl and then help her place the mixer in and turn it on. Do you hear
that? The mixer is loud!
7. Again you can use the word Pour as you pour the pudding into containers. Enjoy eating it together!
If your child is five years old:
1. Make pudding with your child as described above. During the next few days, again take out the ingredients and pictures and
invite your child to make pudding with you.
2. This time, ask her what to do. When she points to the milk, pick up the container and ask, What do you do now? Wait for
her to tell you that she will pour the milk into the measuring cup. If she needs help remembering, show her the pictures and again
ask what to do.
3. Use the same language as she pours the milk into the cup and then pours the milk into the bowl. Talk about everything she is
doing.
Next time, dont help her at all, but be there to supervise while she uses the mixer. You might be surprised how well your child is
able to make pudding all by herself!
And on occasion you can do absurd things like trying to pour milk without opening the container, or trying to use the blender
without turning it on. This will motivate your child to communicate and speak to you. Model the language you want her to say
without asking her to repeat it, but instead to just listen as you enjoy this activity together. For example:
Oh, of course! We have to open the milk!
Oh, I understand! We have to turn on the mixer. Of course! Lets turn on the mixer.
E)SUMMARY
Take advantage of your childs interests to teach her new language.
Update the Speech section of your notebook.
Listen to your childs voice quality as it changes in different situations.
List some sounds you can use as you and your preschooler enjoy her favorite toys.
Remember to praise your childs efforts to use her voice.
LinkstoMore
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Speech and Spoken Language

Development of Speech Sounds
GototheNextLesson
YES! You have completed reading Lesson 4: Meaningful Interactions. Now try some ideas with your child. Consider sharing
proceed toLesson 5: Play Activitiesso this course becomes an individualized guideor go back to thePreschool Course contentto
Lesson5:PlayActivities
AboutPlay
Your preschooler will spend much of his time playing. This is time well spent, for play is the real business of childhood. There are
many different kinds of play your child will enjoy, and every type of play will teach him something important. Through play, your
child develops his mind, his body and with your help and guidance, his communication skills.
Through group play, children develop those allimportant social skills. Because your preschooler has a hearing loss, the language
of play activities may need to be specifically presented. Be part of your childs playtime, for you must be on hand to supply the
language at the moment that your child needs it. The names of his toys, their colors, how many he has, as well as words to
describe what he does with them, are all part of this language of playtime. Dont forget the common phrases used in the play of
young children such as, Its mine or My/your turn or Im going to be the fireman. If you provide this language along with
opportunities and appropriate materials, your child will do the rest.
So much learning occurs as your little one plays. He is learning about himself, about his body, what he can and cannot do. He is
learning about the objects that he handleswhether they are soft or hard, rough or smooth, whether they bend or are stiff. He
learns that some objectsballs, cars, trucksmove when they are pushed, while otherslarge chairs and tablesdo not. He
learns that sometimes, toys (objects) break. He learns that he can change the shape of some things, like clay, but not of others,
like a doll or a pail. He learns that a ball is permanent and a bubble is not. In short, while he is developing his fine and gross
motor skills, he is also developing his cognitive ability.
Children use their imaginations to develop receptive and expressive language and to use approximate mental representation. This
all happens at the same time because this process is closely interrelated. Pretend play includes negotiation between children who
have different ideas, the representation of objects that are both real and imagined, and acting out roles which imagine other
peoples thoughts and emotions. All of these actions suggest that the child has the capability of mental representation. The
manner in which children understand someone elses thoughts is demonstrated on many occasions in pretend play. The
developmental sequence of pretend play begins at approximately three years of age with actions. At four or five years of age,
children develop the ability to realize that their thoughts are a unique expression of their own lives, so playing with dolls might
include imagining a little brother or a single parent. Children demonstrate many cognitive strategies in pretend play. These
include planning, negotiation, resolution of problems and searching for goals. Pretend play is an essential part of the lives of small
children and its importance also extends into primary school.
A)LISTENING
Many parents feel that there should be special toys for their youngster who has a hearing loss. It is important to realize that there
are no toys made specifically for children with a hearing loss. Your child might not be able to hear the softer sounds that toys
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make, but you can guide him in listening to the sounds he can hear. Encourage him to put his ear near the toy and to listen
closely. He will be delighted with the sounds he hears. Learning to listen for the noise of a toy is not only part of the fun for your
child, but also great training for listening to other sounds in his world.
Since you have plotted your childs audiogram on the Frequency Spectrum of Familiar Sounds, you know what he can hear.
Possibly the highpitched sound of a whistle will be difficult for him, but he likes the lowpitched sound of a drum. Will he
respond to a pretend siren? What about toy horns or other musical instruments?
Some toys make noise and some noises can be made with objects used as toys by little children. Call your childs attention to
these sounds as they occur. A toy fire truck may make a sound when it is pushed. If your youngster bangs a spoon on a metal
bowl, he makes the noise happen. In both cases, point to your ear and say, I heard that. Watch your little ones face closely.
Does he hear it? Be alert for signs that your child hears and listens to these sounds.
As your child is approaching the age of three, he will begin to understand the idea of taking turns and of waiting. As he waits, he
must listen and watch for an indication that it is his turn. A great way to teach this is by playing ball with your child. When you
play ball, you might say, My turn, Your turn, Daddys turn, as the ball is tossed or rolled from person to person. Your child
needs to listen and to watch. In such a game, the idea of taking turns is picked up in a logical way. When he is comfortable with
this concept, you will ask, Whose turn is it? If he does not say anything, you provide the right words as a model, Yes, its your
turn.
Learning to take turns is a natural leadin to waiting, which is often difficult for any preschooler. Waiting and learning to give and
take can be introduced in lively action games that require only a short wait for your childs turn. This will usually guarantee a
childs acceptance of this new concept. There is no doubt that once he has learned to take turns, the idea of waiting will become
much easier for him. When he starts to move out of turn, you can say, Wait. Its my turn.
Teaching your child to wait his turn will help him in his play with other children. Eventually he will be willing to wait when he needs
to. Remember, thoughhes a preschooler and he simply wont be able to wait very long. Offer comments like, Wait. Its Susies
turn. Next its your turn. When he does wait patiently, reward him, as encouragement in this area is very important. You might
say, Good job! You waited your turn, or simply, You waited! as you give him a smile and a pat on the back. Learning to play
together takes practice. Play is an excellent time to use listening and language skills.
B)LANGUAGE
When you are involved in your childs play, his opportunity for learning language is maximized. You will have many opportunities
for introducing words and using familiar language when playing with your child. Whatever activity you and your child are enjoying,
use the natural language that describes the toys or actions. While reading a book together, you might say, Turn the page, or
describe an illustration by commenting, Oh! Its a puppy! Its jumping! When playing with clay, you might say, The clay is soft.
Roll, roll, roll it. Perhaps you and your child are enjoying a game of Follow the Leader. You could say, How big you are! You
dont fit. Climb over the stool. Play is a time to develop your childs actionoriented words!
TalkAboutYourChildsToys
All of your childs toysand what he does with themprovide countless opportunities for meaningful conversation. Bikes or
tricycles are ridden; wagons are pulled and loaded; doll buggies and toy lawn mowers are pushed; dolls are carried, hugged, loved,
fed and put to bed. Toy cars are pushed and they go fast and slow.
Simple, inexpensive homemade toys to be enjoyed alone or with others can also be used to promote your childs growth and
development. Too many toys presented at one time can be distracting to any child. Encourage good clean up skills by having a
place to put all toys away when your child is finished or when its time to clean up.
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Toys that provide opportunities for interactions with other children are important, such as balls and dressup clothes. Balls are
rolled, pushed, caught, kicked and thrown; they are big and little, soft and hard, red, blue and yellow. Sometimes they are even
lost: Where is your ball? They are also happily found: You found your ball. It was under the chair, behind the sofa, on the
shelf, or in the closet. Puzzles need to be dumped out, and puzzle pieces put in. You might say, Put the orange in. Where is
the apple? Here are the grapes. Playing dressup is a chance for lots of conversation, too.
YourLanguageIsaModelforYourChild
While you are working around the house or yard, your child is busy at his job, too. He is playing! Even as you go about your daily
routine, you can provide the language to go along with your childs activities. Since your preschooler probably likes to play near
you, watch him as he plays. Think about the language he needs to describe what he is doing. Take a look at your childs toys and
playthings. Think about the language that goes with each one!
As he places the final block on a tower he has built, you might say, You built a tower! Its high! Or, after one block too many has
sent his tower crashing down, say, Oh, it fell down. Say it sympathetically if he is distressed. If he is elated by the crash, say
enthusiastically, Wow! It fell down!
At times your child will start a conversation with you by pointing. He may be asking for help, expressing frustration, showing
pride in his accomplishment or asking for your praise. Even if he hasnt used any words in this conversation, you can provide the
model of the appropriate language. You might say, Do you need help? It doesnt fit. Oh, thats pretty. What a good job!
As your child begins to spontaneously use language while playing, you will have many chances to reinforce and expand his
language. If your preschooler says, ba for ball, you will, of course, be delighted (and you will show him your delight). But you
will also model the complete word ball, and expand what your child says by adding, Yes, thats a ball. Later, you will want to
expand further by saying, Yes, here is the big ball. Throw the ball to Daddy!
If your child is using simple sentences, use playtime to expand and extend his language. When your child says, my ball, you can
acknowledge his communication and expand this to: Yes, its your ball! Can you throw your ball? Keep the conversation going!
You can also use imaginative play as you dress a doll and forget an article of clothing or fly a truck instead of an airplane. Your
child will respond quickly and an opportunity for speech, language and listening is created.
SocialPlayandLanguage
As children grow and begin to play with others, they need to learn some social language. Hi and Byebye are often the
beginning of social language. But children need many other words and expressions. Even if your child is very young and not yet
playing with other children, begin now to prepare him for social play.
As your preschooler becomes older, he will enjoy quiet games such as picture lotto, picture rummy or other table games that also
involve taking turns. The activities suggested in this lesson offer practice in this, too.
Go Fish is a perennial favorite of the preschool crowd. Enjoy it with your youngster. Not only is it an excellent springboard for a
language lesson, but it also requires good listening. If your childs language is still limited, you can make a set of color cards to
use in the same way as the more advanced game of Go Fish with animal pictures and names.
RulesforGames
Games are an important part of group play for growing children. Most games have rules. Begin now to prepare your child for the
time when he will need to learn and follow the rules for games. Watching and listening to other children in the neighborhood or at
the park or playground may give you ideas about the games they play and the language needed to learn the rules. You can begin
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with some of the games suggested with each lesson of this course, or you can devise little games of your own. Remember, the
idea is to teach your child the words he needs to understand the rules of various games.
LanguageDuringSports
What sports are popular with your family? Each one has its own vocabulary, explaining or describing the game. In baseball, for
example, you will want to teach your child language such as, Swing! Billy is at bat. Run fast. Its a home run. Youre out.
There are countless phrases and words you can use in talking about playing the game. And, of course, this is true of every sport.
WalkingandTalking
Every neighborhood is a place of discoveries and explorations. Yours, too, is full of things to talk about. Take a walk with your
child and enjoy it from his perspective. Pause whenever you see or hear something that might interest him, or when he shows that
he has noticed something. Stop and talk about whatever it is: a flower or weed growing; something on the ground; a car or truck;
something on a front lawn. A leisurely walk is a time to talk to your child about things which interest him; and it is also a time for
you to enjoy each others company.
A walk is also a good opportunity to teach some basic traffic rules. Stop at crossings and say, Look! Look both ways and then
say, No cars. OK. Lets go! Or you might say, Here comes a car. Wait for the car. Dont hesitate to be dramaticit will help your
child understand. If there are traffic lights, point to them. The light is green. Lets go. Or you might say, The light is red. Red
means stop.
ParksandPlaygrounds
A change of scenery is always welcome. If there is a park or playground near you, your child will enjoy visiting it. The playground
equipment will give you many opportunities for language teaching: Heres a slide. There is the swing. As he plays, talk about
what he is doing, You climbed up!
Swings are popular with young children. If he understands the word, Push, ask, Do you want a push? Pause a moment to see if
he will attempt to say Push! If he does not respond, you provide the language: Yes! You need a push. Ill push you. Up you go!
Youre swinging!
Rough and tumble outdoor play is a great time to focus on verb development. Theres so much running, jumping, falling,
bumping, and pedaling! Children often like to play chasing games outside where there are lots of opportunities for them to use
their loud voices. Learning to listen to the sounds of other childrens loud voices is one way to be sure to be included in the fun.
You can say, Listen! The children are having fun! Theyre running. Do you want to run, too?
SeasonalChanges
In many areas, there are distinct seasonal changes that provide new and different topics for conversation. Before your child goes
out to playwhether in sand, water or snowtalk about what he is going to do. Use a picture or look out the window at the
wading pool or snow. Show him a toy or an object that will help him understand: his sailboat, his pail and shovel, the rake, a
sled. And, of course, you can talk about what he is wearing: Put on your swimming suit, or Here are your mittens and boots.
So much conversation can take place as he gets ready to go outside. And the conversation continues as he plays and exploresno
matter what season of the year it is.
In the Spring or Summer
On warm days your child may spend hours in a sandbox. If you are sitting close by or working in the yard, he will often look up at
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you. You have the perfect opportunity to say, So much sand! Put sand in the pail. Wheres your shovel?
If your child plays in water outdoorsin the sprinklers, with the hose or in a poolyou will need to remove his hearing aids or
cochlear implant. He will now rely on your facial expressions and body language to understand you. But dont stop talking! The
water is cold, you say as you wrap your arms around yourself and pretend to shiver. Its hot out here! Wipe your brow and fan
yourself. Keep an eye on your little fellow and you will notice that he is also watching you as he continues to communicate about
his experiences.
In the Fall or Winter
If you live in a certain climate, autumn brings with it crisp air. Something new to your youngster covers the groundsomething
fun for your child to play in and for you to talk aboutthe crackling dry leaves! The leaves came off the trees. Run through the
leaves! Find a red leaf. Lets rake the leaves.
If it snows where you live, those mysterious white flakes cover everything and make the world a fascinating new playground for
your preschooler. Watch it snow! Catch a snow flake. Make a snowman. Ill pull the sled.
Each season of the year provides opportunities for introducing new language as you and your preschooler play and explore
together. Remember to take some pictures. As you look at wintertime snapshots during warm summer months, you will review
and reinforce winter vocabulary. As a new springtime approaches, bring out pictures from the previous spring. Talk about what
will soon be happening in your childs world.
CreativePlayandLanguage
Creative activitiespainting, working with clay, drawing, cutting and pastingprovide still more opportunities for language
learning. You dont need to watch your child every moment as he paints, draws or cuts, but be ready to supply meaningful
language when he looks at you. With a little prior thought and planning, you can make every look count. Also, do pause
occasionally as you go about your household tasks to admire, to comment, to praise.
As your child enjoys creative play, you have many opportunities to introduce new words of all kinds. Your childs vocabulary needs
to expand beyond just nouns. Jars of paint need to be opened and closed and sometimes stirred. Caps are taken off and put back
on. Paper is put on the easel and taken off. Pictures need to dry, and when your child is finished, he will need to wash his hands
and dry them. Look for opportunities like this to use repetitive language. The more you are able to use the same words in
different situations, the more likely your child will be to grasp the full meaning of the word as he learns it.
Clay can be formed into a big (or little) ball or rolled in a long strip. Your child may pinch off a little piece of clay or a big piece.
Long strokes can be made with a paintbrush. Or, he may just dab the paint!
As your childs vocabulary grows, creative activities allow for the development of more advanced language.
You might say things like:
Here is another crayon.
You need another piece of chalk.
Do you want more paper?
Lets get more paint.
Other comments might be:
You have too much paint.
How colorful!
Youre an artist!
Watch out! Its dripping!
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Building activities have sounds you can talk about. When your youngster is hammering, say, Bang! Bang! Thats loud! Talk to
your child about these sounds when they occur. As in all activities, speak close to your child, giving him the opportunity to hear
you.
TheWorldofMakeBelieve
All children need opportunities to use their imaginations. This includes your child, too. Nearly everything he sees grownups and
other children do can become material for dramatic play. So, encourage your child and watch him closely. Interestingly enough,
by observing the nature of this makebelieve, you often see yourself as your child sees you.
Dramatic play also indicates the things your child is interested in learning and gives you clues as to what you should talk about.
You can contribute to this kind of play by providing places and props. More importantly, you can offer some of the words for
what he is doing and what he is using.
A housekeeping corner is a great inducement for dramatic play. Any placejust a corner of a roomwhere your child can safely
play with little interference will do. A pad or pillow on the floor can be a pretend bed; low boxes can be chairs, tables, stoves and
even refrigerators. Many household objects may also become part of this housekeeping corner.
There are endless activities in connection with playing house that children enjoy. Washing, ironing, and hanging up clothes;
cooking and sweeping; dressing, changing, bathing and feeding a doll or teddy bear. Whether you are an observer or a participant,
all of these activities provide the opportunity to talk with your child.
If your child has gone shopping with you, he will most likely enjoy a play store. Like his house, this can be very simple. Crates or
boxes in a convenient corner of the house or yard will do. While miniature replicas of some grocery products are available in toy
stores, he can use empty cans, boxes, or milk cartons from your kitchen. If you provide a few, simple props, his imagination may
take over and lead him into the world of makebelieve.
As your youngster plays with you or other children, there can be exchanges of products, pretend money, and conversation. Many
expressions can be used. As your little one acquires more language, you may want to use more questions and number concepts.
You can ask your child, How much is the milk? His response might be a simple approximation of Three. In turn, you can say,
Three! The milk is three dollars. One, two, three.
Do not force any learning during these moments of fun. This is a time for your child to relax and enjoy what he is doing. He will
learn naturally without being conscious that he is expected to learn. As he learns new words, you will someday hear them uttered
spontaneously as he is playing.
Dressing up makes playing house or store even more fun. A dressup box will be appreciated for years. Hats, scarves, purses,
old shoes, dresses, shirts and jackets all will make a collection of costumes for your child. With a little imagination, your child
becomes a mother, a father, or a storekeeper. In fact, he or she may become a police officer, a princess, a cowboy or an
astronaut. If you enter into this makebelieve world, you will find special opportunities to talk to your child in his new role. Talk
about who he is, what he is doing, what he is wearing. Play along with the situation. Let your imagination run as freely as your
childs and have fun!
Dramatic play is also a wonderful way to encourage social skills with siblings or other children. As children take on roles together,
they create something to talk about and opportunities for interactions.
WhenYouDontTakePart
Many times when your child is playing, either alone or with other children, you can observe and take a few notes on the kind of
play that goes on. Do you notice him taking an interest in cowboys, for example? If so, you can talk about this interest using
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pictures during a quiet time of the day. By studying his world of makebelieve, you will learn what many of his interests are at
various stages of his development. You can also learn about his social skills and what needs more attention.
LanguageOpportunitieswithToys
Miniature toys, including dollhouses, garages and farms equipped with small toy people, furniture, cars and animals, are great fun
for children. When your little one plays with these small toys, he usually is in one area with them. He may move his cars or farm
animals from place to place, but he himself will not move a significant distance. If you sit on the floor, close to your child, he will
hear your spoken language, and he will have many opportunities to respond to you.
Dollhouses
Dramatic play using a dollhouse and small toy people can provide many opportunities for using the language of everyday life.
Daily activities can be reenacted and the language that goes along with them can be reinforced. Using the dollhouse kitchen, for
example, you and your child can make believe that the toy people cook, eat and clean up just as you and your family do during
your daily life. The dollhouse bedroom and bathroom are a good setting for playing outand talking aboutthe whole bedtime
routine.
Dollhouses are also wonderful places to emphasize prepositions, such as Lets put the Mommy in the chair or The baby is
crawling under the table.
ToyFarms
Children who live in the country, or have visited there, can relive their farm experiences through play with a toy farm. Those
youngsters who are city dwellers can enjoy learning about a farm, talking about animals and using their imaginations. As your
child plays farm, allow him to use his ideas as you supply the language to match them: Drive the tractor. The sheep are in the
barn. Its time to milk the cows. The pigs are hungry. Lets feed the pigs. The duck says, Quack, quack. Young children
are often interested in baby animals and can learn to match the babies with their parents. In this way, your child is expanding his
thinking skills during play, too.
ToyGarages
Toy garages and gas stations can also be made or purchased. A simple shoebox can serve as either a mechanics garage or an
airplane hanger. Some fancier garages come equipped with ramps for cars to go down and elevators for cars to go up. Toy
garages are great favorites with children who enjoy playing with cars. Think of all the different adjectives that can be emphasized
while playing with cars and garages. Your big red car is going down the ramp and The little truck has a flat tire. If your
youngsters shoebox is serving as his airplane hangar or airport terminal, your language will match that activity.
ToyTowns
A toy town can be made using a large piece of cardboard with streets and parking lots or farmland marked on it. The houses,
stores, churches and gas stations can be made from small boxes. Toy cars can be driven through the town as your child relives
real experiences. Were going to the store. The car needs gas. Heres a parking place. Time to go home. Your child can
develop his sequencing skills as he does this.
Whether your child is just beginning to learn language or is talking in sentences, most of the language he needs to acquire can be
developed during play. Be involved! Have fun with your preschooler.
C)SPEECH
Your child can develop many speech sounds during his play. In fact, it is preferable that speech sounds are associated with toys
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and other play activities, since play provides endless opportunities for practice. Even more practice than in formal therapy! Take a
look at your childs playthings and the activities he enjoys the most. What speech sounds can you associate with them? Does he
like to play with stuffed animals? Try Meow for the cat, Woofwoof for the dog and Hophop for the bunny rabbit. Farm
animals are fun too: Moooo for the cow, OinkOink for the pig and Neigh for the horse. From just these few animal sounds,
your child may learn to listen to and produce varied vowels and consonants, like the /h/ in hop, the /m/ in moo and the /ow/ in
meow.
Present the sounds as you play with your child. Smile, keep it fun and encourage imitations while playing. Does your child already
have a speech sound that he associates with a toy, such as a siren for his toy car? Take advantage of this! Imitate the sound back
to him, close to your childs hearing aids or cochlear implant. In your reports on your lesson, let us know what sounds your child
naturally produces during play and how it sounds to you.
What if your childs imitations do not sound like yours? To begin, allow your child to use his voice. You may need to isolate one
feature of the speech sound as you present it, particularly the vowels. With time and practice, you will notice that your childs
approximations gradually become closer to your original speech productions. You are developing your ability to listen to your
childs speech during vocal play.
If your child is talking, please tell us which speech sounds are difficult for him to say. We can discuss how you can help your little
one as he learns to produce them more clearly.
View brief video clip celebrating the progress of JTC preschooler enjoying playing together with a parent.
View a video clip from an individual speech language session involvingincluding toys in reading.
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LISTENING:DiscriminatingSounds
To help your child who is in the beginning stages of speech development understand the difference between long and short
sounds
To guide your child who is in more advanced stages of speech development to use his hearing and recognize the difference
between sounds in words
What to Do:
For beginning listeners:

