Making reasonable adjustments to the classroom environment can make a significant difference for pupils with social communication needs. The following ideas should be considered:
- Memory aids in classroom, e.g. Number squares, phoneme charts.
- Adapted resources coloured paper, overlays, reading rules.
- Avoid over cluttered worksheets.
- Visual timetables used, personalised where necessary, ‘now and next’ prompts, learning mats etc. to support organisation and independent learning.
- Visually supported learning environment.
- Use of scribe, reader if necessary.
- Pre tutoring new vocabulary and concepts.
- Peer support where appropriate e.g shared and paired writing and reading.
- Alternatives methods of recording, mindmaps, word processor, voice to text software, photos, voice recordings, laptop, well directed teaching assistants.
- Explicit teaching and application of reading skills.
- Differentiation resources, magnetic letters and maps, phonics games.
- Opportunities to talk before writing.
- Supporting writing with images actions, drama and modelled teacher writing.
- Magpie words.
- Open ended tasks to allow for success, find out what they know and do.
- Structured phonics programme.
- Multi-sensory resources and methods used to support the learning of spelling; use of word lists, spelling books, technical glossaries, root words, ‘word-building’, word families; develop knowledge of morphology and etymology; pre-teaching of important vocabulary.
- Resources, writing slopes, pencil grips.
- Relating maths to real life situations and using concrete and pictorial representations to link with abstract concepts.
- Teacher modelling.
- Use of visuals and actions to support understanding.
- Preprepared grid tables and graphs.
- Multisensory and physical movement.
- Rhymes, rhythms, tunes.
- Stickers or markers to support left and right orientation.
- Colour coded steps to support sequencing.
- Adults repeat or modify the learning activity.
- Resources used e.g. number lines, objects, counters, Numicon, Cuisenaire rods.
- Reduce cognitive load.
- Ask the pupil to repeat the instruction.
- Drawings to map out thoughts.
- Use scaffolding and look for opportunities to remove over time.
- Teach the child or young person strategies to reduce the cognitive load.
- Notetaking, highlighting, skimming and scanning, mind mapping, visualisation.
- Use of small memory aids, sentence starters, facts, calculation techniques.