If the child is partially verbal or nonverbal, give them time to communicate with alternative communication. This may be typing, sign language, or something else. If the child cannot use AAC, teaching basic communication should take priority over teaching math.
Many concepts can be shown through visual examples, but they are generally paired with verbal instructions. This is where the difficulty lies. Try to use visual cues as often as possible when teaching your child.
Technology can be utilized to overcome this issue to an extent—the child may find it easier to push buttons and touch screens than to physically grasp a pen.
If possible, try to find a horse workbook. This may peak interest regarding the work that needs to be completed.
It will also keep them happier and associate learning time with positivity. Instead of dreading it, they may recognize it as a time they get positive attention.
In essence, you are training the child to mirror you. She’ll slowly see the conclusions of your actions and be able to draw conclusions herself when you’re not around.
Just because a child is developmentally behind in terms of speaking does not mean they will be behind in math. Sometimes, disinterest indicates that the work is not challenging enough. If this happens, try giving them harder work, or leaving a more difficult workbook out and seeing if they interact with it.
Try narrating the steps one at a time as the child completes them. For example, “First, you add two to both sides. Then, you divide both sides by 5. Now you have your answer, x = 7. " Think of them as a foreign language learner. They need a bit more time to process what you’re saying, so keep the instructions short and snappy. The easier they are to recall, the better.
A light blue, or tan is a great place to start. These are neutrals that the eye finds easy to process, too.
Games are colorful and fun, making them grab children’s attention. It is something that today’s kids are very fond of and would do without any resistant. This is like teaching them without even telling that they are being taught. For instance, famous games like Candy Crush Saga have been working on improving segmentation logic and if we go a little higher on the difficulty level then we have 2048, a game which involves all math skills and facts.
For instance, while teaching addition and subtraction, you can take your child to your staircase, give a number to each stair with 0 in the middle, going upward towards +5 and coming downwards towards -5. He is to stand on 0 and asked to add 2 for which he can jump upstairs and if asked to subtract 3, he can come 3 steps down.
It’s easier for you, too. Concentrating on one child is difficult enough—to concentrate on more would spread your attention thin.
Keep all of the child’s work organized and in the same place, too. Keep all resources in one secure location. This way, the child can go back and review their lessons in detail. Lay out each concept clearly, isolating that specific example. That way, each concept is kept separate from other concepts.
To make it fun, try keeping a sensory bin of colorful fidgets, and tell the child to pick one out before the lesson begins. Their stimming may look unusual to you (e. g. rocking or bouncing). Even if it does, assume that it serves an important purpose. Only intervene if it’s unsanitary (e. g. putting objects in their mouth) or harmful (hitting themselves), in which case you can suggest a different stim to them (chewing gum, hitting a pillow). Excessive fidgeting (i. e. , fidgeting to the point that they cannot do any work) indicates that they are stressed, or they are not getting enough exercise.
“I need a break, please. " (A five-minute break for stimming can calm an overwhelmed child. ) “I’m hungry/thirsty. " “I need to go potty. " “_____ is bothering me. " “I don’t understand. " The child also needs to know that you will honor their requests. When they try to advocate their needs, immediately pay attention.
One of the most common tools that are used by almost all kids while learning basic addition and subtraction is the abacus. The abacus provides a visual representation that helps them understand the concepts behind basic math. For instance, a pizza of 8 slices can be used to teach the basics of fractions. A full pizza is 8/8 but if 2 slices are taken out then the fraction becomes 6/8 which means 2 slices are missing. After the class, eat the pizza together. The child will always remember the pizza while doing fractions and put and take imaginary slices out of the imaginary box whenever she is doing a question.