1. You will need to have two different animals or toys so that you can present two contrasting sounds. You can use toy animals,
perhaps a cow and a dog, or a toy airplane and boat. If you have a toy barn, you can use this. Or you can use an old shoebox to be
the barn. (If you are using the airplane and boat, create a pretend runway and use a blue cloth or paper for water.)
2. Move the cow toward the barn while saying, Moooooo. Then move the dog while saying, Woof, woof, woof. You can do
the same with the airplane while saying, Wheeeeee, and the boat while saying Putt, putt, putt, putt. As you can hear, the two
sounds presented are different in that one is a long, continuous sound, and one is a short and repeated sound.
3. Repeat the long and short sounds again, and this time guide your childs hand in repeating the movement of the cow versus
the dog, or plane versus the boat immediately after you vocalize.
4. After guiding your childs response for several trials, give him a chance to vocalize on his own.
For more advanced listeners:
1. Play bingo with your child by making two boards with six to nine pictures. You might use pictures of twosyllable words like
cowboy, pancake, popcorn, baseball, airplane, birthday, cupcake and toothbrush. Or you might choose some food words, such as
cake, apple, juice, eggs, beans, tomato, etc. Furniture can also be used: lamp, chair, table, bed, desk, couch (or sofa).
2. Place copies of the same pictures in a container and take turns pulling one out. Say the name of the picture and place it on
your bingo board. Your child might not understand the concept of getting pictures that line up as in the traditional bingo game,
but he will have fun trying to say the word and putting the picture over the picture on the bingo board. Be enthusiastic as you
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cover the pictures on the boards.

Say things like:
You have a tiger. Cover the tiger!
Daddy has a dog. Ill cover the dog.
Cow! Mooooo! We both have cows. Lets cover them.
Your turn! What animal is it?
No more. The cards are gone. Lets play again!
Remember to provide opportunities for your child to listen as much as possible. Your preschooler needs every opportunity to
develop audition, and through these games you have a perfect opportunity. Take advantage of it!
LANGUAGE:MakingFruitSalad
To present some new vocabulary during a food preparation activity
To introduce your child to the concepts of matching colors and experiencing different tastes
What You Need:
A large bowl
Mixing spoon
Knife (use a knife that is not sharp for your child)
Three or four of your childs favorite fruits such as: apples, strawberries, grapes, melon, orange, kiwi or bananas
A picture of a fruit salad
What to Do:
1. Put the fruit, bowl and spoon on the kitchen table.
2. Sit at the table beside your child. Show him the picture and tell him that you are going to make fruit salad. Hand him the first
fruit and knife (not too sharp) and explain that he will cut the banana.
Help him if he needs assistance, but let him do as much as he can on his own. This is the time to have a conversation:
We need to peel the banana. Pull!
What do you need to cut the banana? You need a knife. Cut, cut, cut.
The banana feels squishy. Do you like how it feels?
How does it smell?
3. Let him taste the banana if he wants to show him he can, by taking a small piece and then tasting it.
Mmm. Taste it.
Do you like it?
Lets put the banana in the bowl.
4. You can also include color names. Talk about the color of the different pieces of fruit. Show your child the next piece of fruit
and say, Lets cut the melon for our fruit salad. Continue your conversation:
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What color is this? Yes, its green.

Lets put the melon in with the banana.
5. Match colors of the fruit to other objects the same color.
Orange! Your shirt is orange. Theyre the same color.
The grapes are green. Can you find something else thats green?
6. You can count the number of grapes or strawberries.
7. Eat and ENJOY YOUR SNACK!
If your childs amplification provides access to speech, you can help him develop listening skills by speaking beside him so that he
does not rely on speech reading. Then if he does not understand, try other visual cues.
Variations:
1. If your child already knows the names of these different foods, introduce the category word fruits.
2. Making pudding is a similar task and allows for repetition of language. You can talk about flavor and color. If you use an
electric mixer, also call your childs attention to the sound the mixer makes.
3. Instant pudding can be used to make Popsicles. Pour it into small molds or an ice cube tray; place a stick in each portion
before freezing. Lemonade and fruit juices can also be used for Popsicles. Now you can talk about how cold they are and how they
melt.
4. Ask you child to help with cleanup, throwing away the banana peel, the melon rind and wiping the counter.
5. As your child grows, you may want to do more cooking activities together. Cooking offers many opportunities for
conversation. You might want to make a large poster with pictures to illustrate each step.
Many children love to measure and pour ingredients when they help in preparing food. If your child is interested, use a measuring
cup to introduce the ideas of half and full.
SPEECH:FeedingYourDoll
To provide acoustically varied sounds such as high and low pitch
To provide practice with long and short duration
What You Need:
A favorite food such as applesauce or pudding, cookies, pieces of cutup fruit
What to Do:
1. Put a bowl of applesauce on the table and sit beside your child and his doll.
2. Talk about the applesauce as you and your child feed the doll. You might say,
Yummmmm! Good, as you use long duration of sound.
Oooooh, its cold, as you vary the pitch of your voice.
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Ohoh, as you vary the pitch of your voice, if some is spilled.

Wipe, wipe, wipe the table, as you use short duration of sounds.
3. Encourage your child to respond.
Yummmm! Its good. Is it good? When your child answers, repeat, Yes, its good. Yummmm.
What are you doing? Are you wiping the table? Wipe, wipe, wipe!
EVERYDAYACTIVITY:Bedtime
To converse with your child during bedtime
What to Do:
1. Set a specific time for bedtime. Try to let your child know that bedtime is approaching, perhaps by showing him a picture of
himself getting into bed. And if hes old enough, you can show him the position of the big and little hands on the clock which
mean, Time for bed.
2. Establish your own bedtime routine. A suggested routine might be first to have your child brush his teeth and have his bath.
Then turn down the covers, followed by folding the bedspread. Either sitting with your child on the bed or having tucked him in,
read a story; enjoy a quiet conversation; recite nursery rhymes; or sing a song. Your goodnight kiss will mean, Time to go to
sleep.
3. A few quiet moments before bedtime may help your child settle down and prepare him for sleep. Active and stimulating
activities should be discontinued at least a halfhour before bedtime. Story reading is an excellent activity for this period of time.
4. Parents can take turns or can both be involved in the bedtime routine. Use appropriate language such as:
Time for bed.
Lets get ready for bed.
Lets read a story. Where is your book?
Shall we sing a song?
Other language could include words associated with undressing and bathing, such as the names of articles of clothing, parts of the
body, and so on.
Talk about other things associated with going to bed:
Are you sleepy? (tired)
Becky is sleepy. (tired)
Lets turn down your covers.
Get under the covers.
Lets turn the light off.
Nightnight.
Good night.
Sleep tight.
5. A soft light can give your child a sense of comfort and security. If this is so for your preschooler, try a small nightlight or leave
the door to his room ajar so there is a little light from the hallway. This may help your child feel less alone, and more comfortable
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at night. If you are concerned with bedtime problems, request our special paper, Bedtime.
Variations:
For quiet talk time, you can draw a simple picture of something that happened during the day.
Write a simple sentence describing the event underneath the picture. For example, your child may have fallen down during the
day. You may draw a simple face with a few tears on it. Or, you may just put a bandage on the paper. Underneath, you might write,
Ayush fell down.
As your child develops more understanding and language, you can give him a choice of topics for his picture. For example, you
might show your child a bandage for the scraped knee, or the stick from his popsicle. As he makes a choice, use that for the days
story.
As you use a simple picture each night, keep the pages in a binder. It will be your childs own special book to look at again and
again.
Following the day your child scraped his knee, you can look at the story of the scraped knee and say, ALL FINISHED. Then you are
ready for a story for today. This is a wonderful way to begin teaching your child about the passage of time and concepts of
YESTERDAY, TODAY and TOMORROW. Also, this will give your child many opportunities to talk about what has happened during
the day, using his own language skills the best he can.
ATHINKINGACTIVITY:GrowingBeans
To learn about things that grow
To understand cause and effect
To learn new language associated with nature
What You Need:
Two or three lima beans (or any available bean)
A clear plastic container
Dirt
A book about growing plants
What to Do:
1. Tell your child, Lets grow some beans! Take him to the place you have gathered the beans, container, dirt and water. Also
place a book, or pictures of a plant growing from a seed next to your work area.
2. Show the pictures to your child as you talk. Were going to put some dirt in the cup. Put in the dirt.
3. Then talk about putting a seed in the dirt and show a picture. Now put the bean into the dirt.
4. Next talk about water to make the bean grow. We need water. Where is the water? Put a little water on the dirt.
5. Look at the pictures again and talk about the sun also making the bean grow. Where is the sun? Can you find a place with
lots of sun?
6. Again look at the pictures and talk about how the bean grows.
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Variations:
1. You can also go for a walk and talk about plants in their various stages of growth. Possibly you can find one that is just
coming through the soil. Talk about how it came from a seed. Then look at a bigger plant and talk about how it is growing.
2. When the bean sprouts, you can transplant it into a bigger pot. Now you can talk about growing, needing more dirt and a
bigger pot.
PLAYTIME:StringingObjects
To help your child to develop eyehand coordination skills and fine motor skills
To have a conversation about the objects he is stringing, using color and number words
What You Need:
Something to string, such as beads, large buttons, spools, macaroni, shapes cut from construction paper
Something to string with, such as shoelaces or yarn with the ends dipped in allpurpose white glue or melted wax to make stiff lacing tips
What to Do:
1. Set all the materials you need in containers, such as small boxes or bowls, in front of you and your child on a table. You may want to start with the
colors mixed together. Later, you can separate the colors into different containers.
2. Begin with a simple stringing activity. If your child needs help stringing, you can place your hand over his as you help him learn the motions. For a
young child, choose large wooden beads. Your language might include:
Put it on.
What color is this?
Now you have two.
Where is the yellow one?
3. As you and your child move the objects along the string, you can also enjoy vocal play. For example, you might say aloud, Push, push, push as he
moves the object along the string. Or, you might say, Ohhhh! Thats a long string (making the word long as extended as possible) as your child begins to
string the objects. This exposes your child to long and short vocalizations. Encourage your childs attempts to imitate your words if he tries. If he doesnt,
continue producing the words yourself.
4. Your child can also make jewelry by stringing buttons, macaroni, or spools into long chains.
Variations:
1. A stringing activity also lends itself to introducing or reviewing numbers. You can count aloud as you and your child string the objects:
One, two, three.
Look! There are three!
One more! Now you have four.
2. Separate the colors into different containers to introduce names of colors as well. You and your child can string beads from different color groups.
You can say:
You have the red ones.
Look! Thats green.
Where are the green beads?
3. For holidays, you can string shapes or objects made from construction paper. For example, you might string orange pumpkins, black cats, and white
ghosts for Halloween or hearts for Valentines Day. Simply punch a hole in the center of each shape before stringing it. Then, hang them up for decorations.
What are some symbols from your traditions that would be fun for your youngster to string?
1. As your child matures and becomes more skilled with stringing and recognizing the differences between colors, he might enjoy following a certain
pattern of colors. Have a pattern ready for him to copy, even by stringing a series yourself for him to see, or drawing a picture he can match.
2. You might begin with one blue, then one red, then one blue, and so on, to see first if your child can follow a pattern. He may need your help for a while.
Point out the correct colors! Tell him how well he is doing. Encourage him to try on his own when he understands. Later, he might try other variations, such
as two blue ones and then a red one, or any other color sequence. You can also do this with different shapes.
3. If your childs eyehand coordination is advanced enough, you can introduce him to lacing. Perhaps he would enjoy making a Christmas stocking, for
example, by lacing together two pieces of felt or construction paper in which you have punched holes.
4. Commercial lacing cards might also be used. The language you use, of course, will vary with the picture.
What a pretty cat!
Youre lacing the bear.
You made a dog!
5. Your child may also enjoy lacing shoes. Perhaps Daddys shoes might be easier to start with. Childrens clothing also often comes with laces in the front
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so children can easily help.
E)SUMMARY
Play is the business of childhood. It is a time of learning and fun for your preschooler.
Play with your child.
When playing with your child, bring his attention to the sounds his toys make.
List the words you use frequently as your child enjoys his favorite toy.
Involve your child in a sport if you and he are interested.
Go to a local playground and play on the equipment as you use language to describe what you are doing.
Encourage your childs creativity and display his efforts.
When you and your child play together, the emphasis is on fun. If you offer correction of language or speech, do so informally.
If your child is able to hear the sounds of speech, encourage him to use audition only to understand you. This will help develop his listening and
receptive language skills.
LinkstoMore
Purposeful Pausing
Learning in Play
GototheNextLesson
YES! You have completed readingLesson5: Play Activities. Now try some ideas with your child. Consider sharing questions and
successes using theyellow box on any page. Your changing concerns and your childs increasing skills will be saved in reports
Ive sent. You can use these forms to show service providers or family and celebrate progress together. Then proceed toLesson 6:
Daily Routinesso this course becomes an individualized guideor go back to thePreschool Course contentto select another
module.
Lesson6:DailyRoutines
A)LISTENING
Your home is filled with the sounds of everyday living. The vacuum, washing machine and teakettle make loud sounds. The TV or
dishwasher create background noise, too. If you listen closely, you can hear birds chirping outside or your kitten purring. It is
important to help your child become aware and learn to recognize all of these sounds.
Begin with loud sounds. A pan drops in the kitchen. Immediately point to your ear and say to your preschooler, I heard that! The
pan dropped and was loud!
As you and your child set the table, you hear the clatter of silverware. Again, bring her attention to the sound and identify the
source.
The teakettle begins to whistle. Before running to the kitchen to remove it from the burner, ask your child, What is that noise? Do
you hear something in the kitchen? What is it?
As you involve your preschooler in routine chores, you have a perfect opportunity to help her learn the sounds of appliances. Put
laundry into the washing machine together and then listen as you turn it on. Talk about how it washes clothes. As your child
becomes older and her listening skills are being refined, listen to the different sounds the washer makes as it goes into the
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different cycles. Then listen to the dryer. It sounds different. Put clothes into the dryer and talk about what it does. Later ask
your child to listen for the dryer. Can she hear it? Are the clothes still being dried or can you take them out and fold them?
Any routine that involves water is a time to practice listening, too! Together with your child, listen to water running into the
bathtub before removing her hearing aids or cochlear implant. Listen to the soft sound of the sprinklers outside, too!
After another family member has had a bath or when ready to drain the water from the kitchen sink, talk to your youngster about
the glub, glub, glub sound made as the water goes down the drain. Most importantly, think of routine chores and the sounds
associated with them. Then make a consistent effort to point out those sounds to your child every time you do that chore and your
child is nearby. Soon she might be telling you that the dishwasher is finished, the dryer has stopped, or the TV has been turned
on. These sounds now have meaning and are a part of her life.
Also become aware of how constant background noise can interfere with the perception of the human voice. As much as possible,
eliminate the constant noise of a television, radio, or lawn mower while you are having conversations with your child.
B)LANGUAGE
Hold many conversations throughout the day.
Mealtime
Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack time provide countless opportunities for language learning through conversations. Sitting at
the table with your child allows you to be close enough for her to make good use of her hearing. You have her attention because
she is hungry. She is ready to eat and ready to learn. Talk about her food. You might say:
Heres your sandwich.
Have some cereal.
Do you want more milk?
The orange is good.
You ate all your soup.
You can talk about the utensils she uses:
Heres your plate.
You need a spoon.
You dropped your fork!
You have a big cup.
Other common phrases may be:
Yum! The pudding is good.
You like milk.
The jelly is sweet.
Your hands are sticky.
Do you want more carrots?
Yes, you are hungry.
Oh, what a face!
You dont like the soup.
You dont want any milk.
These are just a few of the things you can say. Your childs likes and dislikes will give you many more ideas. Encourage her to use
her expressive language to answer questions, to ask for more or to tell you that she is finished.
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BeforeandAfterMeals
As you prepare for the meal, you will have many chances to introduce and reinforce language. Try to include your child in some
part of the preparation. Most children love to help. Setting the table, for example, is something even very little ones can do, and
you can talk to your child at each step of the activity. You can say:
We need some forks.
Give Daddy a plate.
Heres Mommys plate.
Put your plate on the table.
We need two cups.
You put the cup on the table.
Put another cup on the table.
Here are the napkins.
As you take things out of drawers and cupboards, you can use new words such as open and close or shut. Things are put on
the table before mealtime and taken off afterwards. You can point out that foods are hot and cold.
The after meal cleanup is also full of opportunities for language. New words can be introduced and others used again in a
different way. You might say, Lets wash the table, and Wash the dishes. Plates, spoons, forks, cups and bowls are taken off
the table and put in the sink or in the dishwasher. Water, like food, can be hot or cold. And when the dishes are washed
and dried, they are put away. Forks, knives (no sharp knives) and spoons are often stored in divided drawers. This is a wonderful
chance for your child to learn categorizing. You can show her how to sort the silverware, and then reinforce the action with
language:
Put the fork there.
The spoons go here.
This is for big spoons.
This is for little ones.
Including your preschooler in either meal preparation or cleanup (or both) is an opportunity to offer the important language of
praise and recognition. As you acknowledge her efforts in helping, you not only teach language but you also boost her self
esteem as you say things like:
Good job!
Youre Daddys helper.
You put the cups on the table. Thank you!
SnackTime
Another opportunity for teaching language is at snack time. As you show your child the food for the snack, talk about each item.
Give her one at a time. If she wants more, shell ask. This is a great chance for continuing the conversation and reinforcing
language as you ask, Do you want another cracker? or Do you want more milk? Always give your child a little less than you
think she will want. This will provide you with another opportunity to repeat the words and a chance for her to once again use the
words she knows if she wants more.
Dont expect things to always go smoothly and according to plan. After all, shes a preschooler! Often the unexpected and
unplanned provide the best language opportunities:
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You dropped your cracker.

