Language & Autism - Strategies - Sequencing Sentence Word Order

Once we have learned a few words the magic begins. To really put an idea into words we need more than one. We might want "chocolate ice cream" or "cookies and juice". We might look for the "big truck" or our "red shoes". The fun begins when we want to tell what is happening. We start with things like "Mommy home", "Go swing", "Daddy funny", and "I hungry". And soon we are retelling whole events with lots of words to include all of the information about "who" is "doing" "what", and maybe even tacking on the "where", and "when". Our sentences may even run on with more words to add "why" and "how" we feel.
        The language spoken in our community will tell us the order that the words should be in. We learn first the casual way that we may speak to others. In school we learn the added rules that govern how we put our thoughts into written communication. We learn to identify words according to the role they serve in a sentence. We begin to understand what a "noun" is and a "verb" and how they may force a change in another word in the sentence.
        Some of my students are inclined to process connected phrases and sentences in whole chuncks. They seem to sometimes assign meaning based on a single word in the phrase or sentence. Using pictures to represent individual words and then presenting various combinations with extended vocabulary may help them to process the constituent parts.

Pick an Area and Lesson

NURSERY RHYME/SONG
xxxx     xxxx     xxxx

FAIRY TALE
Goldilocks     Three Little Pigs    Little Mermaid

POEM
xxxx     xxxx

STORY
My House     Where Is The Cat     Orange Juice Party    Valentines Day Cards

VOCABULARY
Oranges     Valentines Day Hearts     xxxx