Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/114027
How can educators work with parents? Many parents are working and busy, so they tend to just have rudimentary conversations with children. "Brush your teeth; go to bed; put your things away; go get a snack." I encourage parents to speak in their primary language and to use the world as a teaching environment for vocabulary. Encourage parents to read books aloud, talk about items they see when they go to the grocery store, and teach all the names of household items. I asked one parent to do these things and a year later, when I retested the child, his vocabulary was off the charts. What about speech-language pathologists? There are little things that can help. See what the child's primary language is and how it is structured. Sometimes the "th" sound is not in the primary language, so the SLP will realize the child does not have a disorder if he or she cannot make that sound. Sometimes a child will not have an s at the end of words to signify plural in their primary language, so they are using the rules of their own primary language to produce English. Try and see if they are using the grammar and rules of their primary language to speak English and you might see they do not have a disorder. Any last thoughts? We owe it to our children to give them a chance — to see whether they are going to do well in a general education setting — and then if they don't do well, we can look at special education services. My district is getting really good at that. Being aware of possible misdiagnosis and having the resources to understand the second-language acquisition process is important for general education teachers, special education and specialists. The more we know, the better we can serve our children. facebook.com/californiateachersassociation the resources of general education have been considered and when appropriate, utilized. General education support programs like RtI (Response to Intervention) give struggling students supports before we consider putting them into special education. LIKE US ON FACEBOOK. Erick Sanchez practices pronouncing words with Pamela Greenhalgh. TAKE CREDIT FOR MAKING A SMART CALL. For a limited time, switch to Sprint and receive a $50 service credit for each newly activated line of service. VISIT SPRINT.COM/PROMO/iL30788PC within 72 hours of activating your new Sprint phone to claim your service credit. Don't delay! Offer ends 4/11/2013. Purchase online or in store by visiting: • sprint.com/californiak12education • sprint.com/californiahighereducation • sprint.com/storelocator OFFERS FOR CURRENT CALIFORNIA EDUCATION EMPLOYEES SAVE WITH DISCOUNTS % off select regularly priced Sprint monthly service plans SWITCH TO SPRINT AND GET service credit for each new$ line activation when you 50 18 move from another carrier. Req. new 2-yr agmt. 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