The cracker broke.
Oh! The milk spilled.
Lets wipe up the milk.
Some other commonly used mealtime language includes:
Youre hungry.
You like juice.
Ummm! Thats good!
All done!
As your child grows, the same simple snack can provide language that grows with her. When the time is right, you will provide
opportunities to make choices:
Do you want milk or juice?
Do you want a big glass or a little glass?
Do you want an apple or a pear?
While your child is young, offering her a choice between two equally acceptable options is a good idea. She will feel quite grown
up! Additionally, as you say something like, A banana! Mmm. Bananas are good, you are sending a subtle message of your
confidence in her. She can make choices of her own. This is another chance for her to use her expressive language!
Bedtime
Bedtime is another daily activity that is rich in languagelearning opportunities. As you help your child get ready for bed, you can
use over and over again words and expressions you want her to learn. Talk about your childs clothing as you help her get
undressed and into her nightclothes.
Lets take your shirt off.
Now your pants.
Pull your sock.
Pull hard.
Lets put on your pajamas (or nightgown, or PJs).
As she undresses and dresses, talk about the parts of your childs body.
Wheres your foot?
Pull the shirt over your head.
Theres your arm.
You pushed your arm through!
As you undress your child, there are many opportunities to use the word off.
Lets take your shoes off.
Take your pants off.
You took your shirt off.
And there are many other wonderful words and ideas to use when dressing or undressing. Think of some that fit your childs
interests and language level. Here are some examples:
Open the drawer.
Your pajamas are soft.
Your pajamas are warm (blue, red, new, big).
Your foot is stuck.
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Pull your pants up (down).

Throw your clothes in the hamper.
Lets button your nightie.
Turn the covers down.
Pull the covers (spread, blanket).
Climb into bed.
Shall we read a story? Which one?
Get the book.
Washing up before going to bedeven if your child isnt taking a bathcan be a learning time, too. While your preschooler
washes her face and hands, you can say:
Get the soap.
Rub it.
Its slippery.
Oops! You dropped it.
Rinse your hands.
Heres the towel.
Rub, rub, rub.
The towel is soft.
Learning to brush and clean her teeth is an important selfhelp skill filled with languagelearning opportunities for your child.
Letting your child select her own toothbrush at the storeher favorite color or cartoon charactermay make it more special for
her. While you help her brush her teeth, the tube is squeezed; the water is turned on and off. As she brushes, you can
repeat the words up and down to remind her how to brush.
Finally its time to get into bed. You might want to read a story or look at pictures together. If your child has more language, use
this opportunity to talk about what you did during the day. Heres another chance for your preschooler to use story telling and
recall past events through language.
Often the time just before going to bed is a quiet time, a reflective time, a time for parent and child to share good feelings. This is
a great time to talk to your child about how special she is.
I love you.
Youre such a big girl!
Give me a hug.
Heres a big kiss.
Good night.
Then its time to tuck your little one under the covers, to take off her hearing aids or cochlear implant and to turn off the light.
HouseholdChores
There are always things that need to be done around the house. Chores are always with us. They are activities we repeat again
and againevery day, every week or every month. It is this repetitiveness of household chores that makes them ideal for teaching
language to your child. Your child must hear the same words and phrases over and over again, in a variety of familiar situations,
before she will understand them and spontaneously express them.
Chairs and tables need to be dusted and cleaned. Chairs have arms, and tables and chairs have legs. Dust cloths can
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be clean or dirty. They are big and little, new and old. Sometimes they even have holes. The top has to come off the
container of polish, and dirt comes off the tables as the top is cleaned. Baskets get dumped out and then they are
empty. Floors are swept and washed. Sometimes you have to rub hard. Dirt is picked up in a dustpan, and toys are
picked up and put away. And those drawers and closet and cabinet doors are opened and closed as things are taken out and
later put away.
Beds need to be made every day. Heres a chance to talk about pillows, blankets, sheets, spreads, and quilts. Sheets and
blankets are pulled up when making beds. You can talk about what color they are: white, blue, yellow, green. When your child
can tell the difference, you can point out if they are checked or striped. Sometimes there are flowers or pictures on them. You
can talk about these, too. Beds can be big or little; they can be soft and warm. As you make the beds, talk about the size
and to whom they belong: This is Mommys and Daddys bed. Its big. Alex sleeps here. This bed is little.
Laundry
Doing laundry is a task that is constantly repeated. As you and your youngster sort or fold clothes, you have a great language
learning activity. Even very young children can help with this. Clothes get dirty. They are washed and folded. Here again you
have opportunities to use words such as big, little, Mommys, Daddys and Taylors. And every article has a name: pants,
shirt, sock, skirt, sweater, jacket and underwear. When your child has learned the names for these pieces of clothing,
expand her language and teach her new words. Pants, for example, might be slacks, shorts, jeans, or cords. Talk about
whether they are new or old. They might have pockets, buttons, zippers, belts and even holes. You can talk about what
color clothes are, and whether they are plaids, stripes, checks or prints.
Laundry can be sorted and placed in piles by articlepants in one pile, shirts in another. Or they can be sorted by ownership.
Mommys clothes in one pile, Daddys in another, and Jennys in still another. White clothes can be sorted from the other clothes,
too!
After the laundry is folded, it must also be put away. Using your childs help for this will allow you to reinforce language used
earlier.
WorkingintheYard
Most young children delight in helping with outdoor chores, such as digging in the garden, cutting grass, shoveling snow, raking
leaves, and watering the lawn. A small snow shovel, rake or toy lawnmower makes it even more fun. Words and expressions like
push and push hard come up over and over again while mowing or shoveling. Leaves fall down and they are raked, picked up
and sometimes put in bags or containers. And, of course, jumping in a pile of leaves is great fun for children of all ages. You can
also talk about their colors: red, green, brown and yellow. Dont forget to talk about their size! They are big and little. They are
brittle and sometimes they break. You might use leaves to practice counting with your child: One, two, three, four.
If you enjoy gardening, allow your child to help you. She will enjoy digging, planting seeds, seedlings or bulbs. Talk to her about
the growing plants. Talk about weeding and watering and how that helps the plants. You can encourage your childs interest in
gardening by providing her with a small shovel or hoe and, if possible, even a little garden patch of her very own. Talk about her
hard work. Spend a few minutes each day talking about her garden with her as you help her water and watch her garden grow.
Perhaps your family lives in an apartment that has a small patio. This is a great place for plants that need water, and the dry
leaves or flowers need to be picked or cut. You need to sweep the patio and wash the furniture, too!
OddJobs
Many families carry their trash to the curb each week to be picked up and carted away. Let your child help by carrying a small box
or bag to the curb. Let her help take the lid off the trash can and put some trash in. You might say, Listen! Here comes the
truck. Its a big truck. After the truck has left, The truck is gone. If your trash is taken to a dumpster or chute, youll use those
words as the two of you do this task.
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Simple things like collecting the mail or the newspaper can be occasions for conversation. They take only a few minutes and a few
steps, but you can talk about these events before, during and after you have done them. You might say:
Lets get the paper.
Open the door.
Pick up the paper.
Its not heavy.
Cleaning the garage, tool shed, basement or workshop can provide many topics for conversation. Bundling up old papers and
magazines is a good job for a little helper, and there is a lot to talk about: Where are the papers? Put the magazines on top.
As you tie a knot in the string that holds the papers together, you can say, Put your finger there. What a big helper! Thank
you!
If you do minor repairs on your car, your child may want to help by handing you tools. This is another chance to introduce
language: Give me the wrench. I need the pliers. Thank you. Choose safe activities that allow her to share some
responsibility. Choose tasks simple enough for her to succeedsuccess will make her feel good about herself.
While you are working around the car, mention the names of various parts of the car to your child: the steering wheel, the trunk,
the hood, the engine, the horn, the wheels, the doors, the windows and the tires. Talk about getting in the car and under it as
you work. Your child may not understand at first, but all this conversation is another step in helping her learn language. The same
word can be used in different situations. For example, the door of the car looks quite different from the door of the house or the
door to the cupboard. Yet all doors are opened or closed.
ThinkingAhead
Spend a few minutes in the evening to think about tomorrow. What are you and your child likely to do? Which of the many things
that you could do will be of most interest to your child? How can you make your everyday tasks enjoyable for both of you? What
sort of language is likely to come up? How many times will you and your child be able to use the language? You might be planning
to do the laundry or go to the doctor. Will the weather be nice enough to go outdoors? It might be a good day for a picnic in the
backyard, or to take a walk to the store to buy some bread.
Ask yourself these questions. As you think about tomorrow tasks, will there be times when you can reinforce the language your
preschooler has been learning? Can you use in a different way some language that your child is learning? If mashed potatoes have
been a topic of conversation at mealtime, going shopping for potatoes provides another situation for talking about potatoes
baking them, frying them or boiling them.
Think of new activities to have conversations using old language, and think of new language to be used with old activities.
Whether activities are new or old for your child, opportunities for new language will come up. For example, when working in the
garden, bug can be expanded to lady bug. When making the bed, you can fluff the pillow.
You will find that you enjoy including your child in many of the things you do. You will discover what fun it is to share with her all
the experiences and language that make up everyday life. Plan to do things that are fun for you, too. Baking cookies is fun for
most children, but if you simply do not like to bake cookies, choose another acitivity to do with your child. It will be more fun for
your child if it is fun for you, too.
SocialDevelopment
Teach the language needed to participate in ageappropriate games.
TheHomeProvidestheFoundation
Your home is the first and most important place where your child will learn social expectations, cultural practices and values. As
part of your family, your child first learns about herself and then about others. There are several kinds of relationships in a family:
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between parents; between parent and child; and between the children. While each relationship is different, mutual respect should
be at the core of each. Help your child understand the actions of other family members or friends. She will learn best by your
example. Through observing what you do, your child will learn how her actions or words can make others happy or sad. Your
model will help her understand feelings or ideas that are difficult to explain to any young child.
RelationshipsBetweenParentandChild
Your relationship with your child and other children will help your child understand how other authority figures (such as teachers)
might treat her. Set rules for her best interests. Discipline her when necessary, keeping her rights and needs in mind. As you do
these things, it will be easier for her to develop a positive attitude toward all authority figures. Respect for her feelings will make
the relationships you have with her and your other children even stronger.
InteractingwithFriendsatSchoolandinPlaygroups
The relationships your child has now with her siblings or neighborhood playmates provide her first opportunity to learn how to
interact with her peers. This will be important to her throughout her childhood years, and as she moves into adulthood, as well.
Naturally you want your child to play happily with her friends. However, language limitations can create a challenge. It is during
these preschool years that you will begin to guide your little one in learning how to interact with her peers.
If your child is very young, you can invite another child and her parent over for a play date. This is your opportunity to explain to
the other parent how her child can best communicate with yours. She will probably be more comfortable explaining to her own
child how to interact. Keep your suggestions short and begin with just one or two. As the two of you watch your children playing
together, you might hear her say, Joey, dont forget that Tommy cant hear you when you arent looking at him. Remember to get
closer so he can hear you better. He is learning to listen. Help him. Karen, show Brenda how to use that toy. She didnt
understand all your words. As children grow up together, they naturally learn the best ways to communicate with one another.
Your guidance and positive attitude will set the foundation.
The keys to helping your own children learn to play together are to reinforce, to model and to praise. (This is done while children
are playing together.) You reinforce and model when you say, Good for you, Tom. You remembered to show Jimmy the picture
while you told him about it. Praise might be, I love how you are both playing with that truck. Youre sharing. Thats fantastic!
Your smile reinforces your spoken message.
Let the children play naturally. As they play, provide the help they might need. Most children learn in this matteroffact and
comfortable situation.
Your child might prefer to interact with adults because they are more patient in trying to understand her. However, the ability to
relate to adults does not necessarily transfer to playing with other children. Children have their own rules and their own interaction
skills. Adults must step back. Your little one needs the opportunity to play with others her own age and to speak for herself.
For example, your little one is able to play with a friend using one toy with simple social contact. They have a toy garage and a
truck that your childs friend is pushing. Your child wants to push the truck. She reaches out and her friend pulls away. They are
communicating in a nonlinguistic manner.
The next stage, then, is for your child to begin using her expressive language to communicate and you will help in this process.
Model the correct language for your child by saying, May I have the truck? Her friend will probably say, No. What is important
at this point is that they are communicating and that you have guided your preschooler in her communication. She has expressed
herself! Remember that some social interactions between children involve negotiating the play situation. You can model, Lets
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take turns. Allow the other youngster to reply and it will probably be, Okay. Me first. Again, you will model an appropriate
response such as, First its your turn; then its my turn.
It is very tempting to be too involved in modeling language for your child. The key is to strike a balance. Let the children
communicate as best as they can and only model language to help them move on to another stage.
Teasing
Many parents worry about their preschooler being teased, and many children are teased. It might be about their glasses, weight,
noses, teeth, or their hearing aids or cochlear implant.
To enable your youngster to face other childrens teasing, she needs to have a good sense of selfesteem. Praise her for what she
does well. She runs fast. She draws well. She can set the table for dinner. Let her know that everyone is good at different things.
Your attitude and the attitudes of brothers, sisters and cousins are the most important. If you think of your child as unfortunate in
any way, she will learn to play that role. Your child can still do chores and be responsible for herself. She may not hear well, but
she is just like all the others in the family when it comes to behavior and expectations.
Most important is that your child has a good base of love and understanding at home. When she comes home, she must feel safe,
understood and valued. She must be able to communicate and she must be an integral part of the family. When she feels good
about herself and confident of her abilities, your child will not be adversely affected by teasing now or as she gets older.
VocabularyofSchoolPlay
No matter what age your child begins preschool, she needs to be prepared for the language that her friends will be using as they
play: Thats mine! He hit me. Youre it. Take turns. Line up. I fell down. These are all very important for her now.
How do you teach her this language of interaction?
One method for teaching playground vocabulary is to use books. Find pictures of children playing together and talk about them.
If there is a park or playground nearby, spend time just watching youngsters play. Using short, simple sentences, describe the
action: Theyre running. Theyre playing tag. Shes up to bat. He made a goal. Oh! Shes out. Theyre jumping rope. As
you talk about whats happening, your words will have meaning for your child. Help your preschooler understand what is
happening and help her learn how to tell you about it.
Looking at pictures or at other children playing is not the same as real life. It might be difficult for her to transfer her book
knowledge to her experiences. This is when it becomes even more important for you to make your home a center of activity for
your child and her friends. Invite them over frequently. Then, help your child use language for her interactions. Any child who
does not have the appropriate language may use gestures, and so will yours. Your job now will be to give her the language: My
turn. I go first. You win. It will take many opportunities to listen, but the words will become part of her vocabulary as you
guide her in interacting more and more with other children.
C)SPEECH
In Lesson Four we talked about duration, intensity and pitch. This is the time to look at your notebook again and consider your
childs development in these areas. The routines of daily life are the perfect opportunity to reinforce and encourage these speech
skills, and continuing to write and review notes will help you assess progress.
Many families have a little Cleanup Song which they sing while putting away toys. You can make up your own using any
melody. It might go like this:
Time to clean up. Time to clean up.
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Everyone! Everyone!
Time to clean up.
Now were done. Now were done.
Remember to think about intensity as you sing loudly and softly. This is a challenge for any young child. Model for your
preschooler as you sing first and then encourage her to try. Then practice duration and make some of the sounds short. Clean
up, Clean up. Make other sounds long, Everyooonne! Pitch is part of any song and you move from high to low notes. No
matter how your child sounds, tell her shes doing a wonderful job!
As you follow the same routine each day, you can repeat many of the same words. For example, Brush your teeth. Soon your
child will begin to use these same words, although at first only you might understand them. She might say, Ba eee in an attempt
to imitate, Brush teeth. You can help with her speech development by repeating these words in natural conversation. Do not
exaggerate the sounds or make her look at you while exaggerating them. This will only confuse your child. As you exaggerate
sounds, they become distorted, not only as she hears them, but also as she sees them in speech reading. Instead, put yourself at
your childs level. Then speak clearly and naturally.
In Lesson Five, you were listening to your childs speech productions during play. Listen carefully to your childs vowels. Are they
clear and natural sounding? Are there lots of variations? Remember that children with normal hearing learn to produce vowels
through listening, and that their beginning productions may not be perfect. To encourage variety, continue to introduce speech
sounds during play and everyday living. How is your childs speech on vowels such as /ee/ in peeppeep and /oo/ in boo
boo? Listen carefully, especially for anything unusual, such as nasality.
How about these sounds?
/a/ as in mama
/e/ as in wet
/i/ as in hit
/o/ as in no
/ae/ as in pat
Let us know how your child produces these vowel sounds. If it is difficult for you describe these productions, ask someone in your
family to help! Remember, therapists and teachers will come and go in your childs life. YOU are the constant. You can learn to
listen to your childs speech and language productions and make a difference.
Throughout their development, childrens understanding exceeds speech production by quite a lot. For example, children who are
two years old understand two or three times more words than they are capable of saying. During the first year of acquiring
vocabulary (from 12 to 30 months) children learn an average of one word per day. Based on this, children of two and a half years
understand approximately 400 to 500 words. In general, a child needs to hear a word 10 or 12 times before beginning to say it.
Towards 18 months of age, children experience an explosion of vocabulary which coincides with the beginning of grammatical
construction. The speech production curve reaches its maximum towards the end of the preschool period. A large part of
vocabulary growth is due to a childs ability to produce a word because of knowing another (run, runner, running).
View brief video clip celebrating the progress of JTC preschooler enjoying sound fun with a parent.
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Discuss similarities and differences in common objects and sounds.
View a video clip from an individual speech language session involvingstorytelling.
LISTENING:WhosTalking?
To give your child practice in listening for the differences between a mans voice and a womans voice (pitch differences).
What You Need:
Two adults, a man and a woman
Your child
What to Do:
1. Think in advance about any opportunity your child has to hear male and female adult voices. This might be during dinner, or
while the family is gathered together in the evening.
2. As each family member speaks during dinner or a gathering, be sure to point that person out to your child. For example,
Listen. Daddy is talking. He says he wants more potatoes. Lets give Daddy some potatoes. Daddy might need to repeat his
request after you have your childs attention.
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3. Later in the meal, be sure to point out another voice. Daddy might say, Listen. Mommy is asking for something. What does
she want?
Variation:
Use a tape recorder and pictures of a man and woman. To prepare for this activity, record voices of men and women speaking in
varying order: first the man says a sentence, then the woman, then the man has two turns, and so on. Leave a few seconds of
silence between each one. Stop and start the machine between presentations. In addition to voices of Mommy and Daddy, you can
record the voices of grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, etc. Take pictures of the speakers to use in your game.
A greeting such as HI SWEETIE or HOW ARE YOU? can be used. Your child can respond after each sentence by pointing to, or
putting a token on, the appropriate picture. You will want to use voices and pictures of people who are familiar to your child.
Have familiar people call you at prearranged times on the telephone. Using pictures of your relatives or friends, encourage your
child to distinguish the voice and decide who is speaking. (The success of this game will largely depend on your childs hearing
loss.)
LANGUAGE:MeasuringandPouring
To introduce your child to the words used for comparisons and those used to describe amounts
What You Need:
Several small cups of plastic or metal (Clear, soft plastic is best, as it will not break like glass and your child will be able to see how
much is inside the containers. Be sure that the containers are small enough so your child will be able to handle them easily. At least
two should be the same size.)
A sandbox or sand pile (If you do not have a sandbox, or just wish to do this activity indoors, you can use salt or cornmeal in place
of sand. A sandbox in a park or playground can also be used.)
If the activity is done indoors, it helps to use a large tray with newspapers underneath to catch the spills.
What to Do:
1. Sit next to your child in the sandbox. Give her two containers that are the same size. Fill a third larger container with enough
sand to fill the smaller two. As you do so, give your child the language for the things you are using and what you are doing:
This is empty.
This one is empty, too.
Mama has some sand.
Look at all the sand.
2. Help your child pour the sand from the larger container into the smaller ones. Use language such as:
Lets pour the sand.
Its full.
Fill this one.
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Now its full.

