Cognitive Delay Supports

The following list provides a few suggestions of ways to support language and literacy development in children with cognitive delays.

• Use sign language to teach commonly used vocabulary words and word order. This is beneficial because signs are much more concrete than the fleeting sounds of the spoken word.
• Address language and literacy skills in the regular classroom and through supplemental, specially designed instruction in a one-to-one or small group setting such as a resource room.
• Develop your program in a way that focuses on teaching functional life skills to children with more severe cognitive delays. For example, select sight words critical for daily living activities, such as stop, restroom, exit, hot, etc., rather than focusing all your energy on teaching these students to read and write by more traditional methods.
• Break down every task into smaller steps and model each step using as many concrete, real-life examples as possible.
• Use multi-sensory teaching methods. Provide information/instruction both verbally and visually, provide opportunities for hands-on exploration, and use pictures or real-life, concrete objects and examples as much as possible to support new learning.
• Provide multiple, varied opportunities for students to practice new skills in a variety of real-life settings as often as possible. This will help students to generalize what they are learning from the classroom to their daily lives in an authentic, meaningful way.
• Be sure to incorporate the family’s priorities, concerns, and goals related to language and literacy into your individual instructional plan for the student.