Other considerations for communication and language disorders
Safety
Some students may not know how to tell an adult if there is an emergency, or what to do in an emergency. Consider making time to demonstrate and practise what to do, or provide them with a non-verbal or simple way to communicate an emergency.
Plan ahead. Some students may require support during safety drills. Role plays can help some students learn safety behaviours.
Behaviour
Consider reading stories about social situations that the student may come across in the classroom. This might help them learn expected behaviours and classroom routines. When reading the stories, encourage active participation and ask questions to check student’s understanding.
A teaching tip that may be relevant is provide feedback.
Refer to the behaviour page for more information on how to reduce behaviours of concern by supporting the student and promoting more helpful behaviour, and our emotions page for more information about supporting a student with managing their emotions.
Sport
The School Sport Unit provides inclusive sport and physical activity opportunities and pathways for students with disability across NSW. These focus on ability, participation, enjoyment and skill development. Opportunities include gala days, Multi-Sport days, knockouts and Come-and-Try Athletics days, and are available for students with disability who learn in mainstream classrooms, support classes in mainstream schools and Schools for Specific Purposes.
Inclusive school sport programs have the potential to support a student with disability’s social, emotional, mental and physical health. Watch Lexie and Anna’s stories of what sport and physical activity, both at school and in their journey through the representative school sport pathway, has meant to them.
Additional staff members
Consider documenting the strengths and abilities of the student for other staff members that may be involved in supporting the student at school.
Homework
Check that the language used in workbooks is brief and simple.
Visual aids such as pictures and icons may help a student have a better understanding of the information being presented.
Consider working with the students’ parents to develop an effective and consistent homework routine at home. This may include discussing and demonstrating some teaching strategies used in the classroom or reducing the amount of work that needs to be completed at home.
Transitions
Some students with communication disorders may benefit from supports when moving across education settings. It can help to tell students what will be the same so they know they already have some of the skills they will need.
For more information about supporting students with disability when transitioning to a primary or high school setting access our transition page.
For students transitioning to primary school access our story - a school day, and for students transitioning to high school access our story - how to be organised.
Other co-occuring conditions
Communication disorders can often co-occur with other developmental delays such as autism, intellectual disability, and specific learning disability (reading, writing, mathematics). They can also co-occur in students who experience deaf and hard of hearing, or blind or low vision.
Refer to understanding disability page to help support the student.