Theyre the same.
3. Pour the sand back into the larger container and continue the activity by using a variety of containers. Encourage your child to
choose differentsized containers in which to pour sand.
Now you pour it.
Lets fill this one.
4. If your child has some spontaneous expressive language, let her tell you what to do!
Variations:
1. After your child fills one container, take a similar one and pour less sand in that one. Then, you might say:
Look, theyre not the same.
This one has more.
This one has less.
You have more sand.
I have less sand.
2. Give your child many opportunities throughout the day to pour during household routines. For example, let your child help
during cooking activities. Perhaps she could fill a cup with rice and pour it into a pot. Then, she can observe how the same amount
looks different when it is in different containers. When you are baking, let her measure and pour flour, sugar, milk and other
ingredients.
Pour the milk.
Oh, we need some flour.
We need a little more water.
Your child can also help pour mouthwash into a glass, bird food into a bird feed, dog food into a dog dish, dishwashing liquid into
the sink full of water; or laundry detergent or softener into the washing machine. Your conversation might include:
Fluffy needs some food.
Pour some into the bowl.
Fill the dish.
Its full.
Pour it in.
3. Give your child opportunities to measure and pour on her own during playtime as well. She will enjoy pouring sand in the
sandbox and pouring water while in the tub or wading pool. Allow her to use a variety of containers of different shapes and sizes,
as well as funnels, spoons and other tools.
1. When you are pouring sand into two containers of the same size, you can ask:
Which has more?
Which has less?
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Which has the most sand?

Other appropriate terms to use as your childs language grows are: A LOT and A LITTLE BIT. You can also introduce MANY and A
FEW by using quantities of beans, macaroni, jelly beans, small pebbles, pennies, etc.
2. When giving your child a glass of milk, pour just a little in her glass. Pause. Then say:
Heres your milk.
After she finishes and hands you the glass, ask her:
Do you want more?
Do you want more milk?
3. Let your child fill her cereal bowl for breakfast. Fill your bowl (or a brothers or sisters) with a different amount. Ask her:
Which has more?
Which has less?
Show me more.
Show me less.
Of course, if she is not ready to do this, give her the language:
You have more.
Daddy has less.
Jeremy has the most cereal.
SPEECH:LoudVoice,SoftVoice
To encourage your child to imitate loud and soft voices
What You Need:
Toy animals from a barnyard toy set, such as a large and small dog or a large and small cow
Or pictures cut from a magazine of a large and small dog (cat, fish, truck etc.) and pasted on separate Popsicle sticks
What to Do:
1. Move the big dog and say in a loud voice, WOOF! WOOF!
2. Then give the dog to your child and say, Now you do it. Make the dog bark. Help her by using your own voice if she does
not respond.
3. Next, take the small dog and say in a soft voice, Woof Woof. Give this dog to your child and ask her to make it bark.
4. Praise your child for her efforts and continue playing with the animals as you both make loud and soft sounds. Converse with
your child: Point to the small dog and say, What does he say? He says, Woof, woof. Heres the big dog. He says, WOOF,
WOOF!
When your child is consistently successful in imitating your loud and soft voices, add a whisper. Tell your child that the small dog
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is sleeping. In a whisper say, Shhh.be quiet. Dont wake him! Exchange a comment or two in a whisper. Then say, Time to
wake up the puppy. Use a LOUD voice.
ANEVERYDAYACTIVITY:MakingtheBed
To listen and learn the language involved in making the bed
To participate in helping out with daily chores
What to Do:
1. Let your child help you make her bed.
2. In the course of the activity, have a conversation with your child.
Heres a blue blanket. How does it feel?
What shall we do next?
Youre right. We need the pillows.
3. You can also stress certain words such as: Pull the sheets (blankets, spread). Fold the sheet (or the blanket) as you turn it
down. Smooth the sheet as you complete the task.
4. Remember, the goal for now is not to have your child make a perfect bed. Concentrate on spending some enjoyable time with
your child to help her learn the language associated with bed making, and on giving her a sense of accomplishment as she
participates in the work of the family. (If the bed needs to be tidied or remade, do it later when your child is busy with other
things.)
Variations:
1. You may wish to hide some small toys UNDER THE COVERS BEFORE YOU BEGIN making the bed. You can share your childs
excitement as you discover each lump in the bed. Choose things such as a ball, car, doll, puzzle piece or anything that
corresponds with words your child knows or is learning.
Siblings might enjoy this game as well. Have each child take a turn and find a toy. Older siblings might also enjoy choosing which
toys to hide and place under the covers.But dont forget to talk about what your child finds.
Wow! What is that?
Is that your red truck?
I feel something. What is it?
2. Have your child put a stuffed animal or doll to bed, and then later wake up the doll. Now you and your child can make the bed,
using all of the language you have been teaching her as a part of this routine.
3. When you are stripping the bed before washing the sheets, your child might enjoy a simple game of Hide and Seek, especially
if an older sibling can first play the game. Throw a sheet over the older childs head and ask, WHERES JENNIFER? When your older
child removes the sheet, you can say, HERE SHE IS. If this type of activity would not frighten your child, encourage her to play, or
help her again hide her brother or sister. This game may not be appropriate for a child with very little residual hearing.
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When the older child is still under the sheet, you can take the opportunity to point out facial features through the sheet; THERES
JUDYS HEAD, OH, HERES HER NOSE. CAN YOU FIND JUDYS FEET?
As your child learns some of the basic language for bed making, expand what you say:
Put the quilt on the bed.
Put the pillow near the headboard.
Oh, the beds all mussed.
ATHINKINGACTIVITY:ChangingColors
To prepare for this activity, think about colors created by mixing paints, such as red and blue to make purple, and try to find toys
or stuffed animals of that color.
To practice making choices
To learn about mixing colors
To learn language during an art/craft activity, particularly colors
What You Need
A sheet of white paper and various colors of waterbased paints
What to Do:
1. Put out a few sheets of white paper and closed containers of paints (you will be opening and using them yourself). Tell your
child, Lets make new colors. We will mix our paint!
2. Put some red paint on the paper and say to your child, Look, here is some red paint. If she wants to immediately begin to
smear the paint, thats OK. Hold the blue paint and say, Here is some blue paint. Im going to put on some blue paint.
3. Add some blue paint near the red and say, Lets mix the paint. What will happen?
4. As soon as your child begins to mix the colors, tell her, You made a new color. The color is purple. Point to the red paint
and say, No more red. Point to the blue paint and say, No more blue. Point to the new color and say, This is purple. We made
purple paint.
5. If you have a purple toy, bring it out and show your child. Your truck is purple. The paint is purple. You made purple paint.
You can repeat this with various colors, such as yellow and blue to make green or red and yellow to make orange.
PLAYTIMEACTIVITY:ImaginativePlayonaTricycle
To learn new language during actionoriented play
To interact casually with your child as she rides her tricycle or other wheeled toy
To promote pretend play
What You Need:
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Your childs wheeled riding toy

A chair
A cardboard box (for a gasoline pump)
A small piece of hose, if available (Or a thick piece of rope)
A rag
When to Play:
Anytime after your child has had experience at a real gas station or repair center with a real vehicle.
What To Do:
1. Place the cardboard box near an area where your child is riding her tricycle. Call her and indicate you would like her to drive
over. Use the cardboard box as the gasoline pump. The short piece of hose could serve as the nozzle as you gas up her vehicle.
You could also wash her windshield with the rag, and check the oil, tires, and so on.
2. While you are servicing the vehicle, you will have many opportunities to use phrases such as:
Do you need gas?
Ill fill it up.
Turn it on. (The gas pump)
How many gallons?
Uh oh, you need oil!
The tires need air.
$5.00, please.
Variations:
1. Your child might like to bring her vehicle in for repairs. You could pretend to change tires, by working on them with your
tools and then giving them a good spin. You can fix the engine, etc. Or, you might want to set up a small car wash.
2. If she is playing with friends, you might set up a small parking lot with each childs name on a space. Direct each one to park.
Then, perhaps everyone could sit down for a small treat.
1. Give your child a chance to be the gas station attendant. You could pull a wagon or other wheeled toy into your childs
station. Give her the opportunity for conversation:
Fill it up?
$10.00, please.
2. When you visit a real gas station, you might give your child the opportunity to tell the attendant:
Five gallons, please.
As your child hands the attendant the money, she can say, Thank you!
E)SUMMARY
Make a list of household sounds to teach your child.
Think ahead to the next daily routine and the language you will use.
Play common ageappropriate games with your child and focus on the language she will use.
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Ask your childs teacher about classroom routines and practice that language with your preschooler.
Try to present the question first by hearing.
LinkstoMore
Valuing Routines
Power of Routines
GototheNextLesson
YES! You have completed readingLesson6: Daily Routines. Now try some ideas with your child. Consider sharing questions and
Seasonal Funso this course becomes an individualized guideor go back to thePreschool Course contentto select another module.
Lesson7:SeasonalFun
A)LISTENING
Your preschooler should now be moving from simple detection to identification to comprehension of sounds. Your child doesnt
just hear a sound; he understands it and can respond to it. By now, that response may also consist of spoken language.
Remember that identification is the ability to name by repeating or writing what is heard. Identification is the result of pitch,
intensity, duration, acoustic information, and suprasegmentals (the singsong quality of our speech). Included in this are
individual sounds of speech. Comprehension is the ability to understand the significance of speech and language by responding
to questions, following instructions, adding comments and completely participating in a conversation. At this level, a childs
answers are not just repetition of words, but instead use his own phrases and language.
Holidays and celebrations provide the perfect opportunity to help your preschooler develop his listening skills. You will want to
begin early as you teach your child songs that the family will sing. For example, you might talk about an upcoming birthday party,
look at pictures and books about birthdays, and then sing Happy Birthday together. Make it even more fun with noisemakers
such as bells or a spoon on the lid of a pot.
Some cultures celebrate holidays with a parade. Its fun to have a parade of your own and even more fun if family and friends join
in. Make a miniparade in the backyard and march in time to the music.
Celebrations can be noisy! Think about sounds inside your house when you celebrate a special occasion. Friends ring the doorbell
when they come to visit. You might say, What did you hear? Wait for a response. Possibly your child will point to the door, and
you can then provide the language: You heard the doorbell. Thats the doorbell. Because he understands the sound, he should
soon be understanding your words, and then expressing them himself. Encourage him to answer your question, What should we
do? If he does not respond, provide the answer: Whos here? Lets answer the door.
Noisemakers, traditional music, laughterthese are some of the sounds heard during holidays and special celebrations. Although
you are very busy during this time, think about the sounds around you and take an extra minute to point them out to your child.
You might also want to make a list of holiday phrases that your child can learn. Happy Birthday, Happy Channukah, Merry
Christmas, Trick or Treat are a few you might use. Remember that your child must hear your words and understand their
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meaning before he will begin to say them himself. In other words, he must have receptive vocabulary before it becomes
expressive. Remember to use intonation to help: Happy BIRTHday can be said in a singsong voice to make the words easier for
your little one to understand. Also, on occasion speak close to the microphone of his amplification so that he hears you as clearly
as possible.
Most families have a giftgiving routine which uses specific language. This is for you! Thank you very much. Encourage your
child to listen as other family members speak and respond. Then model the correct language.
There are also many outdoor sounds to enjoy as the seasons pass. During fall, you and your child can crunch leaves on the yard or
sidewalk. Take a few leaves home and paste them in a book, then talk about that sound.
In winter, you can listen to the wind blowing, or the crunching sound as you walk in the snow. When rain falls, listen to it hitting
the pavement, the roof, or the hood of the car. Is it loud or very, very soft? Thunderstorms provide wonderful listening
opportunities. Open the window and enjoy the noise!
Spring and summer generally mean warmer weather, and this may also mean an outing to a lake, river or even the ocean. Help
your child listen for the sound the water makes: the rushing of the river, the lapping of little waves at a lake, the crash of big waves
at the ocean. Other spring and summer sounds about which your preschooler can learn: chirping of birds, the roar of the mower,
the song of crickets in the evening.
Listen! Enjoy the sounds yourself and then talk, talk, talk about all of these sounds to your preschooler. Take pictures for an
experience book or find a library book to look at as you talk about what you hear. Your child needs to know about everything that
makes noise in his world.
B)LANGUAGE
Teach new words that are part of seasons and holidays.
MakingExperienceBooks
Experience books are wonderful teaching tools to use with young children who have a hearing loss. Depending on your childs
age, your books will vary in length from three to eight pages.
Your camera will become very important during any holiday or celebration. Whether it is a national or religious holiday or a cultural
or family celebration, you want your preschooler to be an active participant in the event. Pictures can help make this happen. As
special days approach, think about photos you can use to make your youngster an experience book. Each year, you will update
experience books and enjoy them with your preschooler. In addition to photographs, you can draw pictures or cut them out of
magazines and old coloring books.
An experience book about the celebration of a birthday is a good example, as it is an event celebrated in most countries and
cultures. Begin about two weeks before the celebration. Ask your local library or bookstore if they can recommend a storybook
with pictures that you can use to talk about a birthday party. If none are available, use snapshots from family birthday
celebrations. These will work well, too.
You might want to find photos of the friends who will come to your little ones party. Include handdrawn sketches of items or
activities for which you cannot find pictures. Show your child the photos and the pictures in the book as you say things like:
Here are your friends. They will come to your birthday party.
Grandma and Grandpa are coming to say happy birthday to you.
Yum! Ice cream and cake!
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A piata for your birthday!

Include your preschooler when you make or buy the party invitations. Take him with you when you buy the decorations and let him
help choose the plates and tablecloth. Take a snapshot of your child with his selection. Involve him in all the preparations and talk
to him about his special day:
Its your birthday!
Were having your birthday party!
A few days before his party, show him pictures of a cake and candles. Show pictures of the children who will attend. And, most
important, teach him the Happy Birthday song that is used in your family or culture. Sing it over and over together so your child
learns the words and melody. As your child begins to learn this song, sing along with him and then stop and wait for him to finish
the song by himself.
The big day arrives! Involve your child in every preparation possible. Show him the cake and candles. Explain and show pictures
from books so he understands what he will do. Sing a birthday song or whatever music accompanies your family celebration.
Again show pictures of his friends and talk about presents. Your little one is ready. Now its time to have fun.
Throughout the preparation activities and the celebration, keep your camera handy. You can use your snapshots to add to and
update your childs experience book for birthdays and other special celebrations. Of course, experience books will be about any
topic that is of interest to your child.
Seasons
Think about each season and what your child can learn. Your child may wear a hat outside that cover his hearing aids or cochlear
implant microphone and he may not hear your voice clearly. Dont let that stop you from talking to him! Now is the time to get
down to his level. Your voice will be stronger when you are very near to him. You can continue to encourage new vocabulary.
During the fall maybe the wind blows through the trees and there is a swishing sound of leaves. Then leaves fall to the ground and
make a crunching noise as you walk on them. Rake them into a pile and jump in it. This is an opportunity to develop listening
skills. Talk a walk together, talk about the sounds you hear, the colors you see and the wind you feel.
Maybe the neighborhood children are playing soccer. Talk about the game and what they are doing. He kicked the ball. Wow, he
is a fast runner. Children like to play games with balls. Bring the family together, talk about what ball game you will play and
then have fun.
In some places, winter might bring cold weather, rain or snow. This weather could mean wearing coats and boots. Its snowing
outside. Lets catch the flakes as they fall. We can make snowballs. Where are your gloves? OK, lets pack the snow and roll it. We
could make a snowman. Narrate what you are doing, encourage conversation and ask questions. If your child decides to roll in
the snow instead of building a snowman, follow his lead and start a new conversation. Talk about how snow feels cold and wet.
Hockey might be a game children are playing with sticks and balls on an icy or snowy surface. Talk about everything as he learns
during this exciting time.
Spring provides another time to listen. Can your child hear the rain as it splashes on his umbrella, off the roof or in a puddle?
Walk together in the rain and talk about it. Rain can wash away dust, fill up creeks and make the grass very wet. Now you are
helping your child develop language and thinking skills.
Spring is an opportunity to use color words. Lets find red flowers. Is that bloom light yellow or dark yellow? Whats your favorite
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color? You might decide to do some planting together. You can talk about how dirt and rocks feel or how big or small the seeds
look. Pat the dirt with your shovel. Can you hear that sound?
Summer may bring warm weather with much to talk about and do. You can describe how the temperature feels, the sky looks and
the outdoor noises sound. Maybe there are birds chirping, lawn equipment motors running or people shouting. Children might be
playing group games that you can watch and join. Listen to them laughing. They are having fun together.
Your child may swim in the summer. Before he gets into the water, explain what he will do. His instruction may need to include
visual information. Get in with him and show him. Finally its his turn. Have fun as he masters this skill. Swimming is a chance to
use words including near/far, deep/shallow, under/around and warm/cold.
Playing in water is great fun, but most hearing aids and cochlear implants should not get wet. Plan to remove amplification devices
before water activities. Your child will not hear your voice without his hearing aids or cochlear implant. This is a time when you
may want to use a few formal signs or informal gestures to help him follow your directions. You might also use pictures to depict
guidelines for not being allowed in the deep end of the pool or staying with a grownup at the beach.
Every season can be an opportunity for another experience book. You can take photos of activities of your child throughout the
year. The books can be read to review the fun you had and expand on the language associated with the special activities of the
seasons.
HolidaysandCelebrations
By now your little one has experienced birthday parties, national holidays, and religious and ethnic celebrations. As a baby, he
happily participated in these occasions with very little understanding. Now it is time to help him participate more fully. When your
child is fully involved in holidays and celebrations, he will learn the language associated with them. This is the time to make him a
part of the activities. Be observant and follow his lead.
Maybe your little fellow likes the decorations. Let him be involved by helping you take them out of the boxes. Help him unwrap or
open items and talk to him about what he is doing. Name the item and describe it. Tell him how you will use it. When he is
interested in what you are doing together, you can be sure that he will be interested in listening and in talking about it, too.
Cooking is an important part of many events. Although it will mean extra time, your childs involvement in preparing traditional
foods will help make your holidays more meaningful to him. Show pictures of the foods you are planning to prepare. Maybe you
will want to focus on one special dish and just go shopping for those ingredients with your child.
You can make a list or cards with a picture of each ingredient. We need sugar, flour and eggs. Your childs shopping list would
include a small picture beside the word. Let him hold his list as you shop together. You can say things like:
Now we need flour.
Lets find the eggs. Careful! The eggs will break! Put them in the cart.
When you get home, remember to talk as you work. You will talk again about what you bought as you put away your groceries.
When its time to prepare the dish, your helper can assist you in getting the bowl, spoon, measuring cups and the ingredients.
When its time to eat, your little fellow will love to carry his special dish to the table. Everyone will definitely tell him what a good
cook he is.
Almost every celebration has special songs. Since singing is a wonderful way to help your childs speech development, try to spend
time each day for a couple of weeks in advance singing with him. Its even more fun if you can act out the song, so use some
finger play or movement to help him understand the words. You might even choose a special time each evening for the family to
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sing together. Show him a picture or two of the upcoming celebration to help him associate the song with the event.
Keep things simple.
Holidays and celebrations are busy times, and each member of the family has obligations. You might be thinking that its
impossible to give extra attention to your little child. Yet you can involve him in family activities, even if its only for a few
minutes.
Follow his lead. If he becomes engrossed in one decoration, talk to him about it. Talk about the color, how pretty it is, how much
he likes it. If you are baking and he focuses on measuring cups, take a minute to talk about using them and let him pour some
water. The time you take will shape your childs understanding of these important experiences and continue his listening,
language and speech development.
As you help your child learn about different holidays, ceremonies and celebrations, you will want to use the same words and
phrases over and over. Repetition, preparation, language and involvement are the keys to your childs understanding of the
important events in his life.
AllAboutTime
Your little one might know that a special event is coming, but he might not understand that he must wait until next week or even
just tomorrow. Young children need a variety of experiences to develop their concept of time. One important way children learn
about time is through daily routine. For example, they soon understand that playtime follows breakfast and getting dressed.
Celebrations and holidays mean changes in routine, but these changes can become an expected part of his life if you explain them
to your preschooler.
The concepts of today, tomorrow and yesterday can be taught by making your own calendar. This is an idea to get you started. At
first, at the end of each day, take a small sheet of paper to illustrate something that happened that day. Events that seem ordinary
to adults are often quite significant to children: a hurt knee, finding a feather, the visit of a neighborhood playmate or having ice
cream. Any of these may be the days highlight for your child. You may decide to use a photograph, a sketch, a picture cut from a
magazine, or even a propa feather, a bandage, a piece of popped balloonwhatever is appropriate for the event. To increase
your childs exposure to the printed word, write a short sentence under the picture, too. This will help him develop prereading
skills. Talk about the event. Ask simple questions and encourage your child to use any words he knows during the conversation.
Each of these pictures will now become a square on a very simple calendar you make together. At first, use the calendar without
trying to teach your child the names of the days of the week. Just expose him to your little drawings or pictures with a brief
sentence under it. You can make small cardboard or paper tags that say today, yesterday, and tomorrow to attach to each
days space on the calendar. You wont expect him to read the tags, but the exposure to the printed word is helpful.
Try to use the same language from day to day to talk about the same event, both before it happens and after it occurs. One day
you can say, Today Jeffrey raced his trucks. Yesterday Jeffrey ate a hot dog. Tomorrow we will go to the zoo. The next day
you could change your language to, Yesterday Jeffrey raced his trucks. Today we went to the zoo. Tomorrow we will go
swimming. Crossing off each day as it goes by will also help your child understand the passage of time.
C)SPEECH
As you have progressed through our lessons, you have noted the emphasis on a childs wearing hearing aids or his cochlear
implant during all waking hours. This is because your preschooler needs to have as much access to the sounds of speech as
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possible.
If your child has aided hearing levels of 50 dB in the low frequencies only, he will be aware of voice, and the intensity and duration
of speech sounds. However, he will not understand words, for speech will not be clear enough to learn to talk without speech
reading.
If your child has aided hearing levels of 40 to 50 dB in the mid frequencies, he will be aware of some vowels. He will be able to
discriminate specific vowels such as /a/ and /u/.
If your child has aided hearing levels of 30 dB in the high frequencies up to 4000 Hz, he will be able to identify all vowels and
consonants.
Children develop speech sounds in a specific order beginning with vowels, consonants and then consonant blends. Babies begin
with the vowel sound of /ah/ because it is very neutral and relaxed. Gradually the /e/ sound emerges as a baby develops more
muscle control. The development of consonant sounds is also the result of muscle and breath control.
A childs first word approximations are usually single vowels such as /e/ for eat, single syllables such as /ni/ for Good night, or
repeated syllables like nana for banana. The next step is to add beginning or ending consonants or to increase the number of
syllables. So, /ni/ might become /gani/ and finally good night. If your childs amplification provides access to all speech
sounds, your child will follow the same pattern of speech development as a child with normal hearing.
Your child will need a therapist who has a very specialized education, training her to work on speech development for children who
are hearing impaired. Regular speech/language therapists are specialists in working with children who have normal hearing. It is
very important to talk to your therapist to determine her education and training. She must be educated to teach children who have
a hearing loss.
One of the best methodologies that your childs teacher or therapist can use was developed by Dr Daniel Ling, Ph.D. His works
provide speech teaching models and strategies written specifically for teachers of children who have a hearing loss. You might
want to ask your childs teacher if she is using this approach.
In order to assure the success of any program for your child, it is important that all of the activities and progress are based on
hierarchies of the development of listening, speech, language, natural communication and cognition that occur for all children.
AuditoryVerbal therapists have developed programs and activities using this hierarchy based on a childs development and
chronological age. If a child consistently has difficulty with the activities, it is probable that the therapist is not following the
natural development of a child of his age.
To develop spoken language through audition, one needs to base therapy on a sequential program of development. For example,
in an initial program, the therapist will use a great variety of vocalizations in a singsong manner. As Dr Ling has indicated, when
a child learns to listen, his speech and language production improves, also. When a child is capable of producing sounds or using
syllables in specific activities, he will be motivated to use these same sounds in natural spoken language. The activities of
language are based on the hierarchies of development as well as the individual childs abilities.
Not all children have the same residual hearing or the same amount of gain from their hearing aids. It is important to know a
childs exact hearing levels as he progresses through spoken language development.
View brief video clip celebrating the progress of JTC preschooler enjoying song time with a parent.
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Try music and drawing to facilitate creative learning.
LISTENING:SongTime
To help your child learn that listening to a wide variety of speech sounds with varying duration, intensity and pitch can be fun
What You Need:
Nursery rhymes or songs
Optional: CDs of nursery songs; musical instrument(s)
When to play:
Any quiet time when you are with your child
What to Do:
1. Choose a nursery rhyme or a song and sing it to your child.
2. Sing the nursery rhyme a second time. Sway or clap with your child in rhythm with the music. Your child may vocalize with
you.
3. If your child is responding, keep the fun going.
4. Play this game every day for a week, always using the same song(s) or rhyme(s). Dont worry about repeating favorites yours
or hisrepetition is good. You cant sing itor say ittoo many times!
Remember, repetition is an important way for your child to learn.
1. As your child gets used to hearing nursery rhymes or songs, he may begin to know what is coming next. Pause at the end of
lines and let your child fill in the last word or the next line.
2. Select one of your childs favorite nursery rhymes or songs. On several pieces of paper, draw illustrations (they can be very
simple) showing the action of the nursery rhyme. Start with two rhymes. For example, on one paper illustrate The Cow Jumped
Over the Moon and on another Hickory, Dickory Dock (or any favorite from your culture or tradition). Sing or recite a line and
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see if your child can point to the correct picture. When your child can do this with ease, use three and finally four illustrations.
SPEECH:VowelsandDiphthongs
To listen to and practice vowels and diphthongs
What You Need (if your child is just beginning):
Bubbles to make the sound /o/ in pop
A toy ladder
A doll or stuffed animal
What to Do:
1. Blow bubbles with your child and help him catch them. As they pop, say, Pop, pop, pop. Encourage him to vocalize also as
he pops the bubbles.
2. With a toy ladder, move a doll or other toy up and down, repeating the words, Up, up, up, for short vowel sounds and
dooooown for long vowel sounds.
What You Need (If your child is more advanced):
A mirror
A doll or stuffed animal
What to Do:
1. Look at a doll or stuffed animal together and identify facial features. Point and say, Here is the nose. Where is your nose?
Here is your mouth. Vowel and diphthong sounds are very pronounced in these words:
Nose o
Mouth ou
Eyes i
Teeth ee
(Vowel sounds are made with tongue movement and not lips.) Be sure that you do not exaggerate the words. And, use them in
short, simple sentences. Let your child listen and try to imitate you.
2. Tell him, Your turn! Then give him a turn. Let him point and show your mouth, eyes, etc. in a mirror.
Variation:
You can also play a Whats Missing game by drawing a face, and leave off a facial feature. For example, you might draw a nose
and eyes, and then ask, Whats missing? Your child will say, The mouth! Be sure to give him a turn with this game, too.
ATHINKINGACTIVITY:MatchingandSequencingObjects
To demonstrate the ability to match and sort
To learn the language same and different while observing different shapes and sizes of household items
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What You Need:

