5 Ways to Communicate Better with Language Processing/Autistic Students

As the parent of a child with autism, my patience has multiplied a thousand fold since she joined us on this earth some eight and a half years ago.  I can now calmly say, "Do you want ketchup?" in an even tone ten to fifteen times before I start to get irritated.  This didn't come over night, but with love and patience, I realized that my daughter wasn't "ignoring" me or "tuning me out" on purpose. Sometimes, as teachers, it's more difficult to reach our students with autism, or other students with difficulty in the area of receptive language processing, because we don't live it all day long every day, and we may not have a firm understanding of exactly what is going on in those cute little noggins of theirs. While I am not a speech pathologist (or a medical doctor!) I do know what works for my daughter and what I have seen work for other children who are listening but just can't process what is being said to them. Here are five things that might make your life a little easier.

1) Say the child's name first in the sentence.
If I want my daughter Imma to hear what I'm saying and to know that I am speaking to her, I need to say her name at the beginning of the sentence.  With other children, we can take for granted that they will hear the sentence and realize we are talking to them without saying their names first, but not for these kiddos.  It is far more effective for me to say, "Imma, how was your day?" than it is for me to say, "How was your day today, Imma?" Because if I slip up and follow the second pattern, my next sentence will be, "Imma? Imma?? How was your day? Hey, how was your day today? Did you have a good day...?"

Say the child's name first.

2) Leave out unnecessary words.
Sometimes these precious kiddos can't keep up with all of the words we are throwing at them at once. It's much  better if we leave out the words we don't need. For example, when Imma first started kindergarten, even after two years of PPCD, she still had problems following simple directions in the classroom. Her kindergarten teacher quickly figured out that, "Imma, backpack!" worked a lot better than trying to say, "Imma, get your backpack and put it on. It's time to go home."  Imma knew enough to infer that if she didn't have her backpack, it was time to get it. Likewise, if she had her backpack already, it was time to put it away. Think about trying to learn a foreign language. Don't we learn (and then use) key vocabulary words first? It's the same with this situation. Less is more.

Keep it simple.

3) Don't start over.
My daughter used to have about a fifteen second delay in her processing. That's a really long time. (Try slowly counting to fifteen if you don't believe me.) So, if someone asked her a question, she needed a solid fifteen seconds to think about it before she could start to answer. Over the years, it has shrunk down to where she can answer most questions in about five seconds--which is still slower than most but not bad.  The thing is, if you try to ask her (and all children with language processing struggles) the question again once she's started to process, she's going to have to start her processing over.  In her brain it's a little like this:
"How was your day?"
Hmmmm, Mom asked me a question. Something about my day. I wonder...
"How was your day?"
Okay, she's saying something else. I think it's something about my day...
"Did you have a good day today?"
I heard something about good.  I wonder what she wants to know. Am I being good today?
"Imma? Are you listening to me? I asked you a question."
Okay... does she want to know if I listened to questions today...
You get the idea. Every time you open your mouth, the processing starts again. So, even though it's hard, give them time to think--without talking.

Give them a chance to think.

4) Use visual aids as much as possible.

A lot of times language processing students need visuals to support their learning, especially with vocabulary and new concepts. Any time you can show them a picture--or physically demonstrate--what you are talking about, not only will they have a better understanding, they will also retain the information longer. Visuals are good for all of our students, so incorporate them as much as possible.

Demonstrate and use visual aids.

5) Be patient. 
This might be the most difficult one of all, but it is also the most important one. We have all been in situations when we know that children are ignoring us on purpose, and it's very difficult to stay calm when we know kids are making life more difficult for us on purpose. However, it is important to remember that most of the time, these kids are not understanding us even though they are trying their best to do so. With that in mind, try to keep your voice even and friendly, even when you're starting to feel frustrated or upset. Try to smile and be encouraging.  Back to the ketchup--it is a true story. I once sat in a McDonald's at repeated the phrase, "Imma, do you want some ketchup?" at least ten times, with a smile on my face and my voice as chipper as possible, leaving the ten or so seconds between requests. She just wasn't with me.  The people at the table next to me were looking at me like we were both crazy (and that's okay, let them look) but eventually she answered. And, no, she didn't want any ketchup.

Love is patient; love is kind.

I have noticed an influx of language processing referrals lately, and I'm not exactly sure what to attribute it to. But the more students with this difficulty we identify, the more patience we're going to need as educators. If you suspect a child in your class, or someone you know, may be struggling with language processing, contact your speech pathologist or Response to Intervention team coordinator as soon as possible.
What experiences do you have with students who struggle to process language?