Lauren TS#7

For today’s session, my child tutee and I worked on phrases.  I try to encourage my tutee to use his words in and out of the classroom.  My tutee has always seemed shy to speak up even though I have noticed a significant increase in his vocabulary recently.  I put together a list of phrases he could use in social settings as well as in an academic setting when he needs help or to ask for something.  This session we worked on those phrases by acting them out.  We did our best to reenact scenarios that he would encounter daily.  For instance, I had him sit on his assigned spot on the rug, raise his hand, and ask to use the bathroom.  What my tutee would normally do in the past was point in the general direction of where the bathroom was and I would simply allow him to go.  However, I have started to encourage more verbal requests.  So one of the phrases we practiced was, “May I use the bathroom?” Another phrase we practiced was, “I don’t like that.  Please stop.” I noticed earlier in the year my tutee began to use aggression when faced with conflict among his peers.  When they bothered him, he would push them away or grab their hand but not say anything.  When this happened I would encourage him to use his words and tell them that he did not like it.  So we practiced using that phrase when someone was doing something towards him that bothered him.  We also practiced phrases like “see you tomorrow” and “how are you?”