Shoes or silverware for matching
Plastic containers with lids for sequencing
What to Do:
If your child is two or three years old:
1. Bring out three or four pairs of shoes belonging to different family members. Scatter them on the floor and then sit with your
child and say, Look, I have Daddys big shoe. Where is the matching shoe? If your child does not locate that shoe, find it for him
and say, Here is the matching shoe. Look, I have Daddys shoes.
2. Now take one of your childs shoes and again say, Here is your shoe. Where is the matching shoe? Be enthusiastic when
your child locates his shoe and creates a pair.
3. Now ask your child to match two shoes. You might say, What shoe would you like to match? Oh, you have Mommys shoe.
Can you match it?
If your child is four or five years old:
1. Bring out your plastic containers with lids. You will want as many sizes as possible. Scatter them on the floor and sit with
your child as you say, Lets put the lids on the bowls. Which lid goes on this one?
2. As your child finds the correct lids for the bowls, encourage him to place them in order from the smallest to the largest.
Heres a small bowl. Shall we put it here? Lets put this bigger bowl here. What bowl goes next?
PLAYTIME:UsingCrayonsandPaper
To talk with your child about the language of colors
To encourage your childs creativity
What You Need:
Paper
Crayons (At first, you may want to limit the crayons to three or four bright colors. And remember, for younger children, large
crayons are easier to handle.)
What to Do:
1. Provide your child with paper and crayons. Allow him to draw whatever he wants on his own paper.
2. At first, your child may do little more than scribble on the paper. Doing this, he is learning to hold the crayon. He is also
developing important fine motor coordination that will be necessary later for writing skills. Encourage him! He is being creative.
Show your pleasure at his work.
3. Talk with him about the colors he uses:
You want the red crayon.
Where is the blue crayon?
The yellow is pretty.
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Also, talk with him about what he draws:

You are making a big picture.
Youre going round and round.
Tell me about your picture.
4. When he has finished, help him write his name on his picture. Hang up the picture where all family members can see it.
Praise him for his artistic attempts!
5. Later, offer him more colors from which to choose.
Variations:
1. Squirt white shaving cream into a bowl and color it with tempera paint. Let your child paint with the shaving cream on paper.
Then provide small containers with glitter or confetti for your child to decorate his art. Talk about colors, shapes, and how smooth
the shaving cream feels.
2. Try easel painting with large brushes. Be sure to have your child wear old clothing or a big smock!
You may also want to help him compare shapes by tracing a round object such as a cup, and a square object such as a small box.
Talk about the different shapes. You can also make a large circle with a bigger cup.
You made a big circle.
What color will you paint it?
See, your red square will fit into the big green
circle.
E)SUMMARY
Experience books are excellent teaching tools.
Teach your child the birthday song of your culture as you prepare for that special day.
Keep your camera with you and take photos of every occasion.
Make a calendar to teach your child about yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Find or make some books about holidays, birthdays, or seasons.
Speech is an acoustic event! Is it time to schedule a hearing test?
Keep your childs notebook up to date!
LinkstoMore
Family Trips
Make an Experience Book
GototheNextLesson
YES! You have completed readingLesson7: Seasonal Fun. Now try some ideas with your child. Consider sharing questions and
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Early Literacyso this course becomes an individualized guideor go back to thePreschool Course contentto select another module.
Lesson8:EarlyLiteracy
A)LISTENING
When you and your preschooler first begin to look at books together, you will read or tell the story to your child. She will listen. As
she begins to understand your words, she is developing her auditory learning skills. Auditory learning is the result of listening.
This is important now as your child becomes older and will soon begin school. She will need to learn by listening to her teacher as
she reads or gives directions. Your focus now should be on developing this ability.
Books provide the perfect opportunity for helping your child with auditory learning. After you and your preschooler have read a
book together a few times, you have the opportunity to ask some questions. You might just look at the pictures and ask, Where is
the duck? Can you find the boy? Encourage your child to respond auditorily at first, then use vision if necessary.
Most children love to hear a story over and over until they are able to tell it themselves with only a few words from you. You can
encourage your child to reach this level by giving her the opportunity to finish a sentence in the book. and the moon is behind
the_____. Can she say the word? If not, model it for her and then repeat the sentence again leaving out the last word. Pause just
briefly. If she cannot fill in the blank, do it for her and continue with the story.
You can also encourage your child to tell you the story. Listen to the words she uses. Is she using all the nouns? What about verbs?
Help her add a few more words each time she tells you the story. And, as always, tell her what a great job she is doing.
The use of stories with children who have a hearing loss is very important for the following reasons:
1. Stories provide an opportunity to teach many concepts that children cannot experience in a therapy session or at home.
2. Stories help develop the imagination.
3. Stories offer the opportunity to repeat, predict and reinforce new concepts and experiences.
Beginning stories for very young children should have one picture on each page. To help your child understand the picture, you
can have an object or toy that matches the illustration. Talk about the object or toy and then look at it and the picture. In that
way, you are interacting and playing with your child, reinforcing listening and language skills.
Hearing children at two years of age have a vocabulary of approximately 300 words. At three years, that vocabulary has increased
to 900 words. That same pace is expected from a child with a hearing loss if hearing aids provide awareness of speech and if he is
in a good speech therapy program. Stories are one more valuable tool to aid in developing a strong vocabulary.
B)LANGUAGE
Discuss what might happen in the stories you are reading.
HowDoChildrenDevelopLiteracy?
Print is all around us! You want your child to begin to associate printed words with spoken language. A simple and enjoyable way
to start your little one on the road to literacy is to point out her name on mail, clothing labelsanything and everything with her
name on it. The more often you do this, the sooner she will begin to associate print with something important such as her name!
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Take advantage of the print that is already in your home and community. You can read street signs and labels to her. As you drive
to the market, point out traffic and street signs. Stop. The sign says Stop. We need to stop now. You can go for a walk and look
at your street sign. Rimhill Road. We live on Rimhill Road.
Does your child have a favorite place to eat? Show her the sign while you say the name. Then look at the menu together. Is there a
picture of a chicken or a hamburger? Show it to her as you point to and say the word. You want chicken. It wont be long before
your child begins to understand that letters have meaning.
Your preschooler has probably watched you make your daily or weekly shopping list. She has probably seen you check things off,
too, after putting items in your cart. She will feel very important if she makes a shopping list and goes to the market with you.
Choose four or five items that you will buy together. Find or sketch a picture of each of these items. Then get your pencil and two
pieces of paper. Show your child the pictures. (Pause for a second as you identify the items.) We need milkapplesbananas
and cereal. Lets make a list.
On your childs paper, sketch a picture of each item. Beside the sketch, write the word. Write your list, too. She cannot read the
words yet, but she knows that this paper will tell you what you need and with the pictures, she can help you. At the store let her
carry her list. Show her the picture of the milk and the word milk on your list. Say, Lets get the milk. When you do, point to the
word on the carton and then on her list and yours. Say, Milk. Heres our milk. If you generally cross items off your list, let her do
the same. Repeat this for the other items on your shopping list.
When you go to the produce section of the store, you will probably see the words apples and bananas near those items. Point to
the word as you say, Here are the apples. Now you can take your purchases and check out. Your child has had an important and
meaningful lesson in preliteracy!
Here is another suggestion. Let your child try to scribble or write some of the printed words she sees all around her. Provide large
crayons, pencils and paper. No need for adult accuracy herejust let her enjoy putting some print with a picture. Encourage her to
write her name. Prewriting is also part of the literacy process.
Studies in the past indicated that the reading skills of children with a hearing loss have been significantly lower than for children
who are hearing. Researchers have studied children in different parts of the world and life circumstances to identify factors needed
for improved reading abilities of children with hearing loss. To become an excellent reader a child needs abundant experiences, a
system of fluent language and a vocabulary of between 3,000 and 5,000 words. Parents who want their children with hearing loss
to develop literacy can promote it by reading daily to their child at an early age, encouraging their listening skills and choosing an
education program emphasizing communication and reading.
BooksandStoryTime
Any time is a good time for stories! Now, while your child is quite young, story time may be very short. Later, as she grows and
her attention span lengthens, story time will lengthen, too. Let her choose books that she enjoys. It is common for preschoolers
to enjoy reading familiar stories over and over again. Rereading favorites helps to build familiarity with stories and, later, print.
Choose a time when you are free from other cares, a quiet time. Parents often enjoy reading regularly to their children before
going to sleep at night and at naptime. Leave her hearing aids or cochlear implant on during story time so that she will benefit
from hearing the sounds of speech. Remember, at first it is the special joy of sharing time with you that will make story time
important. Later, your childs feelings about books will be linked with memories of close, loving moments with you.
The first books you may want to share with your child are picture books that have just a single picture on each page (no print).
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These will help her begin to associate pictures with real objects, people and places. Here is a picture of a car. Its a car. Where is
our car? See. Theres our car. We have a car, too. Soon the word car will become a part of her vocabulary and she will begin
saying this new word when she shows you the picture.
Picture books may also have a particular theme and contain pictures with related ideas and concepts. Such books might deal with
food, toys, articles of clothing, or means of transportation. These are fun, too.
Some books with one line of print per page may be appropriate to read word for word, but in most cases, you will have to adapt
your language to meet your childs needs.
Storybooks, of course, contain more than pictures. They tell a story. Most contain written language, although in some, the pictures
alone can tell the story. For the child who is just beginning to learn language, or for the child looking at a book by herself, the
pictures ARE the story. Sharing storybooks with your child will be an exciting experience for both of you, and open a wide new
world to her.
Your preschooler might also enjoy reading predictable books with you. These are stories that youngsters almost read
themselves by their rhythm or rhyme. Knowing what comes next will help your child feel more relaxed and in control of the
reading process.
Of course, there will be good books with delightful, interesting pictures that both you and your child will enjoy, but whose written
language is too advanced. In using these books, tell the story in your own words, primarily using vocabulary that your child knows.
HowtoTellaStory
Remember, it is what you put into the story that will make it come alive! Your enjoyment, your enthusiasm, and your sense of
adventurethese will stimulate your childs interest.
After you have decided on a book to read to your child, prepare to tell the story. If you know that the story is too long for her
attention span, go through the book and choose the pictures you will talk about. Then flip to the picture you are describing and
enjoy it with your child. You might paper clip pages together to make turning the page easy.
If your child is still fairly young, you may only be able to hold her interest for a short time. Its a good idea then to select only
three or four pictures that illustrate the main points. Decide in advance what you will say about each picture. Start to turn the page,
then stop. Look at her and ask, Ohhhh! What do you think will happen now?
Give your little one a moment to tell you what she thinks. This is the time for conversation. Maybe she already knows and wants
to tell you. Maybe she just wants you to turn the page. Let her express herself before you continue with the story.
One excellent story that offers lots of opportunities to repeat language, and also is loved by many children, is The Three Little
Kittens. There are several versions of this story available, but in most, the pictures are enjoyable and very descriptive. Lets use
this story as an example of how you might introduce and share books with your child.
Initially your language will be simple. You might decide beforehand to use language such as:
Here are three little kittens.
See their mittens.
The kittens are crying.
Their mittens are dirty.
Now the mittens are clean!
The kittens are happy.
You are ready to tell the story! Sit beside your little one so that both of you can look at the book together, and so that she can look
up at you for more information. Now, enthusiastically say something about the book. Heres a book, or Lets read a book. You
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might then look at the picture on the cover and say, See the kittens.
Continue to hold the book as you tell the story. (Your childs turn to hold the book comes later.) Let her look at the picture and, of
course, if she looks up at you, talk about it.
Before your preschooler loses interest, turn to the next page. The kitten is playing. Go through the three or four pictures you
have marked, as you provide the appropriate language. Dont forget to say, Turn the page!
Its your childs turn now. When the story is over, give the book to your child. Let her look at it and enjoy it. Dont rush her. Let
her take her own time to enjoy the book in her own way. Be ready to comment on a picture whenever you can. If she is just
beginning to learn language, she may want to babble or just vocalize as she reads. Be a good listener!
When you read a story, you will use vocabulary that your preschooler knows. This makes her comfortable with the experience.
But as she becomes familiar with the story and as her interest grows, add new words. When she understands it, help her express
that word when she talks to you about the story or tells that story back to you.
Just as you need to keep up with your childs growing language, so you will need to keep pace with her growing, changing needs as
you read to her. After a while, her attention span will lengthen. Then you can use more pictures and more advanced language. If
your child is using a formal sign system, you will need to learn the signs used in your childs favorite stories, too.
In sharing storybooks with your child, you are the star, the producer and the director! It is the enthusiasm that you put into your
voice and your facial expression as you tell the story that will generate interest in your child. Create suspense! Make the story
come alive!
Reading together will help your preschooler learn the concept of a story line. When we talk to each other, we often explain
happenings in story form. We give details of the situation, the people, their expressions and events. Reading books will provide
this experience of narrative: there is a story line and there are details. And, its fun to talk about them! As your child develops this
sense of a story line, you will see her use it in her imaginative play and in the stories she tells you.
UsingProps
Occasionally you may wish to dramatize a story by using a small toy or other prop. Props may help your child understand and
may help maintain her interest. A tiny pair of mittens cut from construction paper, for example, would liven up The Three Little
Kittens.
You might also want to use a felt boardbought or made at hometo act out parts of the story. Later, as your child becomes
familiar with the story, she might enjoy acting out different parts after you have read them. Dont overdo props. Too many can
distract from the story itself.
YourChildandBooks
Reading with your child is an important part of her cognitive growth. Children need to learn to match real objects to pictures.
Books help develop this skill. A story helps develop sequencing skills. Your preschooler will learn the concept of cause and effect,
and how to follow events in a story. This leads to the ability to predict: What will happen next?
If you are reading a story about a cat that disappeared, and you have read that the cat is white and a white shirt is under the bed,
will your child be able to infer that the cat is sitting on the shirt under the bed? Help your child to reach conclusions based on
information. This ability will be important for all her future studies.
Consider your childs attention span. Talk to your little one about the story youve shared. And enjoy reading the same story over
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and over again as long as she is interested.
FormalReadingPrograms
For your child who is still developing her language system, an informal, storybased approach is a good way to develop her early
reading skills. This includes an interest in print, an understanding of stories and an awareness of how spoken language and print
are connected.
Formal programs, which may use flash cards or the copying of letters, may promote a misunderstanding about the nature and
purpose of reading. When your child has developed her complete language system, she will be well prepared for a formal reading
program. Your efforts during these early years will provide an excellent foundation for the years ahead.
As your child grows, books will provide wonderful chances to increase her language skills, her knowledge about the world, and her
imagination. Help her to learn now that books are marvelous friends! A love of books is a wonderful gift to give your child.
C)SPEECH
In Lesson Seven we talked about making experience books. Have you made some yet? If not, this is the time to begin. You can
think of many experiences that your child enjoys, and those are the perfect topics for books for her. As you and your preschooler
look at one of these books together, you can think of speech sounds for her to learn. After learning vowels and diphthongs, your
child will begin with consonants such as /w/ or /h/.
Possibly you have an experience book about washing the car. Talk about water.
Encourage your child to say the word as she points to the pictures. The car is wet. Another sound you can use often is /k/ as
you say, car. Repeat these words often and soon your child will be saying them back to you.
Every child loves a birthday party, especially her own. Maybe you have made an experience book with pictures of her last party.
This is the perfect occasion to bring it out and practice some speech sounds. You can develop the /h/sound as you sing Happy
Birthday together. Heres another chance to work on /k/ as you talk about her birthday cake. And dont forget the ice cream!
View brief video clip celebrating the progress of JTC preschooler enjoying book fun with a parent.
Give your child experience following directions.
LISTENING:FollowingSimpleDirections
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To help your child understand simple directions with the aid of pictures
What You Need:
A simple story such as The Three Kittens or Where the Wild Things Are and some props:
You might make puppets by pasting pictures on popsickle sticks. Or you might find a stuffed toy or doll.
What to Do:
Tell your child the story as you look at the pictures in the book.
When she understands the story line, use the puppets or stuffed animals to act out the story. You might say, The little boy wanted
to be wild, as you move the doll or puppets.
Now give the props to your child and say the same sentence, The little boy wanted to be wild. Encourage her to move the animals
appropriately.
There are many simple directions you use each day, such as, Brush your teeth. Get your shoes. Lets eat. Go to bed.
Choose one of these directions, such as, Brush your teeth. Tell your child, Brush your teeth.
Lead her to the bathroom and give her the tooth brush. Again say, Brush your teeth. Good for you! You brushed your teeth.
Each morning and evening when your child brushes her teeth, repeat this sentence until you are aware that she understands.
Then, with no gestures, say only the words, Brush your teeth at the appropriate time. Praise your child when she understands
your request.
Now choose another direction and work with it until your child understands and can follow it.
LANGUAGE:MakingPictureBooks
To stimulate your childs interest in books
To expose your child to the names of familiar objects
To help your child develop a basic understanding of category words
What You Need:
A scrapbook or a notebook
Books can easily be made by simply fastening together the number of pages you need with metal fasteners or with yarn.
Pictures cut from magazines or sketched
What to Do:
Together with your child, make a picture book of familiar items. You might want to cut pictures out of magazines or draw the
pictures yourself. Help your child paste the pictures in the book, one to a page. You may want to start with about five pictures.
You can write a word or two under the picture and ask your child to write something too!
The subject for your childs book is up to you, depending on her interests. For example, first you might want to make a book
about your childs favorite toys. Later, if your child is interested in things that go, you might make a book of pictures of cars,
airplanes and boats. Another book might have pictures of things to eat; another of places to go; another of colors.
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These books will give you many opportunities to talk about familiar things with your child. For example, talk about the foods:
Mmm! The cake is good to eat. Heres some spaghetti. How many oranges do you see?
Talk about the things that go: The car is blue. Where is the airplane? It goes up in the sky. The train goes choochoo.
Variations:
Your child can use these books to express her thoughts and desires to you. For example, if she wants an apple to eat, she can
show you the picture of the apple. Or, if she wants to play with her favorite toy car, she can show you that picture.
If you make a book of her favorite activities, she can use it to tell you what she wants to do.
Your child might like to create a special photo album with you. Take pictures of family members, friends, and relatives and put
them in the photo album. This is an excellent way to introduce her to the names of these people.
Since there are probably places you and your child frequently go, you might make a book of these places. We call this book the
ByeBye Book. You can take pictures at the grocery store, your childs school, the park, Grandmas house, etc. You can use them
to show your child where you are going each day. Use them later to talk about these trips after you are home again.
A bulletin board can be used to mount interesting pictures as well. Mount pictures on construction paper, one to a page. Begin with
one or two pictures of interesting things, and add a new picture each day until the board is full. When your child tires of the
pictures, take them down and begin again with a new category. The other pictures can be saved and used again, or made into a
book.
1. If your child is ready, you can refine your categories. For example, if you have a book called Things to Eat, or Foods, you
might categorize according to types of food. Put fruits, vegetables and meats each in a different book. Or you could categorize by
meal, creating a separate book for things to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack time. You can talk about the different kinds
of foods and the colors, shapes, smells and sizes of the foods.
The banana is yellow.
This is a fruit. What is this?
I like cookies.
Heres some milk for breakfast.
SPEECH:Pitch
To provide your child with opportunities to work on auditorily recognizing and producing speech sounds with intonation patterns
Pitch is developed as we use everyday phrases. A good example is, Im home! This is often said in a singsong voice, changing
the pitch in the word home. Words like Byebye and Ohoh are also pronounced with higher pitch in the first word. Take a
moment to think about the words and phrases you use everyday. They might include:
All gone. Hellooo! Owwww (when hurt)
What to Do:
1. Make a list of phrases or words you can use which are associated with activities you do every day. If you have stairs in your
house, you might climb one or two as you say, Up, up, up and then Dooo wn as you come down. Raise your voice as you
say, Up and lower your voice as you say, Down. List words and phrases you use often:
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
2. Make a game of using a word or phrase while involved in a familiar activity. Encourage your child to imitate your voice. You want
her to vary the pitch, or tone of the word or words you say. Even if the words are not clear, help her to imitate the pitch. Gradually
the words will come. After a few days, she will associate the words with the actions and spontaneously begin to say them.
You can also practice these words and phrases with stuffed animals or dolls. Walk the doll into the dollhouse, saying, Im home!
Move the stuffed animal down a toy slide as you say, Wheeee!
1. Create songs for different activities. You can use the melody from a wellknown song such as London Bridge Is Falling Down
and supply your own words.
Now its time to brush my teeth,
brush my teeth,
brush my teeth.
Now its time to brush my teeth, and go to bed.
Using the melody from Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star you can sing:
Mommy helps me put away
All the toys Ive used today
Up and down and round we go
Sometimes fast and sometimes slow
Now I put my toys away
Just like I do every day
Now its time to make up your own songs. Then sing together and have fun!
ANEVERYDAYACTIVITY:PreparingBreakfast
To let your child listen to and learn the language used in preparing breakfast
To let your child share in meal preparation activities
What You Need:
Food, dishes and flatware needed to prepare breakfast
What to Do:
1. Let your child help you prepare a very simple breakfast for herself or the whole family. You may want to start with scrambled
eggs.
2. Let your child take the food and dishes out. First, take her to the refrigerator and say:
We need some eggs.
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Lets get the eggs.

