It’s great working with symbols because the child can say anything (relevant!) for a symbol and be correct. The adult can confirm the suggestion with a more grammatical version without demanding the child say it again.
If there are printed words, there is less flexibility. E.g. if the print says The man is going on the bus then the child is essentially wrong if he says something else. If the symbols are man+getting on+bus with no printed words, many more possibilities become an acceptable attempt. This can be very encouraging for children with SLCN (speech, language and communication needs) as there is more chance they will receive praise for their efforts.
SYMBOL READING SVO 1-2 three-words 1 Subject + Verb + Object Eight pages with an action picture and 3 symbols to stand for Subject-Verb-Object. ‘Symbol reading’ can be an excellent way to prompt children with delayed language skills to string more words together in the correct order. Accept any efforts at a word for each symbol without correction or asking for the child to copy you. However you can give praise and confirm the effort by saying back the simplest grammatical version of the child’s effort.
SYMBOL READING SVO 3-4 three-words 2 Subject + Verb + Object Eight pages with an action picture and 3 symbols to stand for Subject-Verb-Object. ‘Symbol reading’ can be an excellent way to prompt children with delayed language skills to string more words together in the correct order. Accept any efforts at a word for each symbol without correction or asking for the child to copy you. However you can give praise and confirm the effort by saying back the simplest grammatical version of the child’s effort.
SVO + SYMBOLS three-words 3 Subject + Verb + Object Print 2-up and double-sided on A4 to make a folded ‘booklet’ (or single-sided on card to cut into separate cards). Each file focuses on a verb and contains four examples. The symbol line targets sentences with a subject, verb and object. Easy to make your own extra booklets if you have Word and CIP available.
SVA + SYMBOLS three-words 4 Subject + Verb + Adverb Print 2-up and double-sided on A4 paper to make a folded ‘booklet’ (or on card single-sided to cut into separate cards). Four examples for each preposition aimed at eliciting 4-word sentences. Easy to make your own extra booklets if you have Word and CIP available.
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