Teaching the English language to children or any other language that is not their mother tongue is not that easy. But it’s more challenging when it comes to children with autism. Children with autism have difficulty expressing themselves and they have a different way of processing information. These may be some of the factors that could affect their English learning journey.
While teaching English to children with Autism is very challenging, it is also very rewarding. Children with Autism have a lot of potential. They just need a little help. Here are some strategies that can help when teaching them English:
Use Visual Aids
Visual aids such as flashcards and images are very helpful when teaching English vocabulary to children with Autism. As most of them are visual learners, this can help them associate the abstract word with the actual object. It gives them a clear image and visual understanding. It also reduces the frustration of putting meaning into abstract words.
Use Realia
The concept of using realia is somewhat similar to using visual aids. The only difference is that, instead of using visual aids or drawings, you use an actual object to introduce English vocabulary. For example, you present an actual apple for the word “apple”. For words that can’t be found in the classroom like animals, you can show a toy version or actual pictures. This can help them have a sense of reality and better internalise new words and vocabulary.
Consistent Teaching Style and Routine
Children with autism do not easily adapt to changes in their environment. Set a routine, stick to a predictable schedule and take time to explain to them your next steps. It’s important that they are aware of what’s happening to get them prepared for what’s coming next to avoid frustration and anxiety on their part.
Keep Sentences Short
Start their learning journey by teaching words, then slowly build them up to short sentences like “I want a toy” and “This is a boy.”. Using short sentences when teaching English to children with Autism helps make their learning more bite-size and easier to understand and less confusing.
Step-by-step Learning
Step-by-step learning or procedural learning is a method where you use checklists or diagrams to show tasks in sequential order. This is effective when teaching grammar rules to children with autism. For example, start with identifying nouns and pronouns, and proper use of punctuation then move up to the subject-verb agreement. This can break down their learning to bite-sizes which would reduce the overwhelming feeling of learning complex sentences for both the learner and teacher. Having to visually see their progress also helps to motivate them.
Teaching the English language to children with Autism requires a lot of patience. Do not rush or pressure them. Their progress may take more time than a regular learning session because of their unique comprehension of things but patience and perseverance would bring out their potential in learning.