Literacy: physical impairment

The main literacy challenges for early years children with physical impairment are:

• Expressing themselves, including making clear phonic sounds
• Responding to requests
• Making eye contact
• Having the time to respond to others
• Physically being able to join in with actions and keeping up with the pace of activities and games with other children
• Visually keeping up with reading, looking at books and words
• Making controlled, meaningful marks and writing
• Hand-eye co-ordination

You can:

• Encourage the child to make shapes or letters using their fingers in sand and playdough.
• Have keywords written in different textures and colours so that the child can trace the words with their hands or fingers.
• Encourage independent mark making with paints, chalks, and crayons, using flat hands and fingers, as well as implements.
• Work at table level and large on walls or boards.
• Use musical instruments, ribbons, and finger and hand puppets to develop large and fine movements.
• Adapt paintbrushes, pencils and crayons by attaching them to different thickness of dowelling rods.
• Use multi-sensory, interactive books.Look into a mirror when making phonic sounds.
• Use props such as candles or cotton wool that the child can blow to bring their lips together and encourage breath control.
• Put a favourite taste on the child's lips to encourage them to lick it off, teaching tongue control.
• Discuss sound-making with a speech and language therapist.