At the same time, help her follow the directions, and get out the eggs. Or, let her watch you get the eggs as you talk to her.
3. Have your child help get out a bowl, mixing spoon and frying pan. Perhaps you will want to take them out of the cupboard, and
hand them to her.
4. When all the materials are together, use language that comes naturally to you and that describes the actions your child is
performing, or that you are helping her perform.
Lets break the eggs and put them in the bowl.
Stir the eggs
Pour the eggs in the pan.
The eggs are cooking!
Lets eat our scrambled eggs!
Variations:
1. Help your child serve scrambled eggs to the family. You can talk about how much each person wants to eat and if they want salt
or pepper on their eggs.
2. Pour juice to enjoy with your breakfast. You can use language such as:
Open the juice.
Pour the juice.
Close the juice.
The juice is cold.
3. Make toast. You can talk about the toast being HOT and the butter MELTING.
4. Make a scrapbook of the pictures of the breakfast foods you have prepared with your child, or those she particularly likes to eat.
1. Encourage your child to use her language to indicate what kind of food she would like to help you prepare. Help her make
choices:
What do you want for breakfast?
Do you want apple juice or orange juice?
Shall we have cereal or eggs?
2. Take pictures of each step of the breakfast preparation. Use your photos to make an experience book. Read the book to your
child, and let her tell you the story, too.
PLAYTIME:ThingsthatFloat
To learn the language under the water and on top of the water
To develop thinking skills
What You Need:
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Various toys such as a boat, paper, an ice cube, a rock, sand, a pencil
The bathtub or sink
What to Do:
1. Gather the objects you will use and place them beside you so that your child will not be distracted by playing with them before
you begin. Fill the sink or bathtub with water. Talk about whats happening!
2. Stand with your child in front of the sink, or kneel beside the bathtub. Take the toy boat and ask your child, Will your boat stay
on top of the water? She might not understand that phrase or concept, so let her place it on the water and tell her, The boat is on
top of the water. Now take a rock and ask, Will the rock stay on top of the water? Again, let her put the rock into the water. No,
the rock is under the water!
3. Give each object to your child, asking her if it will stay on top of the water, or if it will go under the water.
For more advanced languagelearners, you can introduce the language sink and float.
ATHINKINGACTIVITY:ShadowsandLight
To learn about how shadows are made
To learn the language associated with light
What You Need:
Sunshine
Another light source such as a flashlight or lamp, and a wall
What to Do:
1. Go for a walk with your child and talk about shadows. You might say, Look, here is a shadow of a tree. Do you see the cars
shadow? And most important, Here is your shadow! Look, it moves when you move! Spend some time looking at shadows
together and encourage your child to find them.
2. Now show your child that the sun makes a shadow. You can point to the sun and say, See the sun is shining. The sun makes a
shadow because you are in the way of its light! Every time you see a shadow, talk about the sunlight again.
3. After your walk, ask your child if she sees a shadow inside the house. No, there is no shadow. The sun is not shining in the
house. There is no shadow. We need light!
Now you can take a flashlight or lamp and show your child how to make a shadow against the wall. Talk about how the flashlight is
like the sun and her hand is in the way of the light. Then put a piece of paper on the wall and trace the shadow. Maybe she will
want to make other shadow pictures as you and she talk about them.
E)SUMMARY
Reading to your child is the first step towards literacy.
Find a time each day to read together.
Collect books with subjects that interest your child.
Plan your storytime and use props or puppets on occasion.
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Watch for everyday moments that are opportunities for reading with your childlabels on clothing or food, street signs, names of familiar places, etc.
Keep making experience books!
LinkstoMore
Cultural Celebrations
World of Words
GototheNextLesson
YES! You have completed readingLesson8: Early Literacy. Now try some ideas with your child. Consider sharing questions and
Ive sent. You can use these forms to show service providers or family and celebrate progress together. Then proceed to Lesson 9:
Expanding Vocabularyso this course becomes an individualized guideor go back to thePreschool Course contentto select another
module.
Lesson9:ExpandingVocabulary
BeginningLanguageStructures
When your child was very young, he babbled and made word approximations. After these beginning vocalizations and when your
child had a vocabulary of 50 to 75 words, you began to hear a different level of language. This included:
1. Word combinations. Children begin to combine two words, such as ball table when seeing a ball on the table.
2. Expressions. We use many phrases in speech, such as See you later, or Byebye. A child perceives these as one word rather
than two or three words.
3. Known single words, such as more, are combined into twoword phrases, like more milk, more juice, more cookies.
Children create many different phrases based on a known word. And they also create linguistic categories such as things I can
request more of.
Then you heard your little one say, Daddy is there, or Milk is in cup. He began to express location of objects and persons.
Later, children create beginning sentences and phrases from one word (generally a verb). Your preschooler might say, I want....
or Milk fall down. Verb tenses (past, present and future) are learned individually. Your child might know the present tense of one
verb, but that does not mean he can generalize to all verbs.
Children also use routine language in sentences. You might hear your child use a sentence with two participants, one acting on the
other: He cut the cake. Your preschooler is describing an action performed by a person on an object.
You will also hear reflexive sentences. These are very common and learned because you frequently repeat them. Get up. Time
for bed. Get your coat.
When children talk with other children, their conversations are shorter and less coherent than when they talk with adults. For
example, the conversations of a twoyearold child are twoandahalf times longer with their mothers than with other children.
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That is why you provide the best opportunities for your child to develop his communication skills as you talk, talk, talk to him.
ADVANCEDLANGUAGE
In order to know more about your childs current language level, you can begin collecting a language sample. The information it
provides will give you direction as you help him develop and expand his language.
CollectingaLanguageSample
During the day, choose several activities that are among your childs favorites. Youll want to choose activities or games to
stimulate him to use his language spontaneously. You might choose mealtime, bath time, playtime or when you are dressing your
child. You might also use pictures to encourage your childs use of spontaneous language. Any activity that you feel will provide a
sample of your childs typical expressive language is fine. During the situation you choose, just write or record what your child
says and/or signs spontaneously.
Before you begin, take a moment to decide on the best way to record your childs language sample. Depending on the situation
and the people available to help you, the sampling can be done in several ways. Using a tape recorder allows you and your child to
enjoy an activity uninterrupted. Or another adult can serve as your recorder and simply write down what is said. If a tape
recorder, video camera or another adult is not available, choose an activity in which you are not an active participant, but an
objective observer and recorder.
Spend about 15 to 20 minutes collecting the sample for each activity. Write down exactly what your child says and/or signs. Using
the sample Communication Chart on page six, prepare several charts of your own to keep in your childs notebook. Use the chart
to record the sampling. You will want to record not only what your child expresses, but what you think he means. Often the
situation will help you understand his meaning or intention. If you are not sure of his meaning, that is all right. Just put a question
mark under Childs Intent. Next, list how you respondedyour actions and your words.
Record What Your Child Expresses
Listen carefully. Record as accurately as you can what your child actually says and/or signs. This is not always easy. We all have a
tendency (and usually we are not even aware of it) to let our minds fill in the parts a child leaves out. We may think we hear or see
Throw the ball, when the child may actually have said or signed, Throw ball. Dont feel badly if you find yourself doing this. It
shows that you are understanding your childs languageand that is great! But for now, record as accurately as you can exactly
what your child says or signs. His speech or his signs may not be clear on every word, so you may not understand everything.
Keep in mind that the speech of most children with normal hearing can be difficult to understand, too.
Lets look at some more samples and think about how these preschoolers are using language.
1. Brush teeth I want to brush my teeth.
2. Want more cookies I want more cookies.
3. Where are chips? Where are the chocolate chips?
4. Look chips Look, I found the chips.
5. Water swimming Were going swimming in the water.
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6. My turnno Billys Its my turn, not Billys.

