Aspects of oral language
(cont)
What
Why
Production of speech sounds
Students who have difficulty expressing themselves
with clarity often become reluctant speakers.
This further impacts negatively on oral language
development.
Students who continue to have difficulty producing
speech sounds when they commence learning to read
and write are likely to have reading and spelling
difficulties (Lewis et al 2000a, 2000b and 2002).
It should be noted that the more unintelligible and
unusual the speech sound production problem, the
more likely it is that it will impact negatively on
reading and writing development (Dodd 2005).
Interaction skills
Effective participation in interactions requires
students to relate to and understand others.
Time spent interacting with others positively
influences oral language development.
Understanding and use of
nonverbal communication
Nonverbal communication accounts for a large
proportion of the message in interactions (Mehrabian
2007; Shalleck-Klein 1998). Students need to be able
to understand nonverbal cues to comprehend what
others are intending to communicate, and learn to
use non-verbal cues to strengthen and/or add
meaning to expressive language.
Speaking and listening
English K–6
Support Materials for Students with Special Education Needs
9
For students experiencing difficulty in speaking and listening, teachers should undertake
diagnostic assessment. This enables the teacher to identify the specific areas of difficulty
and to determine appropriate intervention strategies.
Following are examples of what may be observed by a teacher and the contributing
knowledge, skills and strategies which may require assessment/further investigation.
ASSESSMENT
