Preschoolers practice speaking skills 6/22/2009 12:37 AM
By ROB NOVIT Senior writer
GRANITEVILLE -- During the final week of school earlier this month, the Byrd Elementary School preschoolers were singing away in Michelle Stanford's classroom.
"14, 15," they yelled enthusiastically. "16, 17 ... 18, 19, 20. Singing the number rock! Woo!"
The children then helped Stanford read a story and recited the Three Little Pigs nursery rhyme. They read and sing and talk a lot in the class, and that's a very good thing.
In the past few years, Stanford has taught preschool children identified with speech problems through a program called PALS - Preschoolers Acquiring Language Skills.
With about 1,900 students in the Aiken County School District receiving speech services, itinerant speech therapists visit kids twice a week. That service is vital, said Stanford, but a lot of things happen in a child's life until the next session. PALS, created within the district's Division of Special Services, provides a self-contained classroom setting.
"I feel strongly that children with language delays need a repetitive, daily enrichment program," Stanford said.
Since she completed a pilot program, the district added two other teachers - Anna Freeman at North Augusta Elementary School and Jill Hucks at the Pinecrest Center. With the help of federal stimulus funds, four more schools will introduce the PALS program this fall.
Its success contributed to a state award presented in February to Julie Rodriguez, the district's speech programs supervisor.
"We saw a need in the district for this," she said. "It's so easy to pick out children that don't have a lot of disabilities but have severe language delays."
Stanford spent 10 years as a speech therapist in her hometown of Jasper, Ala. After moving to Aiken with her husband Lance, she split time at Byrd and Aiken Elementary School.
In a traditional preschool class, the pace is significantly faster.
"In my class, we build on the skills introduced the day before," Stanford said. "It's a continuous process in which we may read the same story every day for a month and the same rhymes. Language-delayed children need to hear the same thing over and over again. We've seen children gain as much as two years' development in the nine-month period."
She gets mostly 4-year-olds each fall with a wide range of needs. Some may begin her class speaking little or not at all. Others may talk one's ear off, but their sentences may not have meaning.
After a year with Stanford, Abigail Wyatt will move on to regular kindergarten in August. She's an outgoing little girl but initially had problems saying words correctly.
"Abigail has really enjoyed the class," said her mother, Wanda Wyatt. "She's smart and catches on quickly and has gotten better with a lot of her words."
Joshua Hurst will return to Stanford's room, but he, too, has made progress, said his mom, Jessica Hurst. Joshua spoke very little and relied on older siblings to speak for him.
"He has come a long way," Hurst said. "He has been a little shy, and this has really built his confidence."
Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.
Notice about comments:
AikenStandard.com is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. AikenStandard.com does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not AikenStandard.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.
Comment Title: Great job!
What a great service this class is to our community. These children will gain confidence and skills and become more stable, happier adults. Great job to everyone involved!
1