Multisensory learning strategies can be very effective in teaching students with special needs. This page provides some suggestions on how to use these techniques with your child.
- Design activities that encourage your child to use their whole body. This helps reinforce the information while they are learning it. This also allows them to get up and get moving which is especially helpful for students that need to move around or have difficulty engaging or focusing on what is being taught.
- Use manipulatives to help demonstrate a concept. Children enjoy having the ability to move objects and see the visual differences when items are added or removed. Manipulatives are especially beneficial to bring math concepts to life but can also be used to help children with their phonological processing skills of blending and segmenting words.
- Use graphic organizers to help children structure their learning activity. Graphic organizers allow students to develop their thoughts and make sense of them. They also aid the student with visual representations of the information which can be especially helpful in breaking down more complex ideas.
- Use audiological methods such as playing a recording, music, or song to help them remember the information. Also, having a book read aloud to the student while they read can also help them with decoding and comprehension.
- Use tracking tools such as a pointer, finger, or highlighter to help them follow what they are reading. This helps them stay focused and not lose their place.
- Tracing is also an excellent way to help children form letters while writing, and it’s also a great tool for helping students learn to read and spell. Ask your child to ‘air” trace a word while they spell it. This helps them visualize the word while they spell and imprints the information on their mind.
If you have further questions about how to use multisensory instruction techniques with your child, please contact your child’s Special Education Teacher.