7. No thank you water. I dont want any more water.
In this sample, you can see twoword phrases such as, Water swimming. You also see threeword combinations. Notice that
pronouns appear and are correctly used: my and you. Negatives appear: No thank you And a question is asked not only is
it asked, but the child also answers it. He is demonstrating real understanding of the question form. A variety of verbs are used:
are and dont know. What an excellent example of a child who is beginning to use sentences to express himself!
GuidetoAnalyzing
When considering your preschoolers language sample, it is most important to remember his hearing age. As you remember
from Lesson One, hearing age is determined by the amount of time your child has been consistently wearing hearing aids or his
cochlear implant. So if he received hearing aids or a cochlear implant at age two, and he is now three years old, his hearing age is
one year. If he received very little benefit from hearing aids and was implanted, his hearing age might be measured from the first
accurate mapping.
A preschooler with appropriate amplification is probably using or beginning to use twoword combinations after he has a
vocabulary of at least 100 words that he spontaneously expresses. Your little one might be saying, Boy ball or Throw ball. If he
has some adjectives in his vocabulary, you might hear, big ball. Twoword combinations might also consist of a negative with a
verb, such as, not throw, or with an adjective, not red. Question words might emerge: Where Daddy? or Who run?
If your child is using threeword combinations, you might hear, Where my ball? Who push chair? What on table? How many
ball? or What color ball?
As you analyze your childs language sample, you may begin to notice that his vocabulary needs to grow with different kinds of
words. For example, his vocabulary may consist primarily of nouns. Now is the time to begin developing your childs understanding
and use of other kinds of words as well: verbs, adjectives, prepositions, adverbs, possessive forms, etc.
Verbs
Verbs, especially action words, can be fun and exciting to teach. Some basic verbs you might want to introduce are: sit, stand, run,
climb, jump and hop. These are all words that stand by themselves and can be easily demonstrated. Acting these words out can
provide many enjoyable moments for you and your child. Perhaps you can use them in games, such as Simon Says and Follow
the Leader.
Verbs you might want to introduce later may include: chew, sneeze, ride, talk and sing. Its easy to think of many more.
DescriptiveWords/Adjectives
Initially, your child may use a few descriptive words such as: hot, big, fast and pretty. You want to expand his understanding and
use of more descriptive words. You can begin by talking about subjects such as: the yellow flower, the soft blanket and your
dirty hands.
When your child is using basic descriptive words, help him learn that there are different descriptive words that mean almost the
same thing. These are synonyms. For example, your child may first learn big, then learn large. Still later, he may learn various
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degrees of bigness, such as: huge, immense and gigantic, as his concepts and experiences grow.
Look for opportunities throughout the day to use your childs new words as part of familiar sentences. If your child has just
learned huge for example, as another way of saying very big, you can say to him: Wow, that elephant is huge. Is that airplane
huge? or, You have a huge apple.
Opposites
In addition to using words that mean the same thing, it is also fun to introduce words that have opposite meanings. You can do
this by using real objects and pictures to help your child grasp the meaning of these new words. For example, you can draw
pictures of big and little stars, circles and squares; you can look at big and little hands; feel hard and soft surfaces; or make
toy cars go fast and slow. During the day, you can point out that Daddys socks are big and Jimmys socks are little or that
the truck is driving very slow, while the sports car went by very fast. You can also show him that his hands are dirty and his
arms are clean.
Comparisons
Begin to introduce the idea of comparative descriptions to your child. Examples are: big, bigger, biggest; heavy, heavier, heaviest;
fast, faster, fastest, and so on. When teaching your child comparisons, use real objects to demonstrate the three different degrees.
You can give him a big slice of apple, then a bigger one, and finally the biggest one. Or, you can make a toy car go fast, then
another one go faster, and still another one, the fastest.
Prepositions
Just like using verbs, prepositions offer many opportunities for fun in language learning. Throughout the day, there are countless
opportunities to use prepositions as your child climbs into the laundry basket, and climbs out of it; as you put the basket
above his head, and then on top of it; then beside him on the floor. You can think of many other opportunities in your own
daily routine.
ExpandingYourChildsVocabularywithinCategories
Many of the words that your child learns first are words that represent a whole group or category of objects. For example, your
child may know the word flower, and use it appropriately to name everything from a rose to a dandelion. Gradually, perhaps on
walks in the park, or when looking at flowers in a garden, you will begin to teach him the names rose and dandelion. He may
wonder why you are now saying, rose, when he knows it as flower. He may disagree with you strongly. When you say, Its a
rose, he may say emphatically, No! Flower! Little by little, you will help him understand that, yes, it is a flower, but it has another
name, too, which is rose.
Here are some more examples of nouns your child may know, and some specific words within each category that you can begin
teaching.
SHOES: Sandals, tennis shoes, sneakers, high heels, boots
SHIRTS: Tshirts, sweat shirts, undershirts
You can teach your child various brand names of cars, cereals, and soft drinks, too.
TeachingYourChildCategoryNames
Many words that your child learns first are already very specific names of objects. For example, he may know the words dog,
cat, cow and rabbit. After he has learned several names of objects within a category, you can begin to teach him the category
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name; in this case, animal. Category names such as this are generally called classification nouns.
Here are some more examples of groups of words in categories, and their classification nouns. You can begin to teach your child
the classification noun when he knows the names of three or four objects in that category.
Meat, fruit, cereal, bread, butter, eggs are all FOOD.
Doll, truck, puzzle, blocks, teddy bear are all TOYS.
Classification nouns can be taught by playing sorting games. Picture matching games are also especially good. Many times a
childs own playthings provide opportunities for learning classification nouns. For example, playing with a doll house provides lots
of opportunities for repetition of the word furniture.
You may notice that as your childs language develops, he is able to learn new words at a more rapid rate than he did when he
began. Encourage his use of new vocabulary words as you enjoy talking together!
MoreAdvancedPractice
If your child is understanding and using more than two or threeword sentences; has a substantial receptive vocabulary which
includes nouns, adjectives, some prepositions, adverbs and verbs; and has an expressive vocabulary of more than 200 words, he
may be ready for even more complex activities.
You can give him additional practice in understanding more words in a sentence by using known language in many different
sentences. Gradually, your child will begin to use new structures in connected langusage.
At the same time, you can begin to concentrate on selecting language to match his growing cognitive skills. For example, if he
now seems to understand that events follow each other in an orderly sequence, you can introduce the language used in describing
sequences.
In your daytoday conversations with your child, you may already be pointing out the order of events: First wash your hands,
then you can eat your sandwich. Or First we need to put away the blocks, then we can play with the puzzle. The concepts of first
and next or then are very important for your child to understand! You can help him grasp these ideas as you continue to point out
the natural sequence of events during the day.
QuestionForms
You will want to begin introducing question forms to your child right away. The easiest questions for him to understand and
respond to will probably be Whos this? and Whats this? These questions need only be answered by a single word. You have
probably given your preschooler practice in naming familiar objects and people. For example, point to Mommy and say, Whos
that? If your child doesnt respond, you can model the response for him, Thats Mommy. Or point to his favorite toy car and
say, Whats that? If he doesnt respond, say, Thats your car. Use these questions casually and not too often so that you can
avoid having your child feel you are testing him.
You may also want to begin introducing other question forms to your child, such as, Where is? Ask him to show you where
various familiar objects are: Where are your shoes? Where is your ball? Where is Grandpa? At first, your childs response may
be to show you where each object or person is by leading you by the hand, or pointing.
After your child makes a response, you can reinforce the language: Theres your ball, I see Daddy, etc. Or, you can emphasize
the location by using prepositions: Your shoes are in the closet or Your ball is under the bed. Later he may begin to answer the
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questions himself.
The question Whose can be incorporated into the daily tasks of sorting laundry. For example, pick up a pair of Daddys pants
and ask, Whose are these? Help your child respond, Theyre Daddys. You can also do this with other objects throughout the
day: Mommys car keys, Marks baseball, Sharons doll, etc.
Another question form you might introduce is, What will happen if? This will not only give your child the chance to expand his
concept of cause and effect and his imagination, but it will also give him the opportunity to use his expressive language. You
could use real objects or pictures in structured activities or casual conversation throughout the day.
For example, at breakfast, place an unbreakable plastic cup very close to the edge of the table. Then say to your child, What will
happen if I put your cup here? If he doesnt respond, pantomime eating breakfast and accidentally knock the cup off the table.
Then say, What happened? It fell off.
Or, another example might be to show your child pictures of someone blowing up a balloon, getting bigger with each picture. The
answer to What will happen? would be, It will pop.
Riddles
If your child has a very extensive language base, you may find that riddles will provide enjoyment and a challenge for both of you.
Riddles are probably the most difficult of all advanced language activities. They require much more from your child than simply
having some receptive vocabulary. Your child must know classifications, descriptions, and qualities of objects. He must have the
cognitive ability to form an answer from isolated bits of information. He has to be able to reason through given clues, and to
identify some hidden or unseen object from those clues.
Probably the minimum age for beginning to do riddles would be four years. Even if your child has an extensive and comprehensive
vocabulary, but is younger than four years, he probably is not mature enough to do the reasoning involved. In that case, save these
for later.
Choose objects your child is interested in and is very familiar with. Later, you can use pictures. As with all other advanced
language activities, in the beginning, riddles should be presented without expecting an answer from your child. Riddles give your
child practice in recognizing words he knows in new combinations. For example, if you put a banana in a bag, give your child
clues such as:
I have something in the bag.
Its fruit. (the category name)
Its long. (dimension)
Its yellow. (the color)
You have to peel it. (what you do with it)
It tastes sweet. (how it tastes)
Whats in the bag?
At first, you wont be asking questions that you expect to be answered. Youre just introducing this type of game. However, your
child may guess. If he doesnt, answer the question yourself by saying, Its a banana, and let your child pull the banana out of
the bag.
If he does not guess, then supply the answer, going through the clues again. Show him a banana on a plate as you say:
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Is a banana a fruit?
Yes.
Is a banana long?
Yes.
Is a banana yellow?
Yes.
Do you have to peel a banana?
Yes.
Does a banana taste sweet?
Yes.
What is it?
Its a banana!
Then your child may take the banana out of the bag, and compare it with the one on the plate.
Here are some more examples of simple riddles that you might use with your child.
About a ball:
Its a toy.
Its round.
Its red.
It bounces.
What is it? (a ball)
About an elephant:
Its an animal.
Its gray.
Its big.
It has a long trunk. (or nose)
What is it? (an elephant)
SlangandIdioms
Hearing children learn certain concepts and acquire the language of their peers quite casually as they grow. They pick up slang
and idioms, as well as the interests of the other children their age.
You will want your child to have the same opportunities to learn the vocabulary and the idioms of his peers. By listening to other
children, reading childrens magazines, or watching childrens TV programs, you can get ideas for expressions your child also
needs to know.
Idioms and slang are tied into the culture of a community. Your language and culture are rich in their own characteristics. Help
your child become familiar with the expressions that make your particular language unique.
For example, in American English when talking about heavy rainfall, one might comment, Its raining cats and dogs. Or, when
someone is joking with you, you might say, Youre pulling my leg. Your child may take these phrases literally, and look for the
cats and dogs outside. Or, he may be confused because hes not even touching your leg. He will need explanation as to what you
mean. Give him many opportunities to hear slang expressions, and be ready to explain what he doesnt understand.
OpportunitiesAreEverywhere
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As you know, language learning is part of everyday life. You need not go far to find new and stimulating ways to develop
language. Always let your child and his interests be your guide. His interests will change as he grows. Keep pace with his growth.
When you begin more advanced activities, you will still want to continue your general language development. Surround your child
with language throughout the day.
Talk about all the events that happen to him, both inside and outside your household. As his language expands, you can begin to
talk about objects, people, and events that are not just here and now, and that arent necessarily a part of his everyday life. You
will reap the rewards in the years to come.
Look around you and note the many opportunities for language expansion. When your child is ready, and when his age and level
of development suggest an interest, you can point out these concepts casually without expecting immediate recognition or
response. In all language learning for children who have a hearing loss, repetition leads to better understanding.
View brief video clip celebrating the progress of JTC preschooler enjoying story time with a parent.
Use experiences outdoors to teach new words.
LISTENING:DiscriminatingSingleWords
To help your child discriminate words related to specific activities using his hearing
What You Need:
Toys that need to be put away
What to Do:
Show your child each toy and be sure he knows its name. This is a car. Here is your airplane. Here is your doll. This is your
red ball.
Now stand behind your child and ask him to put away a toy.
Put away your doll.
(Add visual information if needed)
Now put away your airplane.
Continue until your child has put away all of his toys. Be sure to praise your child when he responds correctly.
Be sure to let him have a turn telling you which toy to put away.
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Variations:
1. While your child is helping you prepare for dinner, you can play this game with items used to set the table. Place the items where
your child can easily reach them. Then ask him to get each item (just through listening) and place it on the table:
Get the forks.
Get the plates.
Get the spoons.
Get the glasses.
2. If your child has a set of toy farm animals, you and he might play this game as you put them in a toy barn.
Put in the horse.
Put in the pig.
Put in the cow.
3. Give your child a turn. Let him tell you which toys to place in a box, or which toy animals go into the barn. On occasion, make a
mistake so he can correct you. He will feel very important, and realize that its OK to be wrong sometimes, too.
LANGUAGE:LearningAboutSizes
To understand the concept of big and small as you and your child talk about objects and sizes
What You Need:
Laundry that includes articles of clothing belonging to different members of the family
What to Do:
1. Pile the clean laundry where your child can help you sort. Show him one of Daddys or Mommys shirts and say, This shirt is
BIG. Change the pitch of your voice just a bit, making it deeper as you say the word, big. Then take out one of your childs shirts.
Hold it beside the larger shirt and say, This shirt is SMALL. Again change the pitch of your voice, making it slightly higher as you
stress the word, small.
2. Repeat this procedure with socks and slacks. You might want to make a pile of big clothes and small clothes as you help your
child understand this concept.
3. Then ask your child if the article of clothing is big or small, and help him put it into the appropriate pile. This is your shirt. Is it
big? No, its small. Lets put it in the small pile.
Here are Daddys socks. Theyre big, arent they? Where do they go?
Variations:
Cut out a big paper doll and a little paper doll, with corresponding sets of clothing: pants, hats, shirts, etc. Help your child decide
which of each set goes with the right paper doll.
When your child knows the words BIG and SMALL and is ready to learn synonyms, introduce other descriptive words such as LITTLE,
LARGE, SHORT, TALL, and so on.
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SPEECH:Consonants:Nasals,PlosivesandFricatives
To help your child discriminate and produce sounds that differ in the manner of their production
Nasals are sounds such as /m/ and /n/ which are created by vocalizing while the lips are closed.
Plosives are sound such as /p/ and /b/ which are created when the lips part and air is expelled.
Fricatives are sounds such as /s/ and /f/ which are created by interrupting a vowel sound.
What to Do:
The nasal /m/:
1. To help your child learn the nasal sound /m/, you might prepare his favorite snack together. As you bring out each ingredient,
say Mmmmm. This will taste so good. What do you think? Encourage your child to respond by also saying, Mmmmm.
2. You can also help your child with this sound while playing with toy barnyard animals. Play with each animal, but give special
attention to the cow. Say, The cow says, Moooo. Then ask your child, What does the cow say?
The plosive /b/ and /p/:
1. This is a great sound to learn by playing with a toy boat in some water. Children love to play in water and will happily approach
any tub that is filled. Place the tub of water where you and your child can comfortably talk together. As you push the boat across
the water, say, Puh, puh, puh. Look at your child and encourage him to make the same sound as he pushes the boat.
2. An exercise for the sound /b/ is easily done by blowing out a candle. Holding the candle in front of you, say Boo! You will blow
it out! Light the candle again and encourage your child to make the same sound.
The fricative /f/:
1. Stories work perfectly with this speech sound. In The Three Little Pigs, the wolf says, Ill huff and Ill puff and Ill blow your
house down. Repeat Ill huff and Ill puff as you act out the story. Help your child to act it out with you, as you ask, What will
the wolf do? He will huff and puff!
2. Jack and the Beanstalk is another good story for working with this speech sound. Fee, fie, foe, fum can be repeated with
enthusiasm as you come to the part where Jack meets the giant. This is a complicated story for a preschooler, so you might want
to use just three pictures and explain that Jack climbed up the beanstalk and saw a giant. Then talk about what the giant said.
ANEVERYDAYACTIVITY:TakingaWalk
To help your child listen to environmental sounds
To converse about the sounds you hear and the many things you see together
What to Do:
1. Plan a simple walk around the block, or to a specific destination.
2. Look at things through your childs eyes. He may be fascinated with many things you find ordinary! Stop and talk about
whatever catches his attention, or what you think he will be interested in.
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You hear the garbage truck. Oh, its big!

