Lesson 106


Lesson 106
Book
Attaching Meaning to the Pattern of Some Sounds


     

     

Objectives

To teach your child to

a) associate meaning to patterns of meaningful speech sounds
b) begin recognizing a sound pattern and responding appropriately

Points To Remember

1. Children respond to gross changes in patterns, so make sure you exaggerate the patterns to make them sound very different. At this stage, they won’t understand the words, but begin attaching meaning based on whether the sound is long or short, loud or soft, continuous or choppy.

2. Use the same pattern for the same object or action. For example, if you decide to use ‘choo choo’ for the train, always use this pattern.

3. Present categories of sounds together -- e.g. animal sounds, words for actions, vehicle sounds, etc.

Method

This is a structured activity. You will need a set of animals, vehicles or toys and if possible, a container to hid them in. To begin, sit beside the child with your toys hidden in a box, or each toy hidden in a separate container.

Watch the first two video clips to see examples of teaching a child to attach meaning to the patterns of sounds and appropriate responses. Then read and follow the instructions given below.

1. Tell your child to "Listen!" and when he is not looking at you, say your first sound. If you are using vehicles, it could be 'beep, beep' for the car, or, as in one of the clips a high pitched 'woo, woo' for the train.

2. Next, sing a jingle to give a very contrasting pattern. Play with the toy for a few seconds. Where you can, use some key words to provide a pattern as well, such as 'up, up, up' or 'wind, wind, wind' ( for wind up toys). You could also use words like ‘jump’, 'hop', etc. After playing with toy, hide it and use a verbal "Where are you?" with an exaggerated intonation to look for the toy.

3. Give your child an opportunity to look for the toy and vocalize. If he doesn’t, don’t worry, go ahead and bring the toy out and play with it again.

4. Finally, say 'bye-bye' to the toy and put him away.

5. Repeat all the steps with the other toys you have. Remember that for young children ( up to 3 years, you may not be able to use more than 2-3 toys at a time this way).

Watch the next videoclip to see an example of how to do this activity using animals and actions with a four-year old.

Video Clips

CLIP 1





CLIP 2





CLIP 3



Modifications

For infants under 10 months, you will need shorter, more frequent activities spread out throughout the day. Follow your child’s interest level and use shorter periods of time with each animal. You may only do steps 1, play with the toy and then move on to another toy.

For children who are 4 and older, you can use a barn instead of a box, or have animals walk in a tray of beans, jump in the water. Your imagination is the limit.

What Next

1. When your child consistently responds to sounds by turning his head, you can stop doing Lessons 102 and 103. You must continue the device check (Lesson 101) and the daily hearing check using the Ling six sound test (Lesson 104) every day.

2. When you are comfortable doing Lesson 106 with animals, repeat this same lesson with vehicles. Practice listening and associating a variety of actions with their words as well, such as ‘wash, wipe, run, etc.

3. When you are comfortable doing Lesson 106 with animals, vehicles and actions, read and do Lesson 107. Continue to do Lesson 106 while doing Lesson 107.