Here in Loveday’s Class, communication is such a huge part of our everyday learning. It is integrated in to every activity we do throughout the day. The children in class are exposed to a ‘Total Communication’ approach, which means alongside speech we use photographs, symbols, signs and VOCA’s.

We thought it would be nice to share on our blog some of the ways in which our children communicate. Throughout Hadrian there is a focus on ‘Core Vocabulary’

Core vocabulary is a small amount of words that make up a lot of what we say throughout our day. These words are useful in many scenarios and can have many meanings. Core Vocabulary is powerful because it allows us to express a wide variety of concepts with a very small number of words.

Some of the Core Vocabulary we focus on in our class is: ‘more, stop, go, and help, fast’ and ‘slow’. Lots of the children in class are working on this vocabulary using symbols and are doing great!

We also have two children in class who are using VOCA’s (voice output communication aids). They are also able to access the Core Vocabulary using their devices as well as a lot of other words.

We’re also fantastic at making choices here in Loveday’s class. We can use photographs, symbols, signs, objects or our VOCA’s to make choices. We’re able to choose our snacks, favorite toys, songs, activities and so much more.

We like to fill our timetable up with lots of exciting and engaging activities to encourage the children to communicate.

We’re loving seeing the children communicate so effectively!