Theres a school.
The children are playing. Theyre loud!
There goes a red bird. Can you hear it?
Look at the caterpillar.
Do you see the worm?
3. You can also talk about traffic safety:
Lets watch for cars.
Is a car coming?
It went by.
Now we can go.
The light is green.
4. If you have a destination in mind, talk to your child about where you are going and what you will do there.
Lets walk to the store.
Well buy some hot dogs.
We need some raisins.
You can carry the bread home.
or
Lets go to the mailbox.
Did the mailman come?
Maybe we got some letters.
5. When you return home, you can make an experience book or news story of your walk. Use pictures or real objects collected
during your walk to illustrate the story by writing a brief sentence underneath each picture. You can use language such as:
We went for a walk.
Diane saw two dogs and a bird.
Mommy stepped in a puddle.
Today Debbie found some leaves. She put some pebbles in her pocket.
Variations:
Use any outdoor activity as a language learning activity for your child.
1. Go to the park or playground. You can talk about the play equipment:
Heres the swing.
Whee! You went high.
Mommy will push you.
Climb up to the top of the slide.
Oh, you came down fast.
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2. Take a trip to the library to select some books. Talk about the books and the pictures as your child looks at them. Also, you
can talk about checking out the books.
Do you want that book?
You can take three books. One, two, three. Three books!
Take them to the desk.
Give the books to the librarian.
You can carry these two books.
Yes, the books are heavy.
Daddy got a book, too.
3. Gather and draw pictures, and write an experience or news story about a trip to a special destination. This will give you a
chance to reinforce language youve already used.
1. Encourage your child to name the things he sees on your walk.
2. Encourage your child to give you language for the experience or news story when you arrive home. Use his word or words in a
complete statement. For example, if your child says, Truck, you can respond, Yes, you saw a big truck. Then draw a truck and
under it print: David saw a big truck. Use as many pictures as you like.
ATHINKINGACTIVITY:WhatsDifferent?
To help your child learn the concept of different
What You Need:
An assortment of small objects, such as blocks, spoons, forks, raisins, or socks
What to Do:
1. Think in advance of activities you and your child enjoy together during the day. Then think about showing him items that are the
same or different as you naturally do these activities together.
2. When you help your child dress in the morning, show two socks that match and one that is a different color. Say to your child,
Heres a blue sock. Heres another blue sock. Heres a red sock.
3. Compare the two blue socks. Tell your child, Theyre the same. Theyre blue socks. Put them side by side.
4. Pick up the red sock. With a frown on your face, shake your head as you compare it to the two blue socks. Say, This one is not
the same. Its red.
5. Later you might be fixing lunch while your child is in the kitchen with you. Take out two spoons and a fork. Again show your
child that the spoons are the same and the fork is different. If he seems to understand the concept, separate the spoons and fork
and ask him which are the same. Guide your childs hand if he needs help moving the spoons together and keeping the fork
separate.
Variations:
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1. Use four objects instead of three, three being identical and the fourth totally different.
2. Use pictures or drawings on pieces of paper. Your child can circle the different one, or put an X on top of the one that doesnt
belong.
1. Encourage your child to tell you which objects are THE SAME and which are NOT THE SAME or DIFFERENT.
2. Use objects which are not identical, but are similar, for THE SAME. For example, you could have a puppy, a dog and a cow; or a
cat, a kitten and a horse.
3. If your child has a good understanding of objects that are exactly alike, are similar, or are different, begin exposing him to how
various sets of things can be both similar and different. For example, birds, airplanes, kites and bees all fly, but birds and bees are
alive while kites and airplanes are not living. Or, dogs, cats and birds are all animals, but dogs and cats have fur and birds have
feathers.
ATHINKINGACTIVITY:BugHunt
To learn more about the environment
To learn the language associated with insects and other animals
What You Need:
A place to walk such as a park or vacant lot
What to Do:
1. Tell your child that you are going to look for bugs. Lets go for a walk. Were going to look for bugs. Help him search for
bugs in the dirt as you walk. You might say, Look heres a bug! It has many legs and its big! Look, that bug is flying! What
color is the bug you see?
2. Talk about how the bugs look. Do they have lots of legs? Are they big or small? Do they walk, fly or swim? What color are they?
3. There are many childrens books about bugs. Look at a book together and talk about what bugs eat and where they live. Then
go back to your bug hunt. When you see a lizard, you can say, Look at the lizard. What does it eat? Yes, it eats bugs! Oh, you
found some ants. What do they eat? Do they eat candy?
SUMMARY
Collect a few language samples.
Introduce new words such as verbs, prepositions and adjectives.
Begin to use questions such as Where is? or Whats this?
Practice riddles.
List some slang expressions or idioms used in your family.
LinkstoMore
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Stages of Speech and Language
Reading Stories
GototheNextLesson
YES! You have completed readingLesson9: Expanding Vocabulary. Now try some ideas with your child. Consider sharing
proceed to Lesson 10: School Skillsso this course becomes an individualized guideor go back to thePreschool Course contentto
Lesson10:SchoolSkills
EducationalDecisions
Your beautiful baby is growing up. You have marveled at her every infant, toddler and preschool achievement. Now she has come
to a major milestone. It is time for big school. This experience can be exciting for your child but perhaps scary for you! You
might be worried about where she can go, how you decide and what she will need. It is a whole new world for both of you. Just as
she may be unsure of what fulltime, formal school will bring, you may be unsure of what your role will become. Together you will
learn by asking, watching and doing!
If your child is receiving some school services, you have already made certain choices regarding educational placement. If your
child is not yet in a program, you will be considering what actions to take. The first step in making a decision about an appropriate
school program is to gather all the information you can about your childs needs. By understanding your childs abilities, you will
be better able to choose among the educational options available. Second, learn all you can about the educational choices
available in your community and around the country. Even if you receive conflicting opinions from different professionals, continue
to gather information. When you have information, you can consider the range of choices. You may find that nothing is perfect
things seldom are. But by looking at the strengths and weaknesses of each educational program in light of your childs needs, as
well as the needs of the family, you can choose the best program for her.
Children continue to grow and change while they are in school. The initial decisions you make can be revised at any time. New
programs may become available, while others will be phased out. Changes occur within the family as wella new job, a move, a
new babyand these changes need to be considered, too. This decisionmaking process will be an ongoing task for you
throughout the coming years.
As you plan for your childs future, you will be in contact with many professional educators. Remember, you know your child better
than someone else ever could. You hold her best interests more dearly than anyone. When talking to professionals, highlight your
childs strengths and achievements as well as her needs and your expectations for the future. There are many factors to consider
when selecting an appropriate school, but none is more important than your child herself.
EducationalLawsinTheU.S.
Begin by looking in your community or region to see what programs are available for youngsters with hearing loss. In the United
States, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children throughout the country. It
mandates a free, appropriate, public education be made available to all schoolage children with disabilities. This law also states
that children should be educated in the least restrictive environment, which means learning with peers as much as possible.
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Other legal mandates include Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which offer many protections including
aspects of a childs access to educational services. You will want to understand your rights as a parent to help you make informed
decisions. This information can be obtained from school systems, the Office of Special Education Programs, parent education
centers and advocacy organizations. Parents and a school team can discuss how to best serve a child and what programs and
services will meet the childs individual needs. Your role is essential.
TypeofProgram
The educational needs of children with hearing loss vary greatly. There is no one best type of school program for all children.
Educational plans will depend on the childs hearing level, language skills and the quality of professional support. Many children
with hearing loss may require a concentrated languagebuilding program during the early school years. By being close observers
of your childs needs, you can make sure that the program is the best one for her. All the information you gather now will help you
make appropriate decisions in the years to come. Work together with school officials to see that your child receives appropriate
services.
SchoolArrangements
There is much to consider as you discuss school options with your childs teachers, speech therapists, and audiologists. You child
may go to a neighborhood school or to a school in the district that has appropriate services. A neighboring district might contract
with your district to include your child in its program. You will want to think about her communication abilities, academic level,
socialization skills and quality of services.
Placement may include:
A classroom with no support services.A classroom with support services that provide assistance to the student or support for the classroom teacher.
Classes with children with hearing loss and some academic classes in the regular education program.
Classes with children with hearing loss and participation in the regular education program for some nonacademic subjects, such as art or physical
education.
Placement in a residential school as a boarding, day or partially mainstreamed student.In addition to looking at schools, you will also want to
consider your childs readiness for group learning situations. School staff may suggest certain skills to help your child do well in
this new setting. You could use the following list to describe her current social skills and indicate if she is beginning to learn these
skills or demonstrates them consistently.
My child takes turns.
My child plays well with others.
My child is able to make friends.
My childs behavior is age appropriate.
My child expresses feelings appropriately.
My child gives and follows directions.
My child answers and asks questions.
My child initiates and maintains conversations.
My child can work and play alone and/or in a group.
My child participates in activities with adults and children.
My child offers information about actions and things.
My child can respond, I dont know or Im not sure.
My child follows classroom instructions/rules independently.
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My child asks for clarification when she doesnt understand and clarifies when she is not understood.
My child understands some idioms/colloquial expressions used by peers.
YourChildsNeeds
Support Services
Students with hearing loss may receive a variety of services depending on their current educational needs. If you live in the U.S.,
your child may have an Individual Education Program (IEP). You would meet with the IEP team to determine the need for services.
If you live in other parts of the world, you might make decisions about support services with an audiologist, speech therapist,
teachers or medical personnel. You will discuss her current assessments, learning strengths and communication abilities. Services
can change depending on a childs progress and needs. Some students with hearing loss receive ongoing services for language
and speech. There are students who receive no related services. School districts may have specialists who provide individualized
instruction, monitor student progress or offer consultation to staff. Examples of services are physical therapy to help with balance
issues and assistive technology to provide assistance with special equipment. Support might include but is not limited to:
Assistive Technology
Audiology
Captioning
Communication Therapy
Counseling
Cued Speech Transliteration
Deaf/HardofHearing Services
Educational Interpreting
Language Facilitation
Learning Disabilities Resource
Note Taking
Occupational Therapy (OT)
Oral Interpreting
Physical Therapy (PT)
Sign Language Interpreting
Speech Language Therapy
Vision Services
Communication Considerations
As you discuss your childs educational needs, you will review her communication abilities and recommendations from her team.
You may want to request that she be in a class with educational staff who have experience using a specific approach. There might
be suggestions made for considering how to strengthen your preschoolers language. You might decide to make some change,
such as supplementing spoken language with Cued Speech or switching from Total Communication to Sign Language. When
considering what will be best for an individual child, parents and staff may need to refer to descriptions of communication
approaches to be sure they have similar understandings of these approaches. Included here are broad overviews but not
comprehensive definitions. Whatever choices are made for a childs communication services at school, the family would want to
use the same approach at home to provide a languagerich, consistent and thorough communication environment.
The AuditoryVerbal philosophy stresses learning spoken language through audition, listening and the use of amplified residual
hearing. Parents and caregivers participate with the child in therapy sessions with a qualified AuditoryVerbal Therapist (Cert.
AVT). The child participates fully in a general education environment.
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AuditoryOral programs stress the importance of children learning spoken language through residual hearing. The child might
receive speech therapy support in or outside of school. Classroom placement could be with other children who have a hearing loss
or in a general education environment with or without support services.
Cued Speech is a system that uses hand shapes and positions along with mouth movements to convey speech sounds. These cues
visually supplement audition and support the development of speechreading skills. Placement includes the support of a
transliterator in either a class with other children with hearing loss or in the general education environment.
Total Communication programs generally use one of the manually coded language systems along with spoken language. The
extent of signing and speech and whether they are done simultaneously, sequentially or separately can vary from program to
program. Placement might be in a class for children with hearing loss taught by staff using Total Communication or in a special or
general education environment with a sign language interpreter.
Sign Language programs are conducted in the formal sign language of that country. Sign languages have their own sentence
structure and grammar and are usually visual, nonspoken languages. School staff may sign or use an interpreter. For a child to
have samelanguage peers there would need to be other students who use sign language. In a BilingualBicultural approach, sign
language is taught as the childs first language; and spoken language is used for teaching reading and writing. Classroom
placement might be with other children with hearing loss or in the general education environment.
VisitingSchools
No matter where you live, the most effective way to evaluate a school is to visit and observe it yourself. Arrange the visit in
advance and ask to see children in classes and meet with staff. If you wish to visit several schools, begin early in the school year
prior to when your child will enroll. This will allow time for parents to observe the school, educators to evaluate the child, family
members to make decisions and schools to develop a plan.
Your general impression of the school and its program is important. Is it cheerful? Will you be happy to think of your child
spending her days there? Is it a place where she will learn? Are the staff and faculty members friendly and courteous? Do they
seem genuinely interested in children? Do they appear to view parents as an important part of the educational team? Does the
program have high standards for children with special learning needs?
During your visit, see the possible program for your child and higher levels too. Discuss the textbooks and grade levels of children
of different ages. What is the general philosophy and goal of the program? What curriculum do they use? Does each step lead in
an orderly way to the next step in learning? You can ask about average achievements of students at different grade levels on
standardized tests. You might want to inquire about the training and experience of classroom teachers. Is there consultation and
support available to the staff to strengthen services to students with hearing loss?
In some countries, there are multiple languages spoken but perhaps only one or two are used for education. As you visit schools,
inquire about what language is used for classroom instruction. If the school that is best for your child uses a language different
than your familys language, ask how to begin helping your child learn the schools language. Then a family can begin as early as
possible to prepare their child. Speaking two languages fluently may be difficult for some children with hearing loss because strong
auditory skills are part of that learning process. You will want to work closely with educators and specialists in hearing loss to find
a setting that provides a languagerich environment where your child will flourish.
PreparingYourChildforSchool
Once you have decided on a school, it is time to think about discussing this with your child. Plan a visit together to the actual
school or take a walk to a nearby school. Let your child observe children entering, leaving and playing on school grounds. Show
your child pictures of schools or classrooms. Encourage siblings and neighbors to share what they do in school. Talk about the
students, the teachers, and the school building. This type of casual exposure to school settings can help your child know what she
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can expect. Make an Experience Book to explain the new vocabulary and activities she will encounter in her first days and weeks.
Ask educational staff or neighborhood families about typical activities for your child to become familiar with before school starts.
Read books about starting school and making friends. Practice some games and songs but most importantly, have fun with your
child.
Shortly before she starts, visit the actual class your child will attend. Let her meet the teachers and see the classrooms. If she is to
board at school, tour the dormitory too and meet the residential staff. Take pictures, obtain brochures and talk often about this
important next step in her life. Remember to emphasize how much you will be helping her with these new experiences!
YourChildStillNeedsYourSupport
Much of your childs success in school will depend on you. Begin by discussing with her teacher how you can introduce language
and concepts at home. Ask for the annual curriculum or monthly themes or weekly topics. Just as you taught your child some
preschool songs, you may preteach some classroom subjects. Find ways to make the school lesson important and interesting to
your child so she wants to explore new skills and ideas. Upon arrival in class, she will be comfortable with the information and
ready to learn.
Many families stay in contact with the teacher by weekly emails or phone calls. The teacher might only need to tell you that your
child is doing well and then give you information about what will be taught the next week. Possibly your little one needs some
extra help in learning a concept or an activity. Or you might have a question that needs to be answered. Maintaining contact with
school staff increases the opportunities for your child to succeed.
If your child is in a classroom of hearing children, you may be concerned about how they will react. This is especially true if there
has not been another child with a hearing loss enrolled in that classroom, or perhaps in the entire school. A little extra preparation
may ease this experience for your child. Ask for time to show any devices to the class and explain how they help your child hear.
The other children will exhibit a natural curiosity about hearing aids, FM or cochlear implants. With your encouragement they will
see amplification as something that helps their new friend play and learn with them.
ItsYourDecision
No one can tell you what school is best for your child. There is no single school that is right for all children. Also, the school that
best meets your childs needs this year may not be the best next year or the year after. Only you can make this important
decision. After visiting programs you can compare them and make a decision that is in your childs best interest.
Once you have made this decision, be positive. Have confidence in the school and its staff. Explore how to be supportive in
multiple ways. If possible, ask if you may volunteer to help in the classroom. Keep in touch with the school administrators,
support staff and especially with your childs teacher.
Being positive and supporting the school does not imply that you should stop assessing progress. Assessment is an ongoing
process. Schools usually schedule periodic conferences between teacher and parent to review shortterm goals and the childs
progress. If conferences are not regularly scheduled, you can request them whenever necessary. Ask questions! Be involved!
You and your child are now ready to start the school years! Your child is a formal student and you are a formal member of the
educational team. You both will become more independent. You will form new connections. You both will learn from teachers,
students, others parents, and school staff. You will develop new skills and discover new interests. You will both grow in all the
ways you hoped and change in ways you never imagined. You both will make new friends. You have ended the preschool Course
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with John Tracy Clinic (JTC) but our friendship will be lifelong. JTC wishes you well!
View brief video clip celebrating the progress of JTC preschooler enjoying learning together with a parent.
LISTENING:RecallingTwoCriticalElementsinaMessage
Listening to and remembering two items
Practicing new and familiar speech sounds
What You Need:
An old suitcase
A variety of clothing and personal items (words that your child knows)
What to Do:
1. Sit next to your child so that she cant see your mouth. Explain that you are going
to pretend to take a trip. If you really are planning to go somewhere, even better!
2. Spread the items on the floor within easy reach of your child. Open the suitcase,
and ask clearly, Can you find the hat and the toothbrush?
3. Give your child a chance to respond. If she picks up only one (the toothbrush),
encourage her to listen again for two things. Be sure to praise her when she gets
them correct and let her put them in the suitcase.
4. Then, try two more items: Where are the shoes and the underpants?
5. After youve packed the suitcase, unpack it. Play the game again and let your child
tell you what items to pack.
Variations:
1. At first, make the two words sound very different from one another, such as a
onesyllable word and a twosyllable word. If this is very easy for your child, give
her two words that sound more alike, such as toothbrush and toothpaste or soap
and sock.
2. You can do the same listening activity while putting toys away (ball and doll) or
putting items away in the garage (broom and rake).
3. When your child has progressed to the point where this can be accomplished
easily, you can make it more challenging by trying to recall three items.
LANGUAGE:WhatsMissing?
To give your child the opportunity to use her thinking skills, listening skills and expressive language to identify a problem and then
find a solution
To give your child practice in developing selfhelp skills in the area of food preparation
What You Need:
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Peanut butter
Jelly
Bread
A forgotten knife
A picture of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich
OR
Cereal
Sugar
A spoon
A bowl
Some forgotten milk
A picture of a bowl of cereal
What to Do:
1. Choose a simple meal preparation activity with which your child is familiar and with which she has helped you many times.
Making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or preparing a bowl of cereal are just examples. Other ideas are making jello, pudding,
or anything else your child has helped you make on previous occasions.
2. Gather the peanut butter, jelly and bread on the kitchen table or counter, well within your childs reach.
3. Show your child a picture of a completed peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
4. Tell your child, Lets make a sandwich.
5. Encourage her to begin the activity. If she looks puzzled, say, Uhoh. Somethings missing. What do we need?
6. If she doesnt know what to do, lead her to the silverware drawer and help her find a knife. Finish the activity and let your child
enjoy the sandwich!
Variations:
1. Repeat this activity several times throughout the next days, omitting a different item each time. Or, use another meal
preparation activity.
2. Draw simple pictures of faces with one facial feature missing. Encourage your child to name or show you the missing feature.
3. Draw simple pictures of common household items with missing parts. For example, a table without a leg, a doll without an arm,
etc. Even if your child cannot tell you whats missing, she can point out which part is missing. You can then introduce new
language to your child.
1. As your childs observation and thinking skills continue to develop, you can use pictures showing small details that are missing,
like a cats whiskers.
2. Present situations that require your child to indicate, WHATS WRONG? Examples are putting a hat on backwards, a jacket on
upside down, or the milk in the cupboard. If your child does not notice WHATS WRONG, you can laugh as you indicate, NO, THE
HAT GOES THIS WAY, or THE MILK BELONGS HERE.
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3. You may find or draw pictures that have something wrong in the picture. These games can be fun while encouraging your
child to think and use her language skills.
SPEECH:CompletingLinguisticMessageswithSpecificSpeechGoals
To help your child practice using her spoken language and best possible speech
What You Need:
A few of your childs favorite stories or nursery rhymes
What to Do:
1. Pick a story or song that your child enjoys and knows well. Possibly she likes, The Wheels on the Bus and you would like to
work on the /ou/ sound in round and round or the /sh/ in swish, swish, swish.
2. If you have a toy bus or a book with a picture of a bus, sing the song together while playing with the toy or looking at the
pictures. When you are sure that your child knows all the words, begin the song and let her finish it. You will sing, The wheels on
the bus go Your child fills in the missing words or phrase.
If your child has difficulty with a specific sound, sing more slowly. Do not repeat the sound by itself, but rather, keep using it in the
song. Sing it often and try to find other songs or stories with this sound. Your repetition and your childs listening to sentences or
songs are the keys to her informally learning speech sounds. The most important thing to remember is to make it fun and to keep
your intonation pattern natural!
Variations:
1. Have your child sing a line of a song and leave out the last word or phrase. Then YOU fill it in.
2. Sing a line of the song and see if your child can point to the correct part of the bus. Then let your child sing and YOU point to
the correct part of the bus.
ANEVERYDAYACTIVITY:ATriptotheGroceryStore
To provide your child with typical language involved in a trip to the grocery store
What You Need:
A list and pictures of the grocery items you will buy
What to Do:
1. Choose an opportunity when you and your child have time to go to the grocery store and enjoy the trip.
2. Decide before leaving home what you will purchase. Make a list, and gather pictures of all the items on the list. (You might use
labels from cans, handdrawn pictures, or pictures cut from magazines). Show the pictures to your child.
3. Using the pictures, discuss the items with your child. You might tell her:
We are going to the store.
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We need some food.

Well buy some apples.
Oh, we need some cereal.
4. Discuss each picture with your child. Make sure that at least one of the items you plan to buy is among your childs favorite
foods. This will make her most interested in the trip!
5. When you arrive at the store, let your child sit in the shopping cart. Let her hold the pictures of the items you are going to buy. If
you are familiar with the layout of the store, you might arrange the pictures in order of the way you will travel through the store.
Your child can help you look for the items as you travel down the aisles.
6. As you remove each item from the shelf, name it for your child, and show her the corresponding picture on your list. Talk about
the color and number as you select your purchases, as well:
We need two boxes of sugar.
The apples are red.
Now, what do we need?
Heres the milk.
Lets get some eggs.
Mmm, here are the cookies.
7. Encourage your child to help you find the various items. You may be surprised at how easily she can recognize some of the
items you use regularly!
8. Once home, let your child help you carry the items into the house.
Ronnie, can you carry the oranges?
Mommy will take the bag.
Lets bring them into the house.
9. Your child can also help you unpack the groceries and put them away. This gives you another opportunity to talk about the items
you have bought. Ask your child where items should go.
10. Later, you may want to look at the pictures again with your child. You can talk about all the items you bought and, perhaps,
how youll use them.
Variations:
1. Take your child on an errand other than to the grocery store. You may want to visit a flower shop to buy flowers to plant in the
garden, or go shopping for a birthday gift for another family member or a friend.
2. Make your trip to the grocery store to buy things for a special occasion such as a picnic, barbecue, or birthday party.
3. Make a book using pictures of common grocery items.
4. Give your child an opportunity to play store. Clean cans (be certain they have no sharp edges) and empty containers can be
used to stock the play store. Invite a sibling or friend to enjoy the makebelieve game. You can all take turns being clerk and
customer.
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5. Make an experience storybook about your trip to the store. Pictures and language might include:
Mommy and Grace went to the store.
Grace sat in the cart.
We bought cheese, orange juice and crackers.
1. As your child becomes familiar with the grocery routine, you can add to the number of items.
2. You can pretend to forget an item on the list. Look puzzled, and ask your child, What do we need? Let her match the pictures
with the items that you already have in the cart. Encourage her to show you or tell you what you need.
3. Use questions when preparing your shopping list or while at the store:
What do we need?
Where are the oranges?
How many potatoes do we need?
What kind of cereal do you want?
4. Encourage your child to help you make the list of items you need to buy.
ATHINKINGACTIVITY:AnimalGuessingGame
As a cognitive activity, this game will help your child choose from a closed set of animals. This can also be an auditory activity if
you provide the sound and your child chooses the animal by using his audition. Also, your child can be the teacher and provide
the expressive language to help you choose the animal.
What You Need:
Pictures of animals or toy animals such as a duck, cow, pig, cat, dog or rooster
What to Do:
If your child is two or three years old:
Use two of the animals and plan about two or three minutes for this activity. Talk about the animal. Look, here is a dog. The dog
says, Woof, woof, woof. Then take the cow and say, Here is the cow. The cow says, Mooooo.
After your child has played with the two toys briefly, ask her, Which animal says, Woof ? Good for you. The dog says, Woof. You
are right! If she is still paying attention, ask which animal says, Mooooo.
If your child is over three years old:
Use three or four animals and plan to enjoy this activity for five to ten minutes. You might say to your child, Heres the duck. Its
yellow and has webbed feet. See the feet? They are webbed feet. Your yellow duck has webbed feet. If your child picks up a toy
dog, say, Oh you have the dog. Hes brown and white. Look, your dog has four legs.
The next day bring out the toy animals again. Talk about each animal, describing its color and how it looks.
When you feel that your child has the language to describe each animal, you are ready to play a guessing game. Ask your child,
Which animal is yellow and has webbed feet? If she isnt sure, you can help by adding, Which animal is yellow, has webbed feet
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and says, quack, quack, quack? Now, which animal is brown and white and has four legs? Yes, its the dog!
Play the guessing game described above but allow your preschooler to be the leader of the game and give you the clues.
PLAYTIME:PlayingBall
To help your child develop skills in language as she enjoys playing ball
What You Need:
A ball (a soft sponge ball for indoors)
What to Do:
1. At first, you may want to play a simple game of ball with you and your child as the only participants.
2. Play inside at first, so it will be easier for you to keep your childs attention.
3. Sit on the floor with your child, about five feet away from each other.
4. Tell your child: Im going to roll the ball. Then, roll it to her.
5. Say, Good! You caught the ball, or Uhoh! You missed it.
6. When shes ready say, Roll the ball to me. Ill catch the ball.
7. Continue rolling the ball back and forth, varying your language as you play:
Mommy caught the ball.
Roll the ball.
Roll it to me.
Here comes the ball.
Its going fast!
8. If you are playing outdoors or in a large room, and your child is capable, you can do other actions with the ball:
Ill throw the ball.
Kick the ball.
Lets bounce the ball.
Uhoh, the ball is rolling away.
You bounced the ball against the house.
Variations:
1. Including other family members will give you an excellent opportunity to practice everyones names:
Roll the ball to Daddy
Grandma caught the ball.
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Stevie kicked the ball hard.

2. Your child might enjoy playing a game of bowling with plastic balls and pins. Bowling sets suitable for young children can be
purchased, or you can easily make your own using empty plastic containers and any ball, preferably a large one. Bowling provides
lots of opportunity for language:
Roll the ball.
Whee! You knocked them down.
You knocked three down.
Get those two!
3. As your child grows older and her skills mature, she can play different kinds of ball games: baseball with a large ball and bat,
golf with a large club and balls, or football.
1. Encourage your child to name the person to whom she will roll or throw the ball.
2. As youre playing, encourage your child to tell you what she is doing, or what someone else has done with the ball.
SUMMARY
Choosing an educational setting for your child means time and preparation: gather information, keep a notebook, visit programs, ask questions.
Consider the primary mode of communication you want for your child.
Be positive about the choice you make!
Prepare your child for her school experience.
Teach songs, stories and new concepts at home so she will be comfortable with the information when it is presented in school.
Remember that you can change schools or communication methods at any time.
Talk to her teachers every week about her progress.
Keep your notebook uptodate as your child goes through her school years.
LinkstoMore
Starting School
Preparing for Preschool
PreschoolCourseCompleted
YES! You have completed readingLesson 10: School Skills. Now try some ideas with your child. Consider sharing questions and
Ive sent. You can use these forms to show service providers or family and celebrate progress together.You can go back and
review the other lessons in the Preschool Course by goingto thePreschool Course contentto select another Lesson.
2015 John Tracy Clinic. All rights reserved.806 West Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, California, USA 900072505 disclaimer/terms of
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Encourage him to get them. Help him if needed. Say:

Purpose of the Activity:

critical period of a childs early years.

Develop fun activities to encourage your child's language.

helper, perhaps a brother or a sister, turn the music on and off.

on your mashed potatoes.

3. Building with Blocks

Washed the spider out.

language of everyday life by making your own experience books.

Find and sort objects by sound, size and shape.

She was behind the chair.

Sing and enjoy nursery rhymes together every day.

be knowledgeable about hearing aids and cochlear implants.

Teach sequencing through stories and tasks.

container, and then putting the toy away.

5. Sit beside your child and talk about each picture.

3. Talk to your child while she brushes her teeth.

Speech and Spoken Language

For beginning listeners:

cover the pictures on the boards.

What color is this? Yes, its green.

Ohoh, as you vary the pitch of your voice, if some is spilled.

so children can easily help.

You dropped your cracker.

Pull your pants up (down).

Discuss similarities and differences in common objects and sounds.

View a video clip from an individual speech language session involvingstorytelling.

Now its full.

Which has the most sand?

Your childs wheeled riding toy

A piata for your birthday!

Try music and drawing to facilitate creative learning.

What You Need:

Also, talk with him about what he draws:

and over again as long as she is interested.

Give your child experience following directions.

Purpose of the Game:

Lets get the eggs.

6. My turnno Billys Its my turn, not Billys.

Use experiences outdoors to teach new words.

You hear the garbage truck. Oh, its big!

Look here for additional ideas and information.

We need some food.

Stevie kicked the ball hard.

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