Learning Tools for Developmentally Delayed Children

Developmentally delayed children are those who have not achieved skills that peers of the same age have mastered. Developmental delays may appear in the areas of gross motor skills, fine motor skills, language, cognitive and social. Tools to help children with developmental delays depend on the age and the type of developmental delay of the child. Assisting children with developmental delays requires patience, persistence, a positive attitude and the ability to be adaptive and flexible to the child's needs.

  1. Sign Language

    • A child who is developmentally delayed in speech may have a physical or mental impairment that is causing the delay. Communication can take many forms other than verbal communication. Use sign language to help these children. Learn common signs to communicate ideas. ASL Pro maintains a library of common signs. Match the signs to speech and flash cards to communicate with the child. Be patient if sign language is new to the child.

    Textured objects

    • Use objects to help the child understand ideas. For example, before taking a bath or going to the pool, give the child a towel. Let him feel the towel and explore it. This will help establish a relationship between towel and bath along with towel and pool. After a while the child will be able to associate the towel with getting wet. This helps build vocabulary as you work on the words and connections between objects.

    Visual Cards

    • Visual cards or queues are another way of helping a developmentally delayed child communicate. These cards can be used to connect ideas such as showing cards for that show the sun and a picnic. The cards can also be used by the student to communicate her thoughts, feelings or preferences. Allow the child access to the cards and ask her questions. For example lay out cards that have activities that she can do and ask her to choose an activity. The child can choose what she would like to do without words and build a connection between her choices and outcomes.

    Assistive Technology

    • All children love to have access to technology. Computer tablets such as the iPad allow children to use technology to help them communicate as they never had before. The tablet not only can help children establish some fine motor skills, it can provide communication tools such as interactive games and lessons that allow the child to take a hands-on approach. Assistive technology may also give a voice to the student who is having trouble speaking. If the student can write or select signs, he can create words that can be read to be able to express himself.

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