by Carrie Jackiewicz, Special Services Coordinator
Parents of students at Child’s Voice often ask me, “What skills does my child need in order to be successful in their neighborhood school classroom?” These are the skills that Child’s Voice staff considers necessary for success:
The ability to comprehend and produce complex language. Students must be able to follow complex directions in the classroom. Teachers use very complex sentences when they give directions and our alumni must be able to understand and complete those directions.
This is an example of a direction given in a Kindergarten classroom: “When you get the octopus, you can flip it if you want and then you’re going to say your name.”
This is an example of directions given in a First Grade classroom: “On the front of the tepee there’s a little a black line. You’re going to take your scissors and cut. What you’re going to do is you’re going to fold it over so then you have an opening for your tepee. It makes it look a little dimensional.”
Self-advocacy skills. There are a variety of self-advocacy skills that are vital to success in the mainstream, including the ability to overcome communication breakdowns by using repair strategies (What did you say? Can you say that slower?). Students must know where to sit in a large group (close to the teacher, where they can see their peers’ faces).
Students also need to be independent with their hearing device. They must be able to put on their devices and FM receivers, change batteries on their own, and troubleshoot when something is not working.
Problem-solving skills. Students must be able to identify problems and solutions to challenging situations that arise. They also must be able to identify someone who could help them solve the problem, whether it is a teacher, a peer, or another staff member. For example, if a teacher forgets to unmute the FM microphone, the student must recognize the problem, choose the appropriate time to say something, and figure out the language necessary to tell the teacher to unmute the microphone.
Internal motivation and work ethic. In the public school classroom, students are expected to complete work independently without consistent help from their teachers. Students must also take care of their belongings and navigate their schedule independently.
Age-appropriate academics. It is challenging and exhausting to listen and learn in the background noise of a large classroom. If our alumni have age-appropriate academic skills, they are more likely to succeed because they will be able to build on their already developed Reading and Math skills.
Age-appropriate social skills. Students need to know how to make eye contact and start a conversation with their hearing peers. Students also need to know how to take turns and play with their hearing peers. Participating in extracurricular activities (sports, dance, art classes) can help our alumni succeed after they leave Child’s Voice.
At Child’s Voice we work together with families to ensure their children are ready for the mainstream. This year we have worked to refine our Mainstream Readiness Checklist, which focuses on these skills and helps guide our conversations as our students get ready to graduate from Child’s Voice.