Use of a Game in SLCN - Board Games - Case Study Example

Use of a Game/Toy in SLCN – Board Games Speech, language and communication play a vital role in a child’s development, and when the process is hindered or delayed, it causes learning difficulties among children. The speech and communication skills that are developed in children from birth are necessary for the children, to reach their full potential in learning. For some children, communicating with others is difficult as well as different, as they have Speech Language and Communication Needs (SLCN). It is essential to develop better communication skills among those children, and thereby support them to deal with their difficulties. During early stages of language development, different games or toys are used for bringing efficient outcomes among the children. If not identified and aptly managed at the earliest, the speech and communication difficulties can cause damages in the later stages of life, causing social interaction and communication problems throughout the individuals’ lifetime. We shall focus on the use of board games for children with SLCN and discuss how it would be helpful for them to improve their speech and language communication skills. Furthermore, we can analyze this aspect of language development, particularly focusing on the speech and language impairment in children with autistic spectrum condition. Speech and language impairments can be described as the “inability to effectively convey meaning and ‘receive, send, process, and comprehend concepts or verbal, nonverbal and graphic symbol systems.” (Gardner and Wickremesooriya). The first step for effective communication requires listening and understanding what is being said by others, as well as articulating our own thoughts, feelings and needs towards it. The former is known to be as receptive language and the latter is expressive language. It is essential for any child to have efficient receptive as well as expressive language for an effective communication. Some children, particularly of autistic spectrum, may experience severe communication problems, affecting both linguistic and non-linguistic means of communications. (Gardner and Wickremesooriya). However, “this type of communication problems can often be reduced by the introduction of alternative or augmentative communication systems, although it tends to be less widely understood, less socially acceptable or less flexible and convenient than spoken language.” (Donaldson 1995, p.3). Even though some children may have adequate receptive and expressive skills, they might still have communication problems due to issues in delivering speech and also while using the language skills. This difficulty in children is known as pragmatics, which is a core problem for children with autistic spectrum. “Problems with pragmatics are evident when students are unable to use language in social situations to express feelings, create or understand images, give or request information, or direct actions of listeners.” (Ysseldyke and Algozzine 2006, p.11). The speech and language impairment in these children can impact their patterns of social communication and social interaction. When supported and identified at the earliest, it can help in solving the prominent communication barriers. “Reading and responding to the cues that the other person wishes to end the exchange may be particularly hard for the students with pragmatic problems.” (Ripley and Barrett 2008, p.76). There are two major aspects to be considered in evaluating the pragmatic skills of language among children. Firstly, the purposes and functions for which the children use their language have to be evaluated. Secondly, the way, in which they use their known language and how they adapt to the audiences, based on the given situation, has to be analyzed. The ultimate goal relies on making the children listen, understand and respond to the language of others, and at the same time, help them in expressing their views appropriately to others. (Gardner and Wickremesooriya). It is observed that language therapy to the children based on cognitive-behavioral approach will influence pragmatic abilities and help in establishing broader social communication. “Language ability contributes to social communication competence primarily in terms of comprehension competence but pervades all social communication tasks.” (Norbury, Tomblin and Bishop 2008, p.196). In case of severe speech and language impairment, the outcomes vary and could last longer than a period of time, extending even for many years. However, this tendency can be effectively mitigated with appropriate and strategic therapeutic interventions of games or toys at early levels of development. In order to deal with the speech, language and communication needs of a particular child, it is necessary to draw down the strengths and weaknesses of the child along with his/her communication skills. Particularly, children with autistic spectrum condition will have their unique strengths and abilities, despite their deficits and challenges. (Norbury, Tomblin and Bishop 2008). It is essential to identify these strengths and use them in promoting their speech and language development. Normally, these children will have rote memory and remembrance of information for a long period, but still they will find it difficult to incorporate those details into activities. Similarly, they will be able to tackle concrete and literal activities, and at the same time, find it hard to understand vague instructions or body-language. These children are “characterised by significant qualitative impairments in social interactions, communication and repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests and activities.” (Lindsay et al. 2014). They will have better visual learning and thinking style, and therefore will be able to use that information meaningfully. “Children who experience difficulties with communication many need visual strategies to aid their understanding as the images can provide a two-way communication for anyone who has limited verbal abilities.” (Hull Learning Services 2013, p.26). However understanding what he/she hears might be a barrier to this visual learning ability. The game chosen for improving the speech and communication skills of autistic children could be simple board games. Board games, in general, refer to the set of interactive games played on a board or chart by two or more players. It would help in improving the social skills of the children, making them communicate efficiently with the peers. Some of the commonly used board games include scrabble, backgammon, checkers, chess, etc, are two-player/multiplayer games for children of all levels. However, when it comes to autistic children, choosing the right board game is necessary. For instance, ‘picture cards’ is a well-known board game focusing on language and communication skills for children with autistic spectrum. (Norbury, Tomblin and Bishop 2008). Some of the autism-related picture card games include various picture tiles that are designed to illustrate activities, objects, and also can be used to sequence preset story lines, rhymes or any imaginative tales. Possibilities are many with these picture cards as it promotes descriptive learning for the children, allowing them to describe and communicate what they see. (Lindsay et al. 2014). The picture cards can be attached to the board, allowing the children to recognize the object or activity seen in the picture. Similarly, the game can turn to be interactive by using matching picture cards or color tiles for the children to identify and match them as well as to teach daily living skills, social and behavior skills. These motivating picture card games have pictorial expressive cards and games, which can be used to teach non-verbal as well as language skills for the SLCN children, thereby aiding them to communicate with others. The receptive and expressive cards under different set of topics can help them to understand and answer the presented questions. (Lindsay et al. 2014). The card games include identifying symbols, describing words, comparison questions, understanding commands and more. Even children with varying motor and verbal skills can use these picture cards for improving their communications. As the autistic and hearing impaired children respond well to the visual cues, these picture cards would be a great choice for enhancing their communication skills. Studies have shown that effective communication can be established using a combination of verbal means and pictorial representations. “When the cognitive aspect corresponding to visual perception, operational and verbal-logical thinking was analyzed, a correspondence between the verbal communicative and cognitive lines of development was revealed.” (Developmental Psychology 1992, p.214). “Difficulties with social interactions may result from atypical social development, unusual interests that are not shared by peers, and information-processing impairments that lead to difficulty understanding social cues.” (Mathews et al. 2013). As autistic children lack social communication skills, it would be hard for them to actively participate and join the games. They might not be able to understand and grasp the concept in the first attempt itself. This is because children use mental experience for perceiving what others say and what to respond. Thus, it is essential to create an environment for driving their attention to the questions, thereby eliciting effective responses. “The appreciation of affective and mental perspectives is implicit in children’s appropriate use of utterances and responses to other people’s utterances.” (Chiat 2000, p.232). However, regular practice and repetitive instructions can help them involve better. Lots of language usage and the related conversations in the games might be difficult to follow for these children, especially when involved in groups as they find it hard to negotiate and communicate with others. However, these board games with ‘picture cards’ can act as a teaching tool for children to learn how to interact with others. “Board games can enhance psychosocial development by providing children the opportunity to control impulses (i.e., turn taking and following rules), cope with anxieties and frustrations of life, and understand the relationship between actions and outcomes.” (Burns-nader 2011). These simple games are of best choice as it facilitates playing with others, and helping them to learn social communications as well. The board games like Boggle, Tic-Tac-Toe, Scrabble, checkers, etc., can be used for higher level children for improving their vocabulary and social skills. These cooperative games let the children work in teams, allowing them to learn more social skills. “As children with ASD may not have ample opportunities to engage in social interactions in a natural environment, a group format is an attractive intervention option for children to practice new social skills with their peers, while encouraging social interaction between peers.” (Ferguson, Gillis and Sevlever 2013). As playing is an entertaining way for children to learn, it is closely linked with the development of different communication and language skills among them. Simple pictorial board games can be used to help develop receptive and expressive skills for children with speech language and communication needs. As we are focusing on autistic spectrum condition, these ‘picture cards’ and matching board games might be of great use in developing their thinking, language and social skills. Initially, it helps them to listen to the instructions and pay close attention to the details of the games as well as understand the use of language through the games. (Mathews et al. 2013). As this game facilitates interaction with others, it helps in efficiently improving the social interaction, by acting as a motivator to communicate. “Through the interactive, dynamic interchange of play, children with Asperger’s syndrome may develop a greater capacity for awareness of self and other, for better affect regulation, and for participating in social relationships in more satisfying ways.” (Levy 2011, p.81). Since playing these board games with picture cards could extend for longer period of time, it facilitates the children to involve themselves in one particular activity for a long time, thereby improving their concentration and focus. “Taking turns is an essential communication skill and playing any simple board games that involves taking turns not only helps children to develop this skill, it also helps them to listen and attend to an activity for longer periods of time.” (National Children Bureau). Also, repetitive play will help them to understand and remember the vocabulary that was used, and importantly use it for their social communication. This kind of turn-taking games and reciprocal interactions might pave way for referential communication, which is indeed a necessary aspect for autistic children. With the use of board games, teachers can strategically build an environment that is inclusive and interactive for these children to develop their speech and language skills. “It is essential that professionals find ways of sharing information in order to establish a ‘communication-enhancing environment’ around the non-communicating child.” (Urwin 2011). In addition, pictorial board games are also useful for the mental development of these children. That is, continuous playing of these games could make children well versed in it, thereby enabling them to move to the next game levels. The higher game levels would have certain complexities and that will need higher level thinking, which will in turn facilitate the children to optimize themselves. (Mathews et al. 2013). Thus, these structured board games can aid in the psychodynamic development of a child, and that would have long-term benefits for the children. The use of pictorial board games in speech, language and communication needs of autistic children are widely beneficial. The child’s response to the games might help in interpreting their thoughts and feelings in social settings, and their way of interaction with others. For this, it is essential to build a climate of acceptance and social inclusion, as the children with SCLN are in need of support and an inclusive environment, where their deficiencies are accepted without any differences. Various studies have to be carried out to analyze the needs of the children, so that appropriate and customized strategies can be formulated for developing their speech and communication skills. Moreover, it is worthy to consider the strength and weakness of these board games, as well as that of the autistic child for gaining the desired positive outcome. References: Burns-nader, ES., 2011. The Effects of Medical Play on Reducing Anxiety, Fear and Procedure Distress in School-aged Children going to visit the Doctor. The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa. Chiat, S., 2000. Understanding Children with Language Problems. Cambridge University Press. “Developmental Psychology.” International Journal of Psychology, Vol.27, No.3-4, pp.200-260. Donaldson, ML., 1995, Children with Language Impairments: An Introduction. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Ferguson, BR, Gillis, JM and Sevlever, M., 2013. A Brief Group Intervention Using Video Games to Teach Sportsmanship Skills to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.” Child & Family Behavior Therapy, Vol. 35, No.4, pp.293-306. Gardner, HP and Wickremesooriya, SF. Working on Interaction as part of the Inclusive Educational Context for Children with Special Educational Needs. Available from http://www.ioe.ac.uk/about/documents/About_Overview/Strand_3_-_Gardner_and_Wickremesooriya(1).pdf (accessed on April 8, 2014) Hull Learning Services., 2013. Supporting Children with Speech and Language Difficulties. Routledge, 2013. National Children Bureau. Information about Speech, Language and Communication Needs. Available from http://www.ncb.org.uk/media/875224/earlysupportslcnfinal.pdf(accessed on April 8, 2014) Lindsay, S, Proulx, M, Thomson, N and Scott, H., 2014. Exploring Teachers Strategies for including Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Mainstream Classrooms. International Journal of Inclusive Education, Vol. 18, No. 2. Levy, AJ., 2011. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy for Children with Aspergers Syndrome: Therapeutic Engagement through Play, Psychoanalytic Perspectives, Vol. 8, No.1, pp.72-91. Mathews, TL, Erkfritz-Gayb, KN, Knight, J, Lancasterd, BM and Kupzyke, KA., 2013. 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