The following suggestions could be useful for children with delayed or impaired language development of known/unknown aetiology or those with communication difficulties associated with PDD, autism, Asperger's Syndrome, Down's Syndrome, intellectual impairment etc.

To encourage a child to look at books take photos of objects that they are interested in and put them in a photo album. You could also put pictures from advertising materials of items such as Thomas the Tank Engine or Bananas in Pyjamas. Initially just have one picture per page in a photo album that the child can handle easily.

Most children like having their photo taken and/or like looking at themselves in pictures. This is something that can be used to help their language development, because it is a way of engaging their interest. If a child is interested in something they are more likely to be open to learning.

Many families now have digital cameras but any camera will do. It is often easier to take the photo of the child in front of an empty wall (not too close to the wall because of "flash bounce"), getting as close to them as possible. A blank wall as backdrop means that there will be fewer distractions for the child, and the photo will be more useful.

Body Image

Many children with communication difficulties do not have a complete understanding of their body, its parts or relationship to other items around it. This is an important understanding to gain before learning concepts such as in front, behind, beside, above, under etc. There are simple activities that can be done at home by using photos of the child to help.

Front/Back

Take a photo of the child from the front, and another from the back then put the relevant photo on the front or back of a folder that can be used for these activities. They often like having their own book. It is better if the photo is about 200mm (or A4) size as it is more likely to attract the child's interest.

The front cover could be:

Peter's book	and on the back:
my front	my back

Head

If a photo of the child's head can be enlarged to about A4 size and then laminated, a "puzzle" can be made to help with the understanding and use of words such as head, hair, eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks, chin etc. Have the child tuck their hair behind their ears so they can be seen when taking the photo. To make it easier, the original photo can be used, left whole, for the child to refer to when putting the other pieces together. Start by cutting the enlarged picture into about 4 pieces. Do so by having a straight horizontal line under the eyes, another under the nose, then a vertical line up between the eyes. As the child gets better at putting the pieces together cut them smaller eg. horizontally under the chin, vertically near the ears. As the child is putting the pieces together name the body parts in a conversational way. Do not insist that the child name them as they will be concentrating on putting the pieces together. Language often comes when there is less pressure, so if the child is playing with the puzzle they may also be more interested in words associated with it.

*You may then consider extending your child's abilities by using the LEaP resource Barrier Game: Boy's Head or Barrier Game: Girl's Head.

Body

To begin with take a photo of the child standing "spread eagled" in front of a blank background. (As the child's abilities improve take another photo against a "busier" background.) For younger children it is better if the photo could be enlarged to A3 size before being made into a "jigsaw puzzle". You could keep the original for the child to refer to when they are learning to put the pieces together. The photo could be cut initially with a horizontal line under the chin, another horizontal cut across the waist, horizontally at the tops of the legs, then vertical cuts at the shoulders and down from the waist so that the pieces may resemble:

Use fewer cuts initially for the younger child, then increase the number of pieces as the child's skills increase. Name each piece in a relaxed, conversational way as the child handles it.

(For the child with fine motor problems it may help to stick the picture to material that makes it easier for them to grasp the pieces. This could be similar to a "wettex". Then the picture should be cut up to make a puzzle.)

* LEaP Barrier Games: Statues boy &/or Statues girl would be a useful tool to give the child further practice, as well as developing their language skills generally.

Using more words in sentences

• Use a photo of the child's head and attach it to a "body" in the LEaP activity "Getting Dressed" to give further practice for the many parts of grammar and concepts included in the accompanying suggestion sheets

• Use the photo of the child's front, and cover it in contact to make it more durable. Then that photo could be used with the other materials in the following LEaP products to help with the development of pronouns, verbs and concepts etc:

Same and different are important concepts for children to learn but can be challenging for many language impaired children. An enjoyable activity for the child is to use photos of them to increase their understanding of the terms. (The preparation of the materials is easier for those with a digital camera and computer.)

• Use the images of the child from the front and duplicate them so that there are three the same in a row. Then add a fourth image using the photo of the child from the back.

• Do the reverse with three from the back and one photo from the front. Position the one from the front in a different order so that you know the child is not just responding by choosing the photo in the same position each time.

• Using the digital image make three pictures taller, fatter, thinner, and vary the combinations so that there are three the same and one different. Consider any sensitivities the child may have about their size. It may be better to use photos of another family member for this.

When the child is looking at the strips of photos with you, run your finger along the line from left to right as this will help prepare them for reading.

*Use LEaP resources Same/Different 1 &/or Same/Different 2 to give the child other experiences in this area to assist their learning.

OTHER SUGGESTIONS

If a child is particularly interested in numbers and counting that could be used to increase their vocabulary. To begin with use items that they really like. For example have "1 train" on one page, "2 trains" on the next page. (When writing a "label" for the items depicted use lower case rather than capital letters.)

Extend vocabulary around their interest. For example take a photo of a train pulling into the station, one where it has stopped and another where it is going. Then you could start by looking at them one at a time, modelling language such as "The train is coming." "The train has stopped. The people are getting off." "The train is going."

*LEaP activity Narrative: A Train Trip or Barrier Game: Train Travel could be useful for more ideas by using the accompanying suggestion sheets.

Some children find it easier to move from one activity to another, or one place to another if photos are used. This applies especially to autistic children and to those with receptive language problems. It may be helpful to take photos of home, grandma and grandpa's house, kindergarten, school, the park, shops etc then prepare the child by saying, for example, "We are taking Jenny to school" whilst showing the photo of the school. The child may be much less resistant to getting in the car.

As the child's skills increase you can use the photos/pictures to help with a sequence of activities, such as the steps in dressing or a range of destinations eg. shops, grandma's then home. Because children learn to scan vertically before horizontally, arrange the pictures with the shop at the top then grandma's under it, and home beneath that.

*LEaP activity Narrative: Getting Dressed could prove useful in helping with this skill.

Tidying rooms can be made easier using photos. Many language impaired children may not understand what is required, but if they see a photo of the blocks in the container, books in the book case or toys in the toy box they may have more chance of knowing what is required. This can help them to understand what "tidy" means. Children often like to help and can gain satisfaction from completing a task independently.

Shopping can become easier if the child has their "list" of items they need to look for. This can take the form of photos, product labels kept for the purpose, or pictures downloaded from some "shopping on line" web sites. It is often useful to have the child's hands occupied holding their "list" and their minds on looking for the items! Because many children have short concentration spans you may need to start with them looking for one or two items and going straight to "their aisle" so that the child finds it a rewarding and enjoyable experience. Gradually you will be able to introduce "turns" so that the adult says "my turn" and finds items, then "your turn" for the child to look for theirs. Naturally it helps to shop in a supermarket you are very familiar with, and to judge how many items your "turn" can take whilst keeping it a pleasant outing for everyone.

Remembering and planning: It has already been mentioned to use photos in preparation for an outing. This can also be important to discuss where the child has been and what they saw, and did there, especially as many language impaired children tend to be very much in the present and find it difficult to discuss past events or what is going to happen. A trip to the seaside can provide lots of material with photos of packing the car, the scenery, the child and others at the beach digging in the sand, in the water, having a picnic, packing to go home etc. These photos could be used with the older child to make a sequence and talk about the outing.

*LEaP activity "Barrier Game: The Beach could add another dimension to reinforce the vocabulary related to the outing as well as extending the child's skills in other areas.

I hope that these ideas are useful. Feedback would be appreciated as then other ideas can be shared to help children develop their language skills.
Cheers,
Liz Jackson