Learning the Alphabet by sight
Most Preschool and Kindergarten children with Apraxia will struggle with learning the Alphabet. Why? Well, because children with Apraxia struggle to create the sounds needed. Think about it, we teach and learn our ABC’s with sound A sounds like Ahhh, B is Baa, etc, etc. But what do we do if the child can not make these sounds?
We teach by sight and memorization, it is hard, but this is how I learned the alphabet and how I learned how to spell. For me, ALL words are and were sight words. While every child is different, there are many ways to help an Apraxic child to learn their alphabet. Always remember to empathize with the child or person, as it is extremely hard for them.
I remember learning my ABC’s by sight and getting frustrated with it. But some of the things that worked for me are….
Songs
I loved songs, even if I couldn’t really sing them, they helped everything “stick” for me.
American Sign Language
I started learning ASL at a young age, so learning the Alphabet and words with the signs I knew helped a TON!
Visuals
One thing I used a lot as a child (in early 2000’s before ACC’s were common) was a picture book. Hearing my parents and teachers say the word or letter then point helped a lot.
Sorting
Once I started to get it, sorting all “A” items in a pile and all “B” items in a another pile helped me memorize what items started with what, as I could not make the sounds needed.
Categories: Making a Difference Blog
Samantha